Korean Indie Music, Capitalism, and Cultural Identity

In this episode of Korea Deconstructed, we explore Korean indie music, its culture, artists, and how capitalism and technology is reshaping the K-indie scene. Joined by Zuza Sołtykowska, a Polish writer and academic based in London, we discuss Korean language studies, underground music culture, and the tensions between art, industry, and economic growth.

Zuza is a Polish writer and academic currently based in London. Her work spans Korean indie music, film, and art, with a particular focus on gender, cultural identity, and economic equality.

Find her online https://www.instagram.com/zuzasoltykowska/

https://www.koreanindie.com/author/zuza/

Discussion Outline

0:00 Discovering the Korean Language

7:20 Identity and Being Polish

9:05 Introduction to Korean Indie Music

15:40 Writing and Researching K-Indie

21:20 Capitalism and the Indie Music Industry

33:30 The Growth of Korean Indie Music

40:00 Ideology and Meaning in K-Indie

47:12 Rethinking the Korean Music Industry

51:36 The Beauty of Korean Indie + Artist Recommendations

Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper, Anne Brennels

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David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.

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