Manhattan’s Koreatown as a Transclave: Branding Korea in Global City

• In Event: 598 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtable Session.
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Creating Global Institutions and Markets

Abstract

Manhattan’s Koreatown has become known as a place to get a taste of Korea and “Seoul-style” consumption, for both ethnic Koreans and non-Korean New Yorkers. The enclave’s new-found visibility comes with the growing international popularity of Korean pop cultural products, as well as the city’s restless search for novel cuisine. However, while seeming new to New Yorkers, the character and composition of the neighborhood is the result of the Korean government’s transnational strategy of engagement through cultural consumption. The space offers a cultural and economic gateway for the Korean government and Korean-based corporations to expand their presence in the U.S.
This article investigates how Korea’s Nation Branding project and cultural policies, as well as urban changes in New York City, have contributed to the formation of a new type of ethnic enclave in New York City: a transnational space for consumption and entertainment, which I call a “transclave.” The process is traced through a periodization of the history of Koreatown into three stages: the establishment of the space as a traditional ethnic enclave following the 1965 immigration reforms; a transitional period between Korea’s democratization in 1987 and the country’s 1997 financial crisis; and the rise of the “transclave”, in part as a response to that crisis. I underscore the role of three projects in New York City, funded by the Korean government, and actively supported by “transnational entrepreneurs” in Koreatown: the ‘First Lady’ project; the Korean broadcasting company MBC’s Infinite Challenge; and the relocation of the Korean Culture Center.

Author

• Jinwon Kim, City University of New York-Graduate Center