ABSTRACT
To contextualise the emergence of the Korean Wave, this article examines the historical use of culture by governments holding power on the Korean peninsula over the past century, revealing the use of film as a means to garner support for political and economic agendas. While the cultural policy of the democratic government is markedly different from that of the previous dictatorial government, this paper examines the way in which Korean popular cultural contents – dramas such as Crash Landing onto You, films such as Parasite and K-Pop idols such as BTS – have been co-opted once again to serve the government’s agenda of nation branding.
