Korean American Youth and Transnational Flows of Popular Culture across the Pacific

Lisa Yee

ASA 002

1 November 2015

Blog #7

            In Jung-Sun Park’s “Korean American Youth and Transnational Flows of Popular Culture across the Pacific,” it discusses the rapid globalization which increased the exposure of popular culture for Korean Americans and others interested in Korean culture. It was interesting to read about the positive and negative aspects arising from this increasing globalization of Korean culture in the U.S. From the positive perspective, individuals in the U.S. are able to become introduced to Korean culture while Korean Americans learn more about their culture. From what we learned about model minority in our lectures, Asian American supposedly excel in academic studies, however, it was unfortunate to hear that’s not the case. Some first generation Korean Americans have been discouraged from pursuing careers because they have seen cases where Asian Americans aren’t able to become higher-level decision makers due to lack of resources available. As an Asian American, it’s important to see ethnicities gain education opportunities they want. It is important that Korean Americans shouldn’t hold themselves back due to disadvantages against Asian Americans. Instead, they should put themselves out into society and show others of their capabilities, creating their identities along the process.

Question: Is the sense of alienation a major problem for Asian Americans only in the U.S. or does it take place in other countries?