ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses representations of South Korean nationalism in the media and the debates and commentary generated by such representations. It contends that K-Pop celebrities are actively manifesting Korean nationalism with their racial mimicry of African-Americans. The chapter also explores the concepts of ethnocentrism, nouveau-riche nationalism and pure-blood nationalism from a realist perspective to address the specific research questions. After presenting the research findings, it also elaborates further on them from the perspective of the key concepts. The chapter also places some of the viewpoints within the broader Korean societal and historical context from a realist perspective. It has presented the findings from the representations of the debates on acting black in the Korean media. In Korea, however, acting blackface is designed to ridicule and legitimise negative perceptions of blacks, as Koreans are unwilling to embrace blacks and have no reason to appreciate them in the current Korean cultural context.
