Virtual Hallyu

“A highly informative and imaginative account of the multifaceted powers of virtuality that make up the unique phenomenon of Korean cinema in the early twenty-first century.” - Rey Chow, author of Sentimental Fabulations, Contemporary Chinese Films

“Coming close on the heels of The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema, his seminal analysis of the psychic and political foundations of the New Korean Cinema of the 1990s, Kyung Hyun Kim has now produced the essential text on hallyu, the phase of Korean cinema and related forms of popular culture that became a global sensation in the first decade of the new millennium. Bringing key Deleuzian concepts into focus with sensitive and nuanced readings of international blockbusters, including The Host (Bong Joon-ho) and Oldboy (Park Chan-wook), as well as the work of notable art-cinema auteurs, Kim establishes himself as not just the most important Anglophone critic of South Korean cinema but a key figure in film and cultural studies generally.” - David E. James, author of The Most Typical Avant-Garde: History and Geography of Minor Cinemas in Los Angeles

“[A]n impressive work. The book is timely without being trite or merely fashionable and it contains a number of significant theoretical and local insights into the global present without being uselessly obscure to the general reader. Kim’s incisive close readings of widely known South Korean productions (The Host, Old Boy, Secret Sunshine, etc.), as well as the potential to discover new titles, make the book a pleasure to read and to revisit for those inside, outside, or in between Korean studies.” - Travis Workman, Journal of Asian Studies

“[U]seful discussions of Korean film (and filmmakers) ranging from Kwon-taek Im’s Sopyonje (1993) to Chang-dong Lee’s Secret Sunshine (2007). Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” - B. M. McNeal, Choice

“Rich with information and insights but also challenging, almost subversive, to some prevalent views on Korean cinema and literature." - Hyu Hyun Kim, Cross-Currents

“[T]his is a book that needs to be read by anyone who is interested in the field [of Korean Cinema].” - John Finch, Asian Studies Review

" . . . Kim's book is special in that every effort was exerted to select the most relevant topics and issues for readers in a comprehensive and sophisticated way. I would recommend this book because it is a well-written and detail-oriented account of Korean movies . . . As all chapters are very informative and engage in theoretical arguments that are not just descriptive, this book will be very useful to readers who really love Korean films or are film majors in graduate programs and would like to gain a comprehensive knowledge of Korean cinema."   - Sang Yee Cheon, Korean Studies