Abstract

This study examines the interplay between broadcasting and popular music in Korea during the 1970s, aiming to provide a richer understanding of this transformative period in Korean cultural history. Existing research highlights the need for deeper engagement with broadcasting’s role and a robust epistemological framework to analyze its influence. To address these gaps, this study adopts Norbert Elias’ concept of figuration, revealing how broadcasting shaped the development of Korean popular music during this era. In the 1970s, broadcasting emerged as a dominant cultural institution with three key characteristics. First, it positioned itself as a moral leader, emphasizing youth, novelty, and wholesome and uplifting modernity. Second, it functioned as a powerful gatekeeper, controlling access to audiences and shaping the direction of the popular music industry. Third, it demonstrated its ability to appropriate musical events, integrating them into its own institutional and cultural logic. These attributes gave rise to a broadcasting figuration—a network of interdependencies between broadcasters, musicians, and audiences that redefined cultural production and consumption. This broadcasting figuration is vividly illustrated through the emergence of Campus Song Festival and Trot-Go-Go in the late 1970s. The Campus Song Festival exemplified how contestants aligned their performances, from costumes to choreography, with the expectations set by broadcasting institutions. Similarly, Trot-Go-Go adhered to the broadcasting figuration’s aesthetic and behavioral norms, showcasing how deeply broadcasting shaped artistic expression. By the 1970s, broadcasting had established itself as a hegemonic force, exerting significant power over popular music. The industry’s increasing alignment with broadcasting’s norms signaled the beginning of the “broadcasting-ization” of popular music—a process in which music production, performance, and cultural significance became intertwined with broadcasting’s logic. This study contributes to the historiography of Korean popular music by demonstrating how broadcasting, as a central node of cultural power, not only influenced the music industry but also reflected broader socio-cultural shifts. Through Elias’ concept of figuration, it illuminates the complex interdependencies that underpinned the cultural transformations of 1970s Korea, providing a theoretical framework for understanding the institutional and relational dynamics of this pivotal period.