K-culture boom: Are Koreans really that creative? Here's what scholar says

Korea s reputation as a conformist, hierarchical society has long raised questions about its creative potential. How could a country often described a...

Korea’s reputation as a conformist, hierarchical society has long raised questions about its creative potential. How could a country often described as rigid and rule-bound become a global cultural powerhouse, producing works likes "Squid Game," "Parasite" and the worldwide phenomenon of K-pop?

For American sociologist Sam Richards, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, the answer lies in the paradox: Korean hierarchy and conformity that have often been criticized as stifling creativity have given Korea’s cultural exports their distinctive and globally recognizable form.

“I think the hierarchy that is here actually created a very specific type of culture — like music culture, movies and dramas. They are very similar, which is what makes them appealing,” Richards said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Nov. 3. "The hierarchy is what allows Korea to do that."

He visited Seoul for a Konkuk University edition of his Sociology 119, which is the largest race and ethnic relations class in the US and one of the more recognizable classrooms in the world.

The professor elaborated that without such structural consistency, the country’s creative output would be far more fragmented.