Locally Global

Entextualizations of the K- Morpheme in Contemporary Korean Popular Culture

Bibliographic Data

ID22105385
AuthorsJoyhanna Yoo (0000-0002-4857-5693, California State University System, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume14
Issue2
Pages211-227
Publication date2026-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSigns and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2326-4489 • E-ISSN: 2326-4497
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/sas.2026.10051
OpenAlexW7167490156
LanguageEN
References cited14

As Korean cultural genres circulate globally, they acquire local meanings that may travel back to Korea, generating additional connotations. Drawing upon semiotic theory from linguistic anthropology, this article examines the resemiotization of morpheme “K-”, tracing how it detached from a few lexical items to become a productive morpheme and index of Koreanness in global cultural production. K-’s entextualized iterations take on new meanings across contexts, disrupting straightforward notions of transnational circulation. Global circulation in turn shapes domestic usage, reflecting the iterative relationship between consumers and Korean industry. While terms like K-drama and K-beauty remain relatively stable, newer ones like K-culture and K-wave are more open to negotiation. Ethnographically following K- across online and offline spaces, this study argues the morpheme emerges as a domestic index of outward-facing possibility—a locally global orientation—underscoring language’s pivotal role in shaping and advancing Korea’s national brand

Conjunction (astronomy) · Index (typography) · Morpheme · Popular culture · Semiotics · Tracing · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Socioeconomic Development in Asia