How ‘Gangnam Style’ Saved My Life

Growing Up in Seoul’s Iconic Neighborhood in the ’90s, K-Pop Fantasies Were My Alternate Universe

I grew up in the section of Seoul known as Gangnam, long before Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became a worldwide K-pop hit by touting the neighborhood, its affluence, and the rise of Korea’s pop culture. Yet the seeds of Gangnam’s eventual cultural influence were present even then, and I was there to witness the transformation.

My family lived in a modest, if not crammed, apartment unit tucked away in a far corner of the neighborhood. We moved there in 1987—the same year South Korea had its first democratic elections—and just in time …

How the 1990s Made L.A. a Cultural Engine

At “Were the ’90s L.A.’s Golden Age?”, a Zócalo/Museum of Contemporary Art event, MOCA’s chief curator, Helen Molesworth, explained how the 1990s transformed Los Angeles into a major force in …

The ’90s Were an Exuberant Interlude Between the Cold War and Sept. 11

As We Contemplate Sending the Clintons Back to the White House, It’s Time to Reassess a Pivotal Decade

Welcome back, ’90s; I’ve missed you.

The last decade of the previous millennium is suddenly all the rage, claiming a growing slice of our cultural mindshare. Monica Lewinsky is on …

In the 1990s, Los Angeles Was Both Heaven and Hell

Recalling a Decade of Disasters, Political Mobilization, and Great Art

The L.A. Riots. The Northridge Earthquake. The AIDS crisis. Proposition 187. Fires. Mudslides. White flight. Recession and joblessness. The departure of the aerospace industry. The departures of the Rams and …