Lede
K-pop, K-drama, K-film, K-everywhere. Lately, too much of it feels like everyone else.

What does not make sense

• The shine goes global, the soul gets flattened. Hooks for algorithms, edges sanded for “international appeal”.
• Idols built like brands. Talent is real, yes, but the packaging smells of spreadsheets.
• Dramas that once breathed Seoul’s streets now chase generic arcs you could set anywhere.
• Films that taught patience and silence now sprint to the meme.
• Translating literature at speed as if shelves were leaderboards, not living rooms.

Sense check

There is still greatness. Korean literature is the one corner that feels less touched by the money-first mindset. After Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, more Korean books reached English fast, and many are real gems. There are artists who refuse beige. There are books that will live for decades. Keep them close. Hold them up. The risk is the same drift we see elsewhere: if lists start chasing speed and sameness, the flame dulls. For now, the flag still burns. Let’s keep it that way.

The sketch

Scene one: “Can it be more global?” says a voice from the glass office. Translation: remove the taste.
Scene two: trainee reads a brand deck. “Your backstory is resilience, your bridge is in English, smile wider.”
Scene three: a translator on a conveyor belt. Another rush job. Another blurb that says “unflinching” because no one had time to find a real word.

What to keep, not the show

• Local texture. Keep the streets, the food, the weird jokes, the awkward silences. That is the gold.
• Risk and quiet. Let a scene breathe. Let a song build. Trust the listener.
• Literature as time, not trend. Fewer books, deeper edits, better lives.
• Independent labels and presses. The flame survives in small rooms first.

What to watch, if you care

• English-only pre-choruses that swap meaning for virality.
• Colour grading and cuts that look like every other “global” hit.
• Remakes that lose grit in translation.
• Prize-chasing catalogues that forget readers exist after the shortlist.
• Marketing that says “authentic” while the work says “safe”.

The Hermit take

Korean art travelled because it was itself. Keep the flag in the work, not just on the poster. The world does not need another version of the same song. It needs the one only you can sing.

Keep or toss

Toss the global beige. Keep the Korean flame.

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Sources

Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 – Press release: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2024/press-release/
Nobel Prize – Han Kang facts: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2024/han/facts/
International Booker 2016 – The Vegetarian: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/international/2016