A Conscious Creation? Political Economy, Globalisation and Cultural Representation in Terrestrial South Korean Miniseries 2002-2017

This thesis seeks to determine the extent to which miniseries broadcast across three Korean terrestrial public and commercial networks - KBS, MBC, and SBS - between 2002 and 2017 suitably reflect Korean culture and society. It investigates the changes in common cultural themes and representations across this period, unravelling the complex relationship between business, culture, and the evolution of content within this media form.

The contribution to knowledge of this research rests on its methods: the employment of a dual-strand approach of critical political economy and cultural studies. The critical political economy component relies on twelve semi-structured interviews with professionals working across policy, production and distribution. By examining political and economic dynamics at play, the thesis dissects influences and catalysts that have driven changes in the industry and the attributes of decision-making across the life course of the television drama.

The cultural studies strand examines cultural representation through a critical discourse analysis of 57 dramas (KBS - 24, MBC - 16, SBS - 17), varying between one in 2002 to seven in 2015 (average 3.5 per year), to identify larger trends over a broad period. The data was gathered through a coding method derived from Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions and connected to three cultural perspectives - nationalist, neoliberal capitalist, and postcolonial/translocal regionalist (Cho Hae Joang, 2005; Lee Kee Hyeung, 2006; Cho Young Han, 2011) - to assess cultural representation and identify its permutations and revisions.

My hypothesis postulates the Korean miniseries presents idealised versions of cultural conservatism and economic capitalism which have shifted towards cultural progression and capitalist critique over the period of study; a shift ascribed to processes of globalisation, cultural hybridisation, and the pursuit of international audiences. However, my findings conclude that observed changes are likely not a premeditated shift towards progressivism, but rather an outcome of neoliberalism and cultural exchange. In particular, as per political economy insights, difficulty in securing funding compels both production houses and networks to stick to time-proven narratives and characterisations, whilst the competition for revenue and airtime perpetuates the tension of prioritising profit over promoting national culture, ultimately determining the direction of content development.

This research enhances our understanding of the intricate connections between business, cultural identity, and content in the Korean miniseries format. It provides valuable insights into cultural identity, themes, representation, and economic forces that have shaped the evolution of this popular media format, shedding light on the broader societal and economic implications within the Korean context.