Imitators to Creators: The Emergence of a Confident National Identity in Contemporary Korea as Observed Through K-Pop and Masculinity

South Korea’s national narrative has evolved from one familiar with destruction and outside control to one that can now afford to be more challenging and confrontational. Korea’s ascent to both economic and political prominence on the international landscape in record time is well established. The rapid transformation currently impacts Korean society with the country choosing to concentrate on strengthening its soft power and nation brand exporting. This thesis aims to reveal how Korea’s recently acquired position of significance on the global stage permits the Korean national identity to be assured and stimulating, in contrast with a derivative narrative once perceived around an image of backwardness. The Korean identity projected to the globalized world through the Korean entertainment industry is formed from a combination of a distinctive Korean soft masculinity aesthetic and the “new traditional,” a concept aimed to incorporate what the Korean government wants the rest of the world to view as traditional Korean culture. In order to demonstrate this new assured Korean identity, a case study was conducted on two male Korean popular music (K-pop) groups, the second-generation group SHINee and the fourth-generation group Stray Kids. Both groups were analyzed via tools of visual anthropology to present a changing aesthetic and outward identity that reflects the overall temporal shift in Korean national identity. SHINee reveals a shift from a Western-derived physical look and manner to one confident in its separate soft masculinity. Stray Kids reveal the fusion of this soft masculinity style with elements of traditional Korean culture. These results highlight the Korean government’s ability to strengthen its particular national brand and identity as an exportable, consumable product through official K-pop cultural ambassadors and an ever-increasing confident status on the world stage