I have a broad interest in the sociocultural implications of developmental neoliberalism in Asia. My empirical interests cover a rather wide spectrum, ranging from the rise of South Korean popular culture—most importantly K-pop—to the rise of populist leaders in Asia. My past work (Lee 2021) has examined the relationship between urbanization and the rise of populist leaders in Indonesia’s electoral politics, contending that understanding the everyday lived experiences and grievances of voters is crucial when trying to make sense of larger political outcomes. Now having shifted my focus to Korea, I am currently working on several ethnographic projects that examine the labor force, the division of labor, gendered structures and organizational norms that govern the logic and process by which the cultural forms labeled as “K-pop” come into being. Through my dissertation research, I aspire to foreground the role of different individuals and organizations involved in the production of K-pop, thus demystifying and un-othering the K-pop industry.