People on Viki sometimes put a lot of emphasis on us foreign viewers and our needs, underestimating the importance of this service for Koreans abroad. Not only those who go there temporarily, but the 1,5- and 2nd generation youths, for whom it’s a precious connection to a homeland they only know through stories narrated by their family members.
Through watching TV content, many have kept or renewed their affiliation, their feeling of identity, or have learned things they didn’t know, refreshed the language etc. although, influenced by their life in the new country, they do tend to view what they see with a more critical eye than their parents and grandparents.
I read with great interest “Diasporic Viewing of Korean TV”, a chapter from the book “Diasporic Hallyu: The Korean Wave in Korean Canadian Youth Culture”, by Kyong Yoon. Although its focus (including the examples and interviews) is young Korean-Canadians, I suppose that it must also be true for all Koreans abroad, in the US or elsewhere.
Read it here:
The whole book is freely accesible here