Encoding the nation

Media, compressed modernity, and the global projection of Korean identity

Bibliographic Data

ID24138123
AuthorsGilmar Masiero (0000-0001-5937-7599, Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo), Odair Cordeiro Marra (0009-0001-3822-7847, Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-08-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia Culture & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/01634437261481069
OpenAlexW7204211948
LanguageEN
References cited20

This article addresses a central puzzle in media studies: how a nation’s turbulent experience of rapid development become a foundational narrative for its global media projection? Focussing on South Korea, the article argues that contemporary national identity and its transnational cultural influence are best understood through a tripartite framework linking ‘the own’ (enduring traditions and ethnic nationalism), ‘the near’ (social ruptures generated by compressed modernity), and ‘the far’ (global repackaging of these experiences through Hallyu ). The study posits that Korea’s global cultural success is not merely a manufactured export but a structural expression of its historical trajectory, aestheticised to transform domestic socio-political tensions into global symbolic capital. Methodologically, the article combines historical scrutiny with illustrative analysis of key cultural texts across cinema, K-drama, and K-pop, alongside a dual-circuit model of cultural diffusion. The findings demonstrate that tensions produced by rapid development are structurally intertwined with international media projection, offering a heuristic framework for analysing similar trajectories of cultural power in the 21st century.

Encoding (memory) · Heuristic · Identity (music) · Key (lock) · Narrative · Power (physics) · Projection (relational algebra) · Scrutiny · Soft power · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Socioeconomic Development in Asia