S3 C1-C2 K-EVERYTHING: KOREA'S POP CULTURE TAKEOVER

to conquer Asian charts

to dominate music rankings across Asia

to expand one’s reach to all corners of the globe

to grow influence worldwide

flawless complexion

perfect, blemish-free skin

onerous responsibilities

burdensome or demanding duties

ubiquity

being everywhere at once; omnipresence

to lust after idols

to intensely desire or idolize k-pop celebrities

high-profile cases

prominent, widely publicized incidents

to lucratively appeal

to attract in a highly profitable way

to police inclusion

to enforce or monitor diversity presence

to flourish across the world

to thrive globally

to reap the benefits

to gain advantages or rewards

ardent love

passionate, intense devotion

masterstrokes

brilliantly executed actions or strategies

fragile geopolitics

delicate international relations

seductive earworms

irresistibly catchy songs

audacious enterprise

bold venture

ascendant across Asia

rising in power/influence in Asia

newly minted

recently produced or made

to use sth as a benchmark

to use sth as a standard for comparison

galvanised by sth

motivated or energized by sth

to eclipse J-pop

to surpass Japanese pop in influence

a strand of rebranding program

a part of image-overhaul initiative

to cement sth

to solidify or secure sth permanently

to emulate sth

to copy or imitate ambitiously

to open up scope for sth

to create opportunities for sth

a fixture at the top of Netflix’s chart

a piece of media that consistently stays near the top of Netflix rankings

surge in popularity

a rapid and significant increase in popularity

to sweep the global content landscape

to dominate international media

a testament to sth

proof or evidence of sth’s value/truth

ever-growing popularity

continuously increasing popularity

to attribute sth to sth

to credit a cause or reason for sth

to transcend cultural specifics

to go beyond cultural boundaries

deft storytelling

skillful and clever storytelling

paramount quality

superior quality

to delve into sth

to explore or examine sth deeply

to suit diverse tastes

to appeal to a wide range of preferences

to cater to the female audience

to appeal to female viewers

conveyed through a lingering gaze

expressed via prolonged, meaningful eye contact

subtle

delicate, understated, not obvious

to foster a sense of desire

to encourage the development or growth of feelings of longing and attraction

to take precedence over sth

to be prioritized as more important

in stark contrast to

sharply different from

thriving abundance

a flourishing, plentiful amount

meticulous attention to aesthetics

careful focus on visual beauty

a feast for the eyes

visually stunning or pleasurable

to play a pivotal role in sth

to be crucial or central to sth

to elevate the quality

to improve or enhance standards

a catalyst for the global popularity

a key factor driving global fame

rigid beauty standards

strict, inflexible ideals of attractiveness

to sustain the industry's global appeal

to maintain international interest

to take the world by storm

to achieve sudden, great global success

a force to reckon with

a powerful thing that cannot be ignored

halo effect

assuming sb is good in all ways because of a positive trait

abhorrent

morally bad, disgusting, repellent

orientalism

Western portrayals of Eastern cultures as exotic or inferior

deeply rooted issues

problems firmly established over time

to drive culture

to shape or influence societal norms and trends

to jump hurdles

to overcome obstacles or challenges

cut-throat

fiercely competitive, often ruthless

bouts of sth

a short period of illness or involvement in an activity

blemish

a flaw or imperfection, physical or metaphorical

eurocentric features

Western beauty standards

done to the T

executed perfectly, with great attention to detail

to fit the mold

to conform to expected standards or norms

to speculate about sth

to theorize or guess without solid evidence

to run on the currency of pretty privilege

to benefit socially/economically from attractiveness

to run stale

to become boring or unoriginal over time

underlying culture

the hidden or foundational values of a society

commodity

a product or asset with exchange value

entitled to sth

having a perceived right to sth

diminished popularity

decreased popularity

atrocious skin

extremely bad skin condition

disposable

easily discarded or replaced

to stem from sth

to originate or arise from a source

be-all end-all solution

the ultimate answer to a problem

byproduct of sth

a secondary result or unintended consequence

to relate back to sth

to connect or refer to an earlier idea

a hard pill to swallow

a difficult truth to accept

to divert the next generation

to mislead youth

to salivate over sth

to desire sth intensely, often greedily

East-West dichotomy

the perceived contrast between the East and West

culturally distinct

uniquely characteristic of a specific culture

mannerism

sth that a person does repeatedly with their face or hands

tangible physical traits

visible, measurable bodily features

to differentiate yourself from sb

to distinguish oneself from others

to incite sth in

to provoke or stir up a feeling or reaction

innate

inborn, natural, or inherent

to subject sb to sth

to force sb to experience sth (often negative)

to comprehend sth

to fully understand sth

to subdue sth

to suppress, control, or tone down

to reduce sth to sth

to simplify or degrade sth into a lesser form

to contest power

to challenge or dispute authority or dominance

to discern cultural DNA

to identify the core traits of a culture

tokenization of culture

reducing a culture to a superficial representation

to evoke sth through consumption

to trigger or draw out feelings/ideas in consumers via media/products

to tap into the American market

to access or appeal to U.S. consumers

to ramp up efforts

to increase intensity or scale of actions

to instill a cultural DNA into sth

to embed core cultural traits into sth

to lure sb down the K-wave pipeline

to gradually get sb more and more interested in Korean pop-culture

to fuel exotic fantasies

to feed romanticized ideas about foreign cultures