Time to kick out the ‘K-’ from everything Korean

Universal appeal: Pop sensation BTS enjoys enormous popularity globally due to its charming hybridity and cultural fusion, not its exclusively ‘Korean’ qualities. — AFP

THESE days, the South Korean government as well as pop culture promotion agencies attach the prefix “K-” to virtually everything of Korean origin that is popular overseas, such as K-culture, K-literature, K-pop, K-food, K-cars, K-dramas, K-quarantine and a host of others.

Perhaps politicians and promoters want to inspire patriotism and pride by branding all these cultural exports with a “K,” suggesting that whatever raises the profile of Korea overseas is uniquely “Korean.”