Commentary: Can the Korean Wave Save the World?

Abstract This commentary for the Signs and Society special issue, “Localizing hallyu: The semiotics of the Korean wave in media and discourse,” considers how the contributions reveal the tensions underlying the way signs of the Korean wave are recontextualized through the material and embodied engagement of participants along pathways of its global circulation. It suggests that a transnational analysis of the Korean wave can serve as a useful laboratory for understanding the socially transformative power of semiotic practice.