Presented by Dr. Pil Ho Kim, Associate Professor of Korean Studies at The Ohio State University

K-pop’s sustained global popularity from Psy’s “Gangnam Style” to BTS has piqued curiosity of many about its origins and transformations. This talk takes an expansive view of K-pop as an abbreviation of Korea’s century-long musical tradition – from early twentieth-century folk songs, Japanese colonial-era jazz, 1960s’ rock and soul from the U.S. military bases in South Korea, to the emergence of home-grown musicians who would become the masterminds of K-popentertainment company juggernauts. It is a tradition full of shapeshifting crossovers, ingenious hybridities, and intercultural collaborations, all of which have served as key ingredients to K-pop’s meteoric rise.

CIS is sponsoring this event in collaboration with the Korean Culture Club student organization.

The CIS Thursday Forum is a weekly series focusing on international research, scholarship and creative activity for the OHIO community.