GATE Symposium 2017
This is where my Gate Symposium progress ig going to go! っゝω・)っ
Symposium Reflection #4
Our driving question was "How have political, economic, and cultural changes converged to create K-pop and how does it impact other cultures today?"
When we were preparing to turn in our project, we made sure that all the information was on the board and that our mural was finished.
I learned that Korean pop was heavily influenced by American pop during the Korean War. I also found that during the Korean War, k-pop songs deemed too "American" or "Japanese" or "Pro-North Korea" were actually banned.
I learned that not all sources are trustful and that it is better to go with articles written by universities.
I also learned that you have to have a clear and strong voice and be passionate about your topic.
When it comes to student-lead research (interview), it is hard to get an expert to answer in our experience.
I think I did well on my collaborative process. I work well in groups in my opinion.
I would have done the mural over again just to make it more perfect than what it really is.
When doing symposium, you need to not procrastinate. You need to set goals for yourself because it takes a long time. Especially the research part and the board plan. It takes a long time to get everything together.
When we were preparing to turn in our project, we made sure that all the information was on the board and that our mural was finished.
I learned that Korean pop was heavily influenced by American pop during the Korean War. I also found that during the Korean War, k-pop songs deemed too "American" or "Japanese" or "Pro-North Korea" were actually banned.
I learned that not all sources are trustful and that it is better to go with articles written by universities.
I also learned that you have to have a clear and strong voice and be passionate about your topic.
When it comes to student-lead research (interview), it is hard to get an expert to answer in our experience.
I think I did well on my collaborative process. I work well in groups in my opinion.
I would have done the mural over again just to make it more perfect than what it really is.
When doing symposium, you need to not procrastinate. You need to set goals for yourself because it takes a long time. Especially the research part and the board plan. It takes a long time to get everything together.
Citations!
- A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011: By Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim
- Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States: By Eun-Young Jung
- Korean Pop Culture: Chua Beng Huat
- South Korean Culture Goes Latin America: Social Network Analysis Of Kpop Tweets in Mexico: Seong Cheol Choi, Xanat Vargas Meza, and Han Woo Park
- Hybridity And The Rise Of Korean Pop Culture In Asia: Doobo Shim
- The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination: Samuel Seongseop Kim, Jerome Argusa, Kaye Chon, and Youngshin Cho.
- K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a Post-Developmental Society: Ingyu Oh and Hyo-Jung Lee
SLR Results
ASTRO Philippines Fanclub InterviewAnswers 1:
Answers 2:
- not on a large-scale, but it helped proliferate a certain online culture and fandom culture influenced by korean fandoms. I don't think it's widespread enough to say that it has affected our culture per say, but helped Filipinos develop a better understanding and acceptance of other languages and cultures, and somehow encouraged young people to be bold enough to travel abroad (I see so many ppl, kpop fans or othewise, traveling abroad as of recent)
- It's honestly all about the visuals. I mean the whole package of it. It's bold, it's different (and it's always exciting to be different), it's fun, a mixture of dance, music, fashion, beauty. If you enjoy any of those, kpop is something you will enjoy. And this is a more personal opinion, but I believe there's a certain beauty and sense of peace when listening to music you don't understand the lyrics of. For me, it helps me concentrate on tasks - it cancels the noise, you can simply 'feel' it, 'groove' to it or even sing along or dance, without overthinking its meaning? Listening to a western song ruins my concentration during work (i often end up typing the lyrics).
- generally? not really since i was already very accepting and understanding of foreign cultures beforehand.
- local economy not so much. Government, again not so much. It did open our eyes about how advanced the other countries are compared to our own, based on things we see on kpop/kdrama content, so we are more aware of what we don't have here and what we want our govt to deliver
Answers 2:
- Well, it affected in a way na may aspects ang K-POP (like music, cinematography, etc) na naiincorporate sa Filipino contemporary culture. (trans: well, it affected in a way that the aspects of K-POP (like music, cinematography, etc) are incorporated in Filipino contemporary culture)
- Simple, it being vivid and colorful makes it attracting and enticing for fans around the world. It's not just language that connects people, it's the story. The story that K-POP has in it.
- Nah. Since everyone must understand that culture is unique.
- Not really though they impose tax on K-POP concerts pero that's so small to affect the economy naman (trans: not really though they impose tax on K-POP concerts but that’s so small to affect the economy, though)
- Kpop has affected in a way that it changed and widened some perspective about culture and music. Like how people have becoming accepting and understanding of another culture, language, and such. The current Filipino pop culture may also have been influenced a little by Kpop.
- Visual aesthetics mostly, I believe. Because Kpop is different. More vivid, brighter visuals that catch your attention quite easily. Also, the sound, beat, or tune is catchy/fun.
- Not really. Because I've been exposed to other cultures even before Kpop.
- I don't think so because Kpop doesn't seem that widespread enough to affect the government and economy.
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Super Junior Fanclub Interview - Kpop have become a trend nowadays. A decade ago, Kpop is considered as an uncharted territory. No one knows and or even cared to know what it stands for. Today, not only kids listen to Kpop everyday, they have also adapted the latest Korean fashion trends. Most Filipinos have become fond of using Korean make up and skin care products. More people try out and enjoy Korean cuisine. Kpop and Korean culture in general have progressively immersed itself to the daily lives of most Filipinos.
- What makes Kpop so appealing that other fans from different countries (who probably do not speak Korean) are attracted to it? Maybe because some people wanted something different from what they used to listen to. Western music concepts have become repetitive and somewhat lost its appeal in some way. While Kpop always seem to offer something fresh. Kpop is a genre but within it, there are more genres to listen to (hiphop, trot, ballads, etc.) It is also a plus that most Korean artists these days can not only sing and dance but most of them have branched out into composing, producing their own music and directing their concert performances. And it also doesn't hurt that they're all very attractive and beautiful.
- Yes. Before Kpop, I have never been exposed or even shown any interest in getting to know about other cultures. I just accepted whatever is being thrown at me. But after discovering kpop when only a few knew about it, I became interested in the entire Korean culture itself. And after engaging yourself and learning more about the Korean culture and traditions, you'll realize that we're not much different from them and that we have a lot similarities which makes it easier to adapt to their culture.
- - i think Filipinos are generally pretty good in adapting to different cultures anyway. Its effect has just become more prominent nowadays because people have become better at expressing what they want and what they think look good and most of us have become more accepting of each other's differences.
- - I do think it did affect our economy in a positive way. With more korean brands coming in, be it in kpop, cosmetics, food, and other services, this have also opened immensed opportunities for Filipinos in terms of employment, business (physical and online stores) and education.
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Chua Beng Huat Interview - What political, historical, or cultural events in Korea’s history do you believe contributed to the existence and success of Kpop?
- As you might know, South Korea was under military authoritarian regime until late 1980s, when its politics was finally democratised with direct election of its president. With the political democratization, the media was also liberalized. The three major TV stations began to compete for its domestic audience. One of the areas of very keen competition is in TV drama series; one could watch drama all day in Korea, even today. Korean TV dramas were the first Kpop exports regionally to the rest of East Asia. Secondly, after democratization Japan and Korea signed a friendship agreement which allowed the direct and open importation of Japanese pop culture, which had been banned but regularly smuggled into Korea until then. Korean pop culture producers copied and learned a lot from J-pop, including the production system for pop music bands; the Japanese production company, called Johnny’s Boys had developed the system of hot-housing young talents. After the success of K-drama, K-pop began to be exported again mainly in East Asia; various attempts by K-pop individual singers and bands to break into the US market had failed, including Rain and Girl’s Generation. However, with the tied up between K-pop music producers and social media sites, such as Facebook, K-pop has now reached a larger global audiences.
- How has the popularity of Kpop contributed to South Korea’s identity and role in the world?
- Culturally Korea has always suffered from being sandwiched between two larger nations, China and Japan. Historically, Korean culture is highly influenced by Chinese culture; until the 15th century when then Korean emperor invented the Korean alphabet, Koreans used Chinese characters; until today, most upper class Koreans are still proud of their Chinese calligraphy. In terms of modern culture, Korea was colonized by Japan for 50 years, and thus always considered itself lagging behind Japan. The popularity of K-pop has given Koreans great boost of national pride and national identity, that its culture is finally recognized by others!
- How does Kpop influence cultures around the globe and do you believe this influence is positive or negative?
- I think like all pop culture, K-pop influence is not likely to be long lasting, Indeed, K-drama is already losing its audiences in Asia and the ‘heat’ and ‘excitement’ around K-pop music is also cooling down.
Information Synthesis Document
Driving Question:
How have political, economic, and cultural changes converged to create K-pop and how does it impact other cultures today?
How have political, economic, and cultural changes converged to create K-pop and how does it impact other cultures today?
Political Changes
- Change generates additional change:
- Political change generated additional change after the Korean government promoted hallyu as an export this can be proven with a quote from an article written by Ingyu Oh, and Hyo-Jung Lee that states, “K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a Post-Developmental Society” states that, “Korean government is also actively promoting Hallyu and K-Pop, as though they constitute new export industries…” (Ingyu Oh, Korean University, Hyo-Jung Lee, Yonsei University). Because the government is promoting the Korean wave, it could potentially affect the cultures and economies of other countries and spread Korean culture. - Change can be either positive or negative:
- According to “K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a Post-Developmental Society,” the authors state “... the South Korean government has drastically modified its policy regarding popular music since the burgeoning of the export of Korean popular cultural content, in general, and K-pop, in particular.” Because the Korean government has modified its policy regarding the Korean popular culture, it could have both, a positive or a negative effect on the spread of Korean culture and the Korean government. - Change is necessary for growth:
- Chua Beng Huat states that,“Since the mid 1990s, the Korean government has embarked on a concerted effort to promote Korean media industry and pop culture as an export industry.” The fact that the Korean government is promoting the Korean media industry is necessary for growth. (Korean Pop Culture, Chua Beng Huat)
Economic Changes
- Change Generates additional change:
- Eun-Young Jung stated in “Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States,” that, “under the more liberalized cultural policy and booming economy of South Korea’s recently empowered civilian government, the Korean pop-music industry was booming, and Korean pop music continued to incorporate diverse stylistic input from abroad.” Since the economy of South Korea has started to become more successful through its pop culture, it allowed Korean culture to be spread throughout different cultures and affect other parts of the world. The economy was able to power Korean entertainment which reached other parts of the world and affected other cultures just like how Korean culture was affected by other cultures. - Change Can be either positive or negative:
- Ingyu Oh and Hyo-Jung Lee say that Korea’s economic progress has brought major changes in Korea’s society, a society that has, “surpassed the stage of rapid development…” (K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a Post-Developmental Society) - Change Is inevitable:
- Through the spread of Korean entertainment such as K-dramas and K-pop, people have become curious about Korea and travel to experience what Korea is like, thus influencing and helping the economy. When the Korean culture spread around the world, it was only natural to believe that Korea will get more tourists because of film sites and famous people (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho). - Change Is necessary for growth:
- Without Korean culture spreading around the world, Korea’s economy wouldn’t be as successful as it is today. According to “Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia” by Doobo Shim, “Korean television programming exports have increased so dramatically that in 2003, they earned $37.5 million, compared with $12.7 million in 1999 (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2004).” - Change Can be evolutionary or revolutionary:
- When Korean culture was spread around the world through famous actors and music artists, it started changing the views of others on the Korean culture and it made the Korean culture popular. People from other cultures wanted to know more about how Korea is different from their culture which influences them to buy products from Korea and even travel to Korea. This helps the Korean economy and shows that the popularity of Korean stars influences and changes how the economy relies on entertainment stars (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho).
Cultural Changes
- Change Generates additional change:
- Through social media, Korean culture was recognized and promoted. Seong Cheol Choi, Xanat Vargas Meza, and Han Woo Park state that, “Power Twitterians such as Scooter Brown and @AllKpop mentioned Gangnam Style in August 2012, posting the music video on their Twitter public timelines. Shortly afterward, Gangnam Style was mentioned 18,000 times. This suggests that SNSs have considerable influence on the diffusion of cultural products and services in today’s society” (South Korean Culture Goes Latin America: Social network analysis of Kpop Tweets in Mexico).
-Even through a Korean drama partly about the culinary experiences of a character affected Hong Kong so much as to create more Korean restaurants. People in Hong Kong were affected by Korean culture and were influenced by the food shown on television (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho). - Change Can be either positive or negative:
- According to “The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination,” the authors state, “... the number of Hong Kong tourists traveling to Korea grew significantly.” Since the number of Hong Kong tourists has grown, it could have a positive or negative impact on the Korean culture.
- In the article “Korean Pop Culture,” Chua Beng Huat states that the widespread of pop music is mostly limited because of the nature of the medium. They state that the music is only meaningful if the person listening knows the language of the song, and that it is not only a “..string of nonsense sounds.” - Change Is inevitable:
- Cultural change was inevitable after the Korean Entertainment industry launched in Asia “To the extent that Korean cinema and especially, Korean TV drama draws on these familial practices in its narratives, it would potentially be able to draw resonance from audiences in the rest of East Asia” (Korean Pop Culture, Chua Beng Huat).
- Cultural exchange is inevitable when “The strength of K-POP is perfect mix transforming western dance and music which can suit public taste in Asia, and perfect performance in stage…” (A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011, Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim) - Change Is necessary for growth:
- Cultural change was necessary for South Korea because they wanted to positively change their image this quote provided by Doobo Shim’s article, “Hybridity And the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia” helps prove why,“Over the past few years, an increasing amount of Korean popular cultural content - including television dramas, movies, pop songs and their associated celebrities - has gained immense popularity in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other East and Southeast Asian countries.” (Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia, Doobo Shim) - Change Can be evolutionary or revolutionary:
- This quote provided by Doobo Shim’s article, “Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia”, is an example of how Korean culture has be evolutionary to both South Korea and fans of Korean culture,“Given their infatuation with Korean culture, the regional fans are eager to learn the Korean language and travel to Korea” (Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia, Doobo Shim).
- According to Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States, the author states, “With the arrival of American hip-hop culture and rap music, which was first adopted by the young-boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, Korean pop music became youth oriented.” The arrival of American hip-hop in Korea influenced Korean pop, which could be evolutionary or revolutionary.
How K-pop impacts other cutlures
- Change Generates additional change:
- Cultural changes adds additional change as proven by Eun-Young Jung’s article, “Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States”, “... under the more liberalized cultural policy and booming economy of South Korea’s recently empowered civilian government, the Korean pop-music industry was booming, and Korean music continued to incorporate diverse stylistic input from abroad. With the arrival of American hip-hop culture and rap music, which was first adopted by the young-boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, Korean pop music became youth oriented. A number of teenage boy and girl bands targeting audiences in their teens and early 20s have dominated the Korean pop-music world ever since...” (Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States, Eun-Young Jung)
- Another example of additional change caused by cultural change is provided by Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, and Youngshin Cho’s article titled, “The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination”, “The most popular Korean drama series displayed on Hong Kong TV is ‘Daejanggeum’... With the royal kitchen and a hospital setting the basis of the drama, Korean traditional cuisine and medicine were promoted.” (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho)
- Another example of cultural change is provided by Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim’s article titled, “A Case Student on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Pari, June 2011”, this quote explains the access Idols have into other Southeast Asian countries and how they are once again spreading the Korean Wave,“Especially idol groups’ entrance to Southeast Asia and Japan played a key role in re-spreading the Korean Wave” (A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011, Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim). - Change Can be either positive or negative:
- According to Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia, the author states, “As many Korean TV dramas have won the hearts of fans in China, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, and overseas Asian communities worldwide, prominent cultural scholars like Koichi Iwabuchi and Chua Beng Huat began to analyze the penetration of Korean TV dramas into Asian markets and defined the process as newly “emerging intra-Asian popular cultural flows under globalizing forces” (Iwabuchi 2002, 16).” This could be either positive or negative in a way because the transportations of Korean dramas can potentially have a positive or negative effect on other Asian cultures.
- This is an example of how South Korea has improved its relationship with its neighbors due to past history, “The growing popularity of Korean pop culture has more implications than simply earning foreign currency, especially considering that the country has had some diplomatic friction with its neighbors in the past decades” (Hybridity and the rise of Korean pop culture in Asia, Doobo Shim).
- Though there are many positive effects of a film, there are also many negative effects of films such as packed tourism with pedestrians and increased traffic. Korean dramas and films may be growing in popularity but it could also mean some harmful effects in Korea (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho).
- When a study about cinematic effects on our experiences was conducted, it was found that people that watched a movie and traveled to the film site had a deeper connection and feeling with the setting than people who did not watch the film and traveled to the site. This study helps us understand how entertainment affects the way we experience different things and shows that people who have watched a certain show or movie may have a deeper feeling and connection to a place which draws people into traveling somewhere. People could be drawn into traveling to Korea because of a K-drama or Korean movie they have watched. (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho)
- In 2005 the Korean wave started to decrease in popularity in China and Japan, then a one-sided opinion came into place and created the anti-Korean wave that caused Korean exports to receive low popularity and success. Even though this is happening in China and Japan, Korean culture is still growing and gaining popularrity in other countries and cultures (A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011, Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim). - Change Is inevitable:
- Change was inevitable after American culture influenced South Korea due to the Korean War and more global partnerships between the two countries. For instance, “at the same time, Korean popular music has also been spreading rapidly, on a scale scarcely imaginable only a decade ago.” (Transnational Korea: A Critical Assessment of the Korean Wave in Asia and the United States, Eun-Young Jung)
- Furthermore, according to a case study on the Korean Wave by Cha and Kim (2011), k-pop groups’ popularity inevitably spread throughout Asia and into Europe. Korean television, however, has not had a global reach, “as they have not entered the media markets in the West, except in the Korean diasporic communities” (Korean Pop Culture, Chua Beng Huat) - Change Is necessary for growth:
- Korean entertainment airing in Hong Kong has caused the interest in Korean culture to rise and allowed for others to experience Korean culture. Through the spread of entertainment the Korean culture has been recognized and was able to grow. (The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Hong Kong Residents’ Perceptions of Korea as a Potential Tourist Destination, Samuel Seongsop Kim, Jerome Agrusa, Kaye Chon, Youngshin Cho)
-Without Korean stars and Korean entertainment, the Korean wave might not have been able to be spread to other parts of the world. (A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011, Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim) - Change can be evolutionary or revolutionary:
-Korean singers learn English to “expand their audience base” but they are up against all of the other artists that sing in English. In this case, Korean stars have to change their “surroundings” in order to gain popularity. (Korean Pop Culture, Chua Beng Huat)
-A Korean record label is trying to get their Kpop groups to gain popularity by fixing the way they market their products and give their groups publicity. They spread their base throughout different countries so that there is less of a difference of the Korean wave in different countries (A Case Study on Korean Wave: Focused on K-POP Concert by Korean Idol Group in Paris, June 2011, Hyunhee Cha and Seongmook Kim).
K-Pop: Korean pop music
K-Drama: Korean Drama Idol/Idol group: a Korean star or group, most commonly used to describe Korean musical artists Hallyu (한류): a common term used to describe the Korean cultural wave Pop culture: modern popular culture transmitted via mass media and aimed particularly at younger people |
Project Process
Symposium Reflection #3
Since the last time I wrote about my research, we learned more in depth of how K-pop has impacted other cultures. When working with others, I learned that I work better with more people, because I learned that I don’t like working alone. I like working in a group of at least two people. Our group wanted to represent cultural change by dividing our board into six sections and making it seem as if though the Korean and American money, typical clothes worn in each country, and the flags are converging together. We wanted to show how both countries converge to create cultural exchange.
We still have not decided what our supplemental piece should be. We were kind of thinking of making a video or writing a song but we’re still not sure.
For or next steps, we have to decide what our supplemental piece is and actually create what we actually is. I don’t really have an image in mind but I’m excited to work on it.
Our collaboration is going well so far. We all put in effort into the board and our research is pretty well done in my opinion.
We still have not decided what our supplemental piece should be. We were kind of thinking of making a video or writing a song but we’re still not sure.
For or next steps, we have to decide what our supplemental piece is and actually create what we actually is. I don’t really have an image in mind but I’m excited to work on it.
Our collaboration is going well so far. We all put in effort into the board and our research is pretty well done in my opinion.
Symposium Reflection #2
Since the last time we researched, we found out that Korea is using “K-dramas” and “K-pop” as a way to rebuild their image. We read that South Korea uses their dramas, music, products and etcetera to rebuild the broken image that they had. Our driving question did not change. It stayed the same because we found a lot of information on the history of K-pop and how it has changed/influenced other cultures. For our student-lead research, we chose interview because we felt like an expert would be able to answer the questions we have about our topic. Anyways, how would a survey help us answer our question right? Finding an expert to interview has been quite hard because we found the perfect person to interview but no matter how much we try, we just cannot find another email that corresponds to the professor. Everything else was in the middle. It hasn’t really been that hard, it’s mostly just planning and piecing together our project by this point. We still have to finish the ISD, but that’s almost done. So we basically just need to complete our board plan. Last thing, our collaboration is going well. We just need to focus more instead of getting off task. Other than that, everything has been quite good.
Symposium Reflection #1
My group and I have found a few articles that relate to change that has affected k-pop. So far the articles relate to our universal theme change. They also connect to our generalization. While exploring our topic, my group learned that the government itself plays a role in the Korean music industry . We have also noticed that gender roles are a big deal in k-pop. While exploring our topic, we didn’t change anything. We kept the same universal theme and generalization. The reason we didn’t change our topic is because it’s something we are passionate about. K-pop is something my group and I really like. We are aware that K-pop is becoming more relevant in today’s world. I hope to find more about why k-pop has so many gender roles. I also want to find more articles talking about the “dark side” of the Korean music industry, since we are aware that our topic has a negative side to it too. I want to go in depth of how it is also negatively affecting the music industry and how, apart from positively affecting the music industry, it is negatively affecting the music industry.. So far, the collaboration is going well. We’re all getting along since my group and I really like this genre, and kind of thought of this topic ahead of time already.