Birth of Korean Cool

How did a really unhip country suddenly become cool?

How could a nation that once banned miniskirts, long hair on men and rock ''n'' roll come to mass produce pop music and a K-pop star that would break the world record for the most YouTube hits?

Who would have predicted that a South Korean company that used to sell fish and fruit (Samsung) would one day give Apple a run for its money?

And just how does South Korea plan to use pop culture to beat America at its own game.

Welcome to South Korea: The Brand.

In The Birth of Korean Cooljournalist Euny Hong uncovers the roots of the ''Korean Wave'': a fanaticism for South Korean pop culture that has enabled them to make the rest of the world a captive market for their products by first becoming the world''s number one pop culture manufacturer.

South Korea''s economic development has been nothing short of staggering - leapfrogging from third-world to first-world in just a few years and continuing to grow at a rapid and unprecedented rate - and for the first time The Birth of Korean Coolwill give readers exclusive insight into the inner workings of this extraordinary country; it''s past, present and future.