Research Review

International Women's Magazines Cater to Korean Women

By Alyssa Pankalla

The argument that international media are becoming more homogenized has some evidence to back it up. For instance, the predominance of the U.S. as a media exporter has greatly influenced both the 'look' and content of media around the globe. That said, an article entitled "Globalization and Localization in the Production Process of International Women's Magazines in Korea" by Hyun Sook Oh takes a different view. In Oh's research, she found that, unlike many other global media products which are imported from overseas with standardized layouts, covers, and article topics, international women's magazines present in Korea have kept a more localized feel. While most international women's magazines "tend to maintain their magazine concept globally and pursue standardization strategy in order to maintain a consistent brand image," Oh found that Korean magazines needed to "localize content to win local readers." Global homogenization is no doubt at work in Korea, but Oh's findings show a more locally oriented approach. As a result, as Oh termed it, international women's magazines found in Korea are "sort of 'glocalized' media products which carry local content via global formats." The study of international women's magazines in Korea shows that both global and local forces are interrelated in production processes, and that the global and the local are constantly and simultaneously reshaping each other. Neither could work without the other.