Neoliberal Reform, Cultural Policy Changes, and the Transformation of Cultural Industries in South Korea

Abstract

This paper tries to demonstrate that the transformation of the Korean cultural industries for the past two decades was deeply embedded in the political economy of Korea, by closely looking at the nation’s economic and industrial transformation and the changes in the cultural and cultural industries policies. In terms of the development of the cultural industries as a whole, and of their contribution to the national economy, it seems that Korean cultural industries have been successful. A wide range of globalization and liberalization of Korean economy following the economic crisis, a paradigm shift in the state’s attitude towards culture as the object of economic activities and of state industrial policy, and a drastic expansion of information and communications industries were among the major factors for the success. But, the social and cultural effects of the rise of cultural industries have been under-explored and some negative effects have been brought about. The question is that: Given the present tendency of economizing and technologizing culture, could cultural industries fulfill such cultural functions as preserving national or local identity and unity, giving a meaning(s) to life, and above all keeping a stable group life by providing values and norms?