[Kulture Issue] Year 1995 and the evolution of K-culture content

Did you know that 1995, or 30 years ago was a turning point for Korean pop culture?

It's said that the current Korean wave or hallyu has its roots in that year.

Let's find out why in today's 'Kulture Issue' segment.

For that, we're joined by culture critic, Professor Chie Hye-won at Kyung Hee University. Welcome Professor Chie!

Q1. Let's travel back in time to 1995. What's significant about that year in terms of the K-culture industry, that's now loved around the world?

Q2. It's impressive to hear that SM Entertainment and CJ ENM, two of the biggest names in K-pop and K-content, both started off in 1995. How have they revolutionized Korea's culture industry?

Q3. Also, that year was the first year of cable TV in Korea, which opened up a wide variety of channels. (Riding on that trend, Arirang TV was also launched a couple years later.) How did this change affect the media/content consumption culture?

Q4. Let's talk about Hongdae which not only is a famous art district in Seoul, but the indie music scene began to take root at clubs in Hongdae, which through to this day is a very hip place for young people. How have these scenes added diversity to Korean music?

Q5. Online communities were also starting to take off around then. What was their impact like and were those clubs the foundation of the fandom community culture we see today?

Q6. Anything else notable from a cultural aspect about the year 1995?

Q7. There's been a resurgence of interest in 1990s culture lately. Why do you think that is?

Thank you Professor Chie for your insights on this interesting topic. See you next time.

Thank you Walter, we'll see you tomorrow.