Korea in 1980s: Heritage, Hallyu, and the Making of Modern Identity | Dr. Roald Maliangkay
Release Date: 11/16/2025
Korea in 1980s: Heritage, Hallyu, and the Making of Modern Identity | Dr. Roald Maliangkay
Korea Deconstructed
In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, David Tizzard speaks with Dr. Roald Maliangkay about the forces that shaped modern Korea, its culture, speed, identity, and contradictions. We explore Korea in the 1980s; North Korean pro wrestling; the rise of gossip magazines; the banning of Chinese characters; the manufacturing of Korean heritage; and the origins of Korea’s bballi-bballi (빨리빨리) culture. We also dive into folk music, Sino-Korean relations, Korea’s global image, and the evolving future of Korean Studies. Roald’s work uncovers how cultural narratives are made, forgotten,...
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info_outlineIn this episode of Korea Deconstructed, David Tizzard speaks with Dr. Roald Maliangkay about the forces that shaped modern Korea, its culture, speed, identity, and contradictions. We explore Korea in the 1980s; North Korean pro wrestling; the rise of gossip magazines; the banning of Chinese characters; the manufacturing of Korean heritage; and the origins of Korea’s bballi-bballi (빨리빨리) culture. We also dive into folk music, Sino-Korean relations, Korea’s global image, and the evolving future of Korean Studies. Roald’s work uncovers how cultural narratives are made, forgotten, and reinvented. This is a conversation for anyone interested in Korean history, identity formation, and the cultural mechanics behind modern Korea.
Roald's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Voices-Postcolonial-Entanglements-Preservation/dp/0824866657
Discussion Outline
0:00 Korea in the 1980s
10:30 North Korean Pro Wrestling
17:18 South Korean Gossip Magazines
24:00 Banning the Chinese Script
26:26 Manucfacturing Korean Heritage
35:30 The emergence of Bballi Bballi
49:20 Exploring Folk Music
1:02:15 Korea and China
1:14:25 Korea’s Image Abroad
1:29:10 The Future of Korean Studies
1:36:20 Closing Idea
Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels
Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873
David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.
Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076
Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos
Music by Jocelyn Clark
Thank you to 한종철 for helping me record this.
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