Why does South Korea claim other cultures as its own?This is a topic that has sparked a lot of discussion and controversy. On the Internet, many people questioned why South Korea frequently claimed that other countries' cultures belonged to them. Some foreign netizens expressed puzzlement about this, believing that South Korea was too conceited and arrogant. So why does South Korea have this tendency?
South Korea is a country with a long history and rich cultural heritage. However, in the past few centuries, Korea has experienced several foreign dominations, such as China's Goguryeo, Hanfu's influence on Hanbok, and Japanese colonization, among others. These historical factors have led to the pursuit and need for identity in South Korea's own cultural identity. In order to strengthen the confidence and pride of its citizens, South Korea tends to closely link the cultural elements of other countries with its own culture.
Expansion: Korea has experienced many periods of foreign domination throughout its history that have had a profound impact on Korean culture. For example, China's Goguryeo was a very important dynasty in Korean history, and Korea tended to portray Goguryeo's relationship with its own country as more intimate and important. In terms of clothing, the influence of hanbok on hanbok is also a common phenomenon, but Koreans often claim that hanbok was developed independently, emphasizing its difference from China. These are all propaganda tactics by South Korea to reinforce its cultural identity and pride.
South Korea is a country that attaches great importance to the development of cultural industries, and they are well aware of the importance of culture to the country's economic development and international influence. By codifying elements of other countries' cultures into its own, South Korea can gain more benefits in terms of economic and cultural exchanges. For example, in the film, ** and fashion industries, South Korea often draws inspiration and elements from other countries and evolves them into products adapted to the Korean market, so as to attract the attention of domestic and foreign consumers and enhance South Korea's soft power.
Expansion: South Korea's cultural industry is well-known worldwide, with Korean dramas, Hallyu**, and Korean fashion all very popular. In order to promote its cultural products to the global market, South Korea often integrates and borrows from other countries' cultures in various ways. For example, Korean dramas tend to absorb and present elements from other countries through the design of scripts and actors' images, so as to achieve wider audience appeal. This kind of cultural integration and borrowing has played an important role in promoting the improvement of South Korea's economy and soft power.
In today's globalized world, cultural exchanges between countries are becoming more and more frequent, and cultural elements are also constantly flowing. In order to preserve their own cultural uniqueness and independence, some countries tend to attribute the cultures of other countries to themselves and emphasize their own creativity and uniqueness. South Korea has a similar psychological need, and they may believe that attributing other countries' cultures to themselves can protect the purity and uniqueness of their own culture, thereby strengthening their cultural identity and self-esteem.
Extension: Cultural pride and the need for cultural identity are pervasive psychological phenomena in human society. Each country wants to preserve and pass on its own culture, and this psychological need is even more pronounced in the modern society of multicultural communication. Sometimes, in order to satisfy this psychological need, the state will overconfidence or exaggerate its own cultural contributions. This is also the psychological need that South Korea may have when it claims the culture of other countries as its own.
In short, South Korea's assertion of other countries' cultures as its own behavior may be motivated by the need for historical and cultural identity, economic interests and soft power considerations, as well as the satisfaction of self-preservation and psychological needs. This phenomenon can be observed in South Korea and other countries, and it is not unique to South Korea. For this phenomenon, we can understand and respect the cultural contributions and uniqueness of each country and region by in-depth understanding of the history and background of cultural exchanges between countries.