Between local and global: The Hong Kong Film Syndrome in South Korea

This dissertation examines the significance of transnational cultural exchange between the South Korean and Hong Kong film industries from the mid-1980s to the 2000s. By looking at the influence of the neighboring culture on Korean cinema in its transitional period, I argue that local collaborations mark a crucial intermediate stage for a local culture such as Korean cinema to move onward to larger global markets.; The mid-1980s to the mid-1990s in Korean film culture can be designated as the period of the "Hong Kong Film Syndrome.'' At this time, not only were an enormous number of Hong Kong films imported into Korea, but also they were more popular than Korean films among domestic audiences. This phenomenon was succeeded by "Hanryu," the enthusiastic reception of Korean popular culture including cinema, in Asia in the 2000s. The dissertation traces the relation between the two cultural trends, focusing on the way in which the influence of Hong Kong cinema led into the popularity of Korean cinema. From the perspective of the Korean film industry, the study suggests that Hong Kong cinema supplied a creative inspiration as well as alternative cinematic pleasure both to the Korean film industry and audience at that time, which eventually assisted the transformation of the domestic film culture.; To better understand the function of the neighbor's culture during the transitional period of Korean cinema, the study first looks at the situation of the Korean film industry at the time, especially focusing on oppressive national politics and economic pressure from Hollywood. Following is an in-depth analysis of the popularity of Hong Kong cinema and its influence on later Korean films. Particular attention is paid to transnational stars such as Leslie Cheung or Takeshi Kaneshiro as agents who widened the cultural imagination of Korean society. The overview of the later stage, "Hanryu" and the Pan-Asian co-productions, will elucidate the numerous "East Asian strategies'' witnessed in international film markets. Through the specific case study of the culture industries of Korea and Hong Kong, the dissertation suggests the important catalytic role of local cooperation in the globalization of a local culture.