ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that an analysis of the uneven power dynamics and historical relationship between the US and South Korea and how these have shaped South Korea’s music industry offers a rich methodology for thinking and writing about the transnational music videos K-pop produces. It suggests that writing creatively about transnational music videos requires us to undo this very assumption and to instead seek to understand how the music and the pleasure it induces are underwritten by imperial histories. PSY uses the music video genre to bring into sharp focus the ubiquitous desire of Koreans to “keep up with the Joneses” or in this case, “the Kims.” Thus, in keeping with hip-hop’s roots, PSY’s video provides entertainment and social commentary. While PSY’s personal journey studying in the US and then becoming a rapper might seem like a unique story, such transnationally informed artistic shapings are the consequences of US neocolonialism in South Korea.
