Korean wave
Korean
Hangul 한류 Hanja 韓流 Revised Romanization Hallyu McCune-Reischauer Hallyu
Japanese
Kanji 韓流 Hepburn Kanryū
Chinese
Traditional Chinese 韓流 Simplified Chinese 韩流 Hanyu Pinyin Hánliú

The Korean wave or Korea fever^[1] refers to the significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world since the 21st century, especially among the Net Generation. While popular throughout the Asian continent, its influence is most visible in China, Japan and Southeast Asia, spreading to India,^[2] the Middle East,^[3] Central Asia,^[4] Iran,^[5] Israel,^[6] Turkey^[7] and Russia.^[7]

The Korean wave is rapidly expanding beyond Asia through the internet and has a substantial presence in North, Central and South America, particularly in Chile, Mexico and Argentina,^[8] and is increasingly becoming popular in the United States.^[9] It is also gaining momentum in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, led by Hungary^[10] and Norway.^[11] It is gathering positive interest in North Africa, attracting a sizable niche audience in Egypt.^[12] Currently, the Korean wave is starting to hit the shores of the UK^[13][14] and Australia.^[15]

South Korea is one of the world's top ten cultural exporters^[16] and the Korean wave began with the export of Korean TV dramas such as Autumn Fairy Tale, Winter Sonata, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace), Princess Hours and Boys Over Flowers across East and Southeast Asia; the growing success of Korean dramas was soon matched by Korean movies, popular music, food^[17] and language.^[18] The term has now become an acronym referring to South Korea's growing economic power as a result of the Miracle on the Han River and the rise of global multinationals such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia.

It is also referred to as "Hallyu" (Hangul: 한류; Hanja: 韓流; RR: Hallyu), from the Korean pronunciation. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of South Koreans and South Korean goods in China.^[19]

Contents 1 Explaining the phenomenon 1.1 The Korean drama 1.1.1 Birth of the industry 1.1.2 Globalization 1.1.3 Asian values and Confucian themes 1.2 National affluence 2 Current situation 2.1 Further development 2.2 Nationalism 2.3 Cultural interest 2.4 Tourism to South Korea 2.5 Celebrity culture 3 Impact by country 3.1 Malaysia 3.2 Myanmar 3.3 China 3.4 Hong Kong 3.5 India 3.6 Iran 3.7 Japan 3.8 Philippines 3.9 Taiwan 3.10 Thailand 3.11 United States 3.11.1 Annual Korean Music Festival 3.11.2 US debuts 3.12 Vietnam 4 Counter-effects 4.1 Backlash 4.2 Japanese "Hating the Korean Wave" comic book 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Explaining the phenomenon

[edit] The Korean drama

[edit] Birth of the industry

The Korean wave first began in the early 1990s with the film industry under the strict surveillance of the Korean government. Producers were only allowed to screen films approved by certain regulations.^{[citation needed]} Due to censorship and restrictions, producers were limited as to what they were able to produce, giving birth to the melodrama. Such melodramas are now ubiquitous, and are commonly viewed not only in South Korea, but in much of Asia as well.

[edit] Globalization

The Korean wave is seen as a product of globalization and rise of capitalism in Asia.^[20] Advent of giant transnational media corporations in the 1990s lead to development of media technology and simultaneous circulation of media images and texts on a global level. This process prepared a system for the manufacture and circulation of popular culture within Asia. This made circulation of South Korean popular culture in Asia possible, and driven by the appeal of upscale hyper-modern lifestyles that South Korean popular culture provided, the Korean Wave spread among the rising middle-class in Asia and beyond.

[edit] Asian values and Confucian themes

The success of Korean dramas, a youth-dominated market, may be attributed to attractive actors and actresses who embody a number of traits that are very familiar to regular drama viewers and popular fantasies among women. Portrayed sensitivity and depth among male characters in Korean dramas attracts many female viewers.^[21]

Many Chinese scholars attribute success of the Korean Wave to Confucian themes that East Asian cultures are more familiar with, typically dealing with traditional issues such as family, love, and filial piety in an age of changing technology and values. Many disagree with this view given various reasons. It is pointed out that East Asian countries have very different cultural preferences, such as between China, a socialist market economy with rapid nuclearization of families, and Japan, a developed capitalist economy.^[22] Another reason is the total lack of Confucian themes in many successful Korean cultural products. Also, this view cannot account for the spread of the Korean wave in Mongolia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.^[23]

[edit] National affluence

Another factor may well be South Korea's high affluence within Asia, as one of the booming Four Asian Tigers during the 1960s to 1990s.^[24] South Korea is a highly developed country^[25], which is greatly reflected on its dramas, movies and TV shows, giving many viewers a "Korea Dream" and an insight into the Miracle on the Han River.

As of October 2008, South Korea is the world's 13th largest economy^[26][27][28] and is one of the world's top ten cultural exporters.^[16] South Korea's globally expanding entertainment companies are thus able to finance shows and movies with higher production values than elsewhere in Asia and South Korean artists' performances are slickly produced, featuring spectacular special effects.

[edit] Current situation

[edit] Further development

In 2001, many critics predicted the Korean wave would soon cool down. However contrary to most expectations, the Korean wave has grown stronger since 2003.^[29]

Discussion contained in Munhwa siseon, a semi-academic journal published by the Korea Culture & Tourism Policy Institute, took place in March 2005 with the postcolonialist Won Yong-jin as the chair, and six academics including Kim Hyun Mee. At the forum, Bak Jae-bok and other participants predicted that the Korean Wave would continue to surge for some time. They agreed that the traffic in Asian drama began with the liberalization of Taiwan’s drama market in the early 1990s, Japan being the main exporter at the time. Korean drama, then, entered the niche market in the late 1990s when consumption of Hong Kong and Japanese popular culture was declining.^[30]

[edit] Nationalism

In the paper “Korean cultural capital’s phenomenon and cultural nationalism”, Lee Dong Yeun identifies many ominous traces of cultural nationalism within the phenomenon of the Korean Wave. He concludes his article by warning, “If the Korean Wave continues to surge, reflecting the diplomatic relations that supports a capitalist logic rather than a strengthening of the communicative power of civil society to provide the possibility of diversifying the cultural tastes of the masses, then it will have to put up a hard fight against China’s ethnocentrism and Japan’s malleable nationalism.”^[31]

The 2007 fantasy-action film D-War written and directed by comedian-turned-director Shim Hyung-rae was released in South Korea and the United States to a mixed reception; however, its domestic success was enough to warrant a Sequel. This success was widely attributed to its appeal to Korean nationalism^[32], as the film is the first to depict not only oriental dragons but exclusively Korean mythical creatures, such as the Imoogi.

[edit] Cultural interest

Recent years have seen an increase in interest in the Korean language,^[18] Korean cuisine^[17] and Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.

[edit] Tourism to South Korea

The success of South Korean dramas, movies, and music served as a major tourist magnet for South Korea in 2005, with tourists from countries such as Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.^[33]

[edit] Celebrity culture

Korean male celebrities are now among the highest-paid actors outside of Hollywood.^[34] According to the South Korean media, Winter Sonata star Bae Yong Joon is now charging US$5 million a film; the highest in Asia not counting Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the latter of whom received US$14 million for the Chinese film The Warlords and more for Hollywood films.^[19] At least nine other Korean male stars earn more than $10 million a year.^[19]

The best-selling international singers from Korea are Big Bang TVXQ also known as Dong Bang Shin Ki and Tohoshinki, Super Junior,Rain, and BoA; the latter due in no small part to her popularity in the J-pop market.^[35]

[edit] Impact by country

[edit] Malaysia

The South Korean popular culture known as “Korean wave” has been a big hit in Malaysia as well as around the world thanks to the growing success of South Korean dramas, movies and pop songs.^[36] With the Korean Wave phenomenon splashing throughout the South East Asia with its dramas, catchy pop songs & B-Boys dances, the Korean language & Hangul are no longer an alien to Malaysians. Many Malaysians would have know how to do simple greeting like 'ahn-yong ha sey-yo' & 'kam sa ham ni da'.^[37].The Korean wave started with popular Korean drama winter sonata when TV3 bought the right to show it on malaysian TV."Winter Sonata" was the first of the Korean Waves to crash onto Malaysian shores. A tsunami of Korean TV series such as "Autumn Fairy Tale," "Joyful Girl," "My Love, Patsi," and "Jewel in the Palace" followed its success. "Jewel in the Palace" which showcased Korean food was as addictive as "Winter Sonata" - its lead actress Lee Young-ae is second to Bae Yong-joon as the most popular South Korean celebrity in Malaysia. Because of the success of Korean drama, other television company started to aired Korean drama.

"This drama has captivated the hearts of Malaysians who are family-centered and sensitive to emotions. It has left deep impressions in the hearts of Malaysian viewers of Malay or Chinese descent, regardless of race or religion," wrote Cho Chul-ho, a visiting Korean scholar to the University Malaya, in his dissertation titled "Korean Wave in Malaysia and Changes of the Korea-Malaysia Relations."

The soap opera attracted more than 1.3 million viewers per episode. It followed by autumn in my heart that attracted two million people watched to watched it. The next Korean Wave then swept Malaysian cinemas. It began with the blockbuster "Shiri," followed by the horror movie, "Phone." These films introduced Malaysians to South Korean movie stars such as Lee Jung-jae and Won Bin. Other Korean movies such as "Old Boy," "Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War," "My Sassy Girl," "Windstruck" and "My Little Bride" surfed to the Malaysian shores on the popularity wave of "Swiri" and "Phone."

Malaysians were also swept away by South Korean pop singers and groups such as Jang Nara, Rain, BoA, BabyVox, and T.V.X.Q.For DBSK, the 2007 concert was their second concert in Malaysia since they first visited Malaysia in 2006 as part of their first Asia tour to support their “Rising Sun” album. In their 2007 visit, not only did they sell double the number of tickets they had in 2006, but they also played to approximately 12,000 fans, which was a huge surprise. DBSK is the first Korean performers to hold a concert in Malaysia. Mega-star Rain had his “Rain’s Coming” Malaysia concert at the Bukit jalil Stadium on January 27, 2007 as part of his worldwide tour, which added fuel to the Korean wave in Malaysia. Rain has now become one of the biggest Korean wave stars in Malaysia.^[38] Five new Korean restaurants named Daejanggeum (Jewel in the Palace) have opened in Kuala Lumpur. Thanks to the boom of the Korean Wave trend, exports of kimchi to Malaysia increased by 150 percent. Many Malaysian community forum have sub forum dedicated to Korean drama and music. The current popular K-pop band in Malaysia is Big bang,2PM,Super Junior,SS501,Wonder Girls, FT Island,DBSK,SNSD,SHINee f(x), including popular hip hop band Epik High.

[edit] Myanmar

Korean wave reached Burma via drama series. The first Korean drama series broadcasted in Myanmar was Delicious Proposal by Myawaddy TV in 2002. Nowadays, there are three government TV channels and other channels broadcasting Korean dramas. Korean foods, language, k-pop, designs are increasingly being popular among people from Yangon, Mandalay and other cities.

[edit] China

In 2006, South Korean programs on Chinese government TV networks accounted for more than all other foreign programs combined.^[39]

[edit] Hong Kong

In 1999, the film Christmas in August was shown in Hong Kong. Asia Television Limited (ATV) and Cable TV Hong Kong then began showing several series of Korean dramas, laying the Hallyu's foundations.

In 2001, the film My Sassy Girl was shown and KBS drama "series" (actually a set of sub-series) Endless Love aired on TV, the first part being Autumn Fairy Tale (also known as Autumn In My Heart). The next year, ATV aired Winter Sonata, part two of the set.

Two radio stations, Commercial Radio Hong Kong and Metro Broadcast, introduced radio programmes focusing on Korean popular music and introducing the Korean wave.

In 2004, TVB aired several more series: Stairway to Heaven, Full House and Dae Jang Geum, the last of which was particularly popular. Entertainers such as Lee Young Ae, Song Hye-kyo, Bae Yong Joon and Rain began enjoying a local fan base.

[edit] India

The national television carries DD National started showing the Korean drama "Emperor of the Sea" in 2006 which was quickly followed by the hit drama "A Jewel in the Palace" that same year.^[2] The mainstream Bollywood film industry which has often been accused of plagiarism, has allegedly made several illegal remakes of successful Korean films. Some of these films have become significant commercial success. Most prominent among them are Zinda from Oldboy^[40] and Ugly Aur Pagli from My Sassy Girl.^[41] There have also been allegations of music plagiarism from Korean pop bands by Bollywood's music directors.^[42]

The region of North-East India and the state of Manipur in particular, has often been cited as the region in India which has been most enthusiastic in its reception to Korean culture. This maybe due to a ban imposed on bollywood films and mainstream Indian television by the terrorists of the separatist insurgency who have been fighting the Indian administration. The entertainment gap created has by some extent been filled by the influx and adaptation of Korean wave.^{[43][44][45][46]}

[edit] Iran

After the success of the drama Dae Jang Geum in Iran,^[5], Iranian national TV's Channel 2 showed a series of programs called Korean Wave introducing Korean culture, and interviewed the drama's lead actress Lee Young Ae^[47]. Soon after, national TV's Channel 3 started showing another Korean drama, Emperor of the Sea denoting the popularity of Korean dramas in Iran. Avid watchers have created fansites for both dramas.^[48] At the moment Jumong is being aired on channel 3.

[edit] Japan

The Korean Wave began in earnest in Japan after the airing of Winter Sonata on NHK, with an especially warm reception for lead actor Bae Yong Joon whom the Japanese have affectionally en masse nicknamed Yon-sama. Several Korean artists have also had success targeting the Japanese market, such as BoA, TVXQ, Won Bin, Super Junior and, most recently, Big Bang. In fact, BoA is the first and only non-Japanese Asian to have two million-selling albums and one of only two artists to have six consecutive albums top the Oricon chart. Japanese and Korean television networks have begun collaborating on TV productions, including Friends (starring Won Bin and Kyoko Fukada), and Rondo/Dance Music/Yeonmogok (2006; starring Choi Ji-woo and Yutaka Takenouchi).

There was a positive reaction to this trend, because women in Japan could relate to the cultural content of the drama. It mostly attracted middle age women, because it reminded them of the Japanese high growth period-memory of colonialism. Also, the drama reflected a stage of economic development and a sexless story of youth just like those of the Japanese women. Basically, the marginalized women are reliving their glory days. This lead to Japanese’s acceptance of Korean culture and lead to closer diplomatic ties. The Korean wave became a sign of acceptance from not only the Japanese culture but also internationally. The mango was reproduced and sold everywhere from Malaysia, China, and Korea. Although there were some conflicts with the content of the manga and the drama, the overall message and effect of the drama was priceless and touched the hearts of different races and culture. This drama was a huge success in China, because it revealed the innermost desires of people- the desire to be rich, famous, and successful. Also, the melodramatic tone of the drama reflected nostalgic emotions and fulfilled what was missing.

[edit] Philippines

ABS-CBN, after being out-gunned by its rival GMA Network in airing Korean dramas, has three of the biggest South Korean television networks as their affiliates (KBS, MBC and SBS) in order to have a steady supply of Korean dramas, which are insanely popular in the country. As of 2009, Boys Over Flowers is the premiere Korean drama on Philippine television. However, their best airing of a Korean drama so far is Princess Hours, which resulted in a rerun because of its immense popularity. As a result of the popularity of Korean dramas, ABS-CBN had one teleserye shot in South Korea (Only You), which is a remake of an SBS drama.

GMA Network had a jump start on the Korean drama craze, as they obtained franchises like My Name is Kim Sam Soon, Full House, the Endless Love series, Jewel in the Palace, and Jumong, all of them insanely popular. They also made official Filipino remakes of My Name is Kim Sam Soon and Full House.

Korean groups/idols from South Korea who is gaining popularity from different continents such as Super Junior, DBSK, Wonder Girls, SHINee, SNSD, Big Bang, SS501 and other groups has gained popularity to the teenagers in the Philippines, and 2009 was their year.

In fact, Universal Records has released the Sorry Sorry Version C(3rd album) of Super Junior last September 2009 which was the first Korean album to be released in the Philippines and be the first to top the charts and over top the other albums such of Mariah Carey's, etc.. It was so successful, and was a sold out. UR also released SNSD and SHINee's mini album last October 2009, which also topped the charts and was a sold out. November would be a record breaker again, which UR has decided to release Super Junior-M's (a sub-group of Super Junior) 1st Mini Album Super Girl. DBSK's Mirotic and SHINee's 3rd Album 'Year Of Us' will be next on list. On the other hand, Warner Music has released all the albums of SS501 last October 2009, and their newest album this November 2009.

[edit] Taiwan

The Pili Satellite Television Channel was the first in Taiwan to broadcast Korean TV shows. Serial dramas were dubbed into Taiwanese and comedies were dubbed into Korean. However, the channel (established 1995) suffered from a lack of publicity on Taiwan's cable TV networks.

A larger nationwide cable TV network, Gala Television, began broadcasting Korean dramas dubbed in Mandarin, inciting the Korean Wave in earnest. Soon after, other TV networks followed the trend, and shows featured Korean cuisine, travel, culture and language. Record companies also imported Korean music.

When several networks even stopped producing their own programmes and imported Korean ones to save costs, some artists called on the Taiwanese government to limit the broadcasting of Korean and Japanese shows.

Commercial aviation links that were terminated after the 1992 split in relations between Taiwan and South Korea were reinstated in 2003. Travel agencies began promoting North Korea as a tourist destination.

Due to the 1992 split, as well the behaviour of some South Korean fans during international sporting events, the media left behind a lasting impression on the Taiwanese public and thus leading some to harbour negative feelings towards South Korea.

[edit] Thailand

Korean boy bands DBSK, Big Bang and most recently, 2PM and Shinee have gained wide popularity among teenagers in Thailand. For example, 2PM, who made their first overseas performance in Thailand in late February 2009 at the Nine Entertain Awards and recently performed at the 2009 Pop Music Awards in Pattaya have attracted audiences in the thousands. In addition, Thai-American member Nichkhun was selected by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as the face of their newest campaign, "Come to Thailand. Let's Take a Break!"

Korean girl groups Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation are also very popular.

Korean soap operas have gained a mainstream following where entire Thai families gather in front of the television to watch them.

[edit] United States

[edit] Annual Korean Music Festival

The Korean Music Festival takes place annually (since 2003) at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and is possibly the largest Korean music festival outside South Korea.^[49]

In 2007, the 5th Festival was the finale to the 2007 LA Hallyu Festival, which also included various events such as the Korean Culture Expo and the Korean Cinema Showcase at Universal Studios. The theme was We Are One and several big names performed, including Big Bang, Ivy, Fly to the Sky, Super Junior, Epik High, DBSK, SHINee and BoA; classical and folk musicians also performed.^[50]

The 6th Festival was held on May 17, 2008.^[51] It was co-hosted by Ock Ju-hyun and Brian from Fly to the Sky, and again included a mix of both younger and more established stars such as SG Wannabe and Girls' Generation.

[edit] US debuts

Several Korean artists have or will plan to debut in the US. BoA's debut single "Eat You Up" was distributed to 300 websites in 31 countries on 21 October 2008.^[52] BoA's self-titled American debut album was released on March 17, 2009. It was re-released in the U.S. as "BoA Deluxe" on September 22, 2009 with extra tracks and remixes.

Rain starred in the 2008 film Speed Racer and despite its mediocre success, will continue acting in the US, having already filmed his next project Ninja Assassin, again produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski Brothers.^[53] He had a starring role in the movie.

Se7en plans to release a US album; there was a preview party in Hollywood, California on May 2, 2008.^{[citation needed]} and a press conference in Los Angeles.

More recently, the popular girl group Wonder Girls toured America with the Jonas Brothers and have released an English version of their hit song, Nobody.

Rapper Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has expressed his view that he "does not have a reason why Se7en and Rain can't be popular in the US".^[54][55]

Lee Byung Hun starred in GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. A poster of him unmasked as Storm Shadow was made especially for the Korean market.

[edit] Vietnam

Vietnam and China are markets where the "Korean wave" has penetrated into the consumer choice and behavior of its respective citizens. The Samsung Economic Research Institute in its special report labeled progress of the "Korean wave" in Vietnam and China as in the "3rd stage", out of a potential four stages. In this stage "Made in Korea" products become increasingly popular.^[56]

[edit] Counter-effects

[edit] Backlash

In 2005, there were signs of a nascent backlash against the "Korean wave", partially initiated by other Asian men who resented the "beautifying" of Korea by the media. The growing "Hallyu" wave attracted many female viewers to Korean male actors.

Vietnam's government threatened to ban the broadcast of Korean shows if they outnumbered the Vietnamese shows being broadcast on television.^[57] Taiwan considered limits on the broadcast of foreign shows. China also considered boycotting or limiting the amount of Korean imports in the entertainment sector.^[58]

[edit] Japanese "Hating the Korean Wave" comic book

In Japan, a comic book with a title usually translated as Hating the Korean Wave (Manga Kenkanryu (マンガ 嫌韓流, Manga Kenkanryū^?)) sold enough copies that a sequel was released. The book has been accused of promoting hatred and containing historical inaccuracies.^[59][60][61]

[edit] See also

• Contemporary culture of South Korea
• Cinema of Korea
• K-pop
• Korean drama
• Korea Tourism Organization
• List of Korea-related topics
• British Invasion
• Uruguayan Invasion

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Look up korean wave in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Critical article by Roald Maliangkay on the recent development of the Wave
• The Korea Foundation for Asian Culture Exchange
• "'Korean Wave' Piracy Hits Music Industry", BBC, November 9, 2001.
• "'Korean Wave' Hits Asia Lifting S. Korean Tourism", Yonhap News, December 15, 2005.
• "A rising Korean wave: If Seoul sells it, China craves it", The International Herald Tribune, January 10, 2006.
• "Hallyu Phenomenon Faces Backlash in East Asia", The Korea Times, January 16, 2006.
• "Hallyu and Screen Quota", The Korea Times, January 18, 2006.
• Why Is Korean Wave Popular In China?
• Korea Wave in Perú