Korean Bodybuilding : Cultural Hybrid or Instance of Cultural Homogenization?

Abstract: This study deals with the trend of male bodybuilding in Korea and investigates the motivations and aesthetic ideals of Korean male bodybuilders. The author of the study uses the few hitherto academic research works on the subject and tries to give an overview of the history of Korean bodybuilding. Besides, the author has conducted a digital survey in order to collect answers from Korean male bodybuilders about their motivations, aesthetic ideals, etc. The aesthetic ideals of the bodybuilders are then compared to the male aesthetic ideals of modern Korean society and also discussed in relation to the somatic beliefs of NeoConfucianism. The findings are thereafter analyzed in context of two theses of the cultural consequences of globalization, namely homogenization and hybridization. The study concludes that Korean bodybuilders are more concerned with the arduous process of sculpting their physiques rather than the look of them themselves. Although the research material on Korean bodybuilding is scarce and the responses to the conducted survey are small in terms of both numbers and scale, it may be suggested that Korean bodybuilding appears to be an instance of the hybridization thesis. Lastly, the study emphasizes the need for more extensive research on the subject in question.