You do not hear a lot about a book you published two years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to find POP GOES KOREA reviewed in the most recent issue of PACIFIC AFFAIRS.

PACIFIC AFFAIRS is a pretty serious and respectable academic journal, having been published since 1928. The reviewer, Dr. Jung Eun-Young, an assistant professor of music at the University of California, San Diego, did a pretty good write-up — in general positive, with some solid insights and fair criticisms. The highlights:

The most interesting part of this book for cultural scholars is the conclusion, where Russell turns to the international dimension, boldly stating that “there never was a Korean Wave” (215) and pointing out its negative connotations. He argues, “the trouble with talking about a ‘Korean Wave’ is that it does not really explain anything… Can we really say there is anything specifically ‘Korean’ [in Korea’s pop culture]?” (212).

And:

Russell’s book certainly deserves credit for providing new and detailed insights into Korea’s pop culture industry. It is especially useful for readers unfamiliar with Korean pop culture; the many sidebars as well as the main text are informative and accurate. Given that Russell refers to this book as a first installment, we can expect to see more stories of Korean pop culture, revealing other dimensions through his insightful analysis.

So, there you go. I am not sure how long that link is going to work, but hopefully I will be able to update it when the current issue moves to the archives.