The Secret of Korea's "8090 Retro Craze'"

A few years ago, "7080-style" bars were everywhere in Korea. These numbers might seem confusing, but they refer to the generation that lived their prime years in the 1970s and 1980s. These bars catered to middle-aged customers who enjoyed listening to both Western disco classics like ABBA and Korean pop songs from that era.

What made these bars special was that they used to be the most upscale and pricey places to hang out. The customers who came here were mostly wealthy professionals who had similar preferences and were willing to pay for a nostalgic experience.

However, things have changed recently. You can still find 7080 bars, but they aren't as common as before. What's more important is that business owners and media experts are now focusing on another segment called the "8090 retro craze."

At first glance, there might not seem to be a big difference between the '7080' and '8090' segments. So what sets them apart?

Actually, in Korea, the contrast between the two groups is clear. In the 1970s, South Korea underwent a huge social and economic transformation. But since the 1980s, South Korea has started to rise as a developing country in Asia. Entrepreneurship thrived until the 1997 financial crisis, and many Koreans who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s recall their childhood as a time of abundance.

The key difference is that the generation that grew up in the 1980s and 1990s now makes up the most important group in their 30s~50s. On the contrary, the generation of the 1970s~1980s is slowly reaching the retirement age. They are hesitant to spend a large part of their savings.

Moreover, the birth rate of Koreans in their 30s~40s, who are the main consumers in the market, is relatively low. They have more money to spend on themselves than on their families, and they have higher incomes, which makes them the ideal customers for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Interestingly, the first attempt in the media industry to target such a lucrative audience was the 2011 movie "Sunny." The movie tells the story of a group of girls who were close friends during their school days, and it was a box office hit and earned a lot of money.

However, the movie didn't attract audiences in their 30s and 50s because of its sentimental plot. In fact, this movie charmed the audience by using the nostalgia of the school days of that time, such as the clothes, furniture, and hairstyles of the 1980s.

The success of the movie "Sunny" has led to a series of movies and TV shows aimed at a similar generation. This includes tvN's "Reply" series, which started in 2012 with "Reply 1997." Unlike the simple portrayal of the nostalgia of that time, the "Reply" series is set in the same year as the title, and it faithfully recreates the situation in the late 1990s.

Reply 1994 followed this format. However, among the drama series about nostalgia for the past, the most successful in recent years is Reply 1988. The show has received very high ratings since its debut.

Variety TV shows also played a major role in the "8090 retro craze/cultural phenomenon." An example of this is the performance of popular singers in the 8090s, the so-called "first generation of K-pop," which was aired on MBC's long-running variety show "Infinite Challenge."

Turbo, Jinustion, Uhm Jung-hwa, SES, and other popular stars of the 1990s performed on stage with the backup dancers, bringing joy to the fans who grew up with them in the past. Infinite Challenge's "Totoga" was a huge success and led to the comeback of stars in the 1990s. In the 1990s, stars went on tour and concerts sold out. Some even reached number one on the charts as soon as they released new songs.

The legacy of the "Totoga" episode of Infinite Challenge still lingers. 90s stars like Kim Gun-mo and SES's Sea, who appeared on SBS's Fantastic Duo, charmed the audience with their performances on various singing contest shows.

The American novelist Peter de Vries once said, "Nostalgia isn't what it used to be." This seems to apply well to Korea. Retro is more trendy than ever in Korea. Especially, the generation that grew up in the 80s and 90s is experiencing nostalgia like never before.

(Source)