By Lee Gyu-lee
“There has been a lot of research on European-based [pop] cultures but not so much on K-pop, K-dramas or hallyu, the ‘Korean wave’. And we believe that this research will give a new and very challenging perspective.”
Jieun Kiaer, professor of Korean linguistics at the University of Oxford, in the UK, shared this expectation as she explained her visions and goals for a forthcoming research project she will conduct in collaboration with K-pop producer and composer Kim Hyeong-seok.
Kim recently joined the university as a visiting researcher of Asian and Middle Eastern studies as part of its Kellogg College academic programme, which invites renowned artists to work with its scholars for research and creative purposes.
The producer, who has composed more than 1,400 songs, including countless hits, has been a pioneer and one of the most prominent figures in K-pop since the 1990s. He expressed his intention to use his background to lay the groundwork for K-pop to thrive further as a culture through the research.