Hallyu and Gender І: Women’s Identities in Transition in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most diverse and dynamic regions. Comprising of 11 countries and over 650 million people, the geographical proximity of its countries has resulted in many of its nations sharing long-standing cultural heritages, colonial histories and destructive wars, and the interaction of various races, ethnic and language groups and cultures. It is a region where capitalist, socialist and transitional countries co-exist and massive transformations in social, political and economic structures have occurred. With its rapid industrialization and modernization since the mid-20th century, Southeast Asia is also the world’s fastest growing region. In spite of various challenges and obstacles, economic growth and structural transformation achieved over the past three decades has been dramatic. Recording an accumulated gross domestic product (GDP) of more than USD 2.9 trillion as of 20181, the region accounts for a substantial portion of international trade and the high-tech marketplace2. For Korea, Southeast Asia is an important partner in both political-economic relations and socio-cultural interactions. Socio-cultural exchanges and cooperation between Korea and Southeast Asian nations have been particularly remarkable in recent years thanks to the growing popularity of Korean contemporary culture, also known as the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu in Korean). Owing to the widespread use of online and social media, Korean music (K-pop) and TV dramas (K-drama) have fascinated the Southeast Asian audience, particularly women. In this context of rapid economic and social changes and transnational cultural