The Changing Face of Korean Cinema 1960 to 2015

This book examines the ways in which South Korean cinema has undergone a transformation from an antiquated local industry in the 1960s into a thriving international cinema in the 21st century. Yecies and Shim propose the notion of a 'cinema of perseverance', paying attention to the industry’s accelerated growth and development during these formative epochs which reveals a dynamic cinematic history running parallel to the nation’s political, social, economic and cultural transformation. The book investigates the circumstances that allowed these two eras to emerge as creative watersheds, and demonstrates the forces behind Korea’s positioning of itself as an important contributor to regional and global culture, and especially its interplay with Japan, Greater China, and the United States.

Brian Yecies is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

Ae-Gyung Shim is Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Centre for Asia Pacific Transformations Studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia.