The Birth of Korean Cool

I thoroughly enjoyed Euny Hong's view on what has lead Korean pop culture to explode in popularity. She has a unique perspective having started her life in America with Korean heritage and then moving to South Korea as an adolescent. She delves into S. Korea's history, politics, religion and culture to show how those things have shaped both the country itself and one of its biggest industries- Hallyu. I admit that before I got into K-Drama's and then BTS, I knew next to nothing about South Korea, so this book was highly informative and interesting. It's not a dry book of facts, but written from Euny Hong's personal experience growing up during the country's most transitional periods. I found it fascinating how much went into building a pop culture empire in such a short period of time and how that has in turn has had such a positive impact on the country as a whole. Certainly worth checking out if your a Hallyu fan or even just interested in South Korea and what makes this small nation tick.