Korean wave

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

The Korean wave refers to the popularity of South Korean popular culture in other Asian countries and is otherwise known as "Hallyu"; it has been likened to the British Invasion. The term was coined in China in 2001 by Beijing journalists startled by the growing popularity of South Koreans and South Korean goods in China.[1] The "Hallyu" or Korean wave began with the export of Korean TV dramas such as Winter Sonata across East and Southeast Asia; the growing success of Korean drama was shortly matched in the fields of movies and popular music.

The phenomenon does not extend to North Korean shows or movies, which have never found more than a tiny audience abroad.

1 Explaining the phenomenon
2 Current situation
3 Criticism
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Explaining the phenomenon

The term "Korean Wave" is a Chinese pun that also translates directly into Korean. Both 寒流 ("cold current") and 韩流 (Korean Wave) are pronounced "han-liu" (or "hanryu" or "halryu" in Korean).

Initially, many Asian television companies broadcast Korean shows because the productions were impressive-looking but cheap to purchase. As their exposure increased, they resonated with audiences and their popularity grew; by 2000 the Wave was in full swing. Today, observers generally agree that the most likely explanations for the popularity of South Korean shows, singers, and movies throughout Asia is due both to South Korea's high income levels and to the closer cultural affinity they can share as Asian countries. [2]

South Korea is now the 10th largest economy in the world (reports has suggested that it is also the world's 9th largest film market), and its entertainment companies are able to finance shows and movies with production values much higher than in much of Asia. Korean pop singers' performances are slickly produced and often feature spectacular laser and fireworks shows.

More importantly, though, the shows and movies have themes that Asian audiences can relate to more easily than those of their western counterparts. Korean dramas typically deal with family issues, love, and filial piety in an age of changing technology and values. The shows typically reinforce traditional values of Confucianism. While Asian audiences have been both anxious about the potentially corrosive effect of western culture and have been experiencing many of the same issues as South Koreans, the melodrama and family messages of the dramas seem to speak to them. The drama Jewel in the Palace drew more viewers in Hong Kong than any program in the previous 25 years.

The phenomenon is not limited to pop culture. Recent years have seen an increase in interest in the Korean language and in traditional Korean dress; some Chinese brides have even chosen to wear Korean hanbok in their wedding pictures (though this may be attributed to the 2 million ethnic Koreans living in China). There is a theme park in Seoul where foreign tourists can explore the sets of their favorite shows and wear the robes of Korean kings. [3]

Entertainment industry leaders in Seoul credit the phenomenon to good marketing coupled with an uncanny response throughout Asia to the expressive nature of the South Koreans -- long dubbed the Italians of Asia. A hearty diet and two years of forced military duty, industry leaders and fans insist, have also resulted in young South Korean men having the most impressive physiques in Asia ^{[citation needed]} . The most important factor, however, has been the South Korean entertainment industry's perfection of the strong, silent type on screen -- typically rich, kind men with coincidentally striking looks and a tendency to shower women with unconditional love.

[edit] Current situation

The number of foreign tourists traveling to South Korea leapt from 2.8 million in 2003 to 3.7 million in 2004 ^{[citation needed]} . Korean male celebrities are now among the highest-paid actors outside Hollywood. According to the South Korean media, Winter Sonata star Bae Yong Jun -- whose character stood by his first love through 10 years of car accidents and amnesia -- is now charging $5 million a film, the steepest price anywhere in Asia ^{[citation needed]} . In a few short years, Bae is said to have accumulated a merchandising and acting-fee empire worth an estimated $100 million ^{[citation needed]} . At least nine other Korean male stars earn more than $10 million a year, according to a list published in June by the Seoul-based Sports Hankook newspaper ^{[citation needed]} .

In China, South Korean programs broadcast on government TV networks now account for more than all other foreign programs combined, including those from the United States and Japan, according to South Korean government statistics ^{[citation needed]} . Even in Mexico -- land of the telenovela -- a flock of local women stood outside South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's hotel during a recent visit, holding placards with Korean stars' names^{[citation needed]}. In the United States, the Seoul-based singer Rain played two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in 2005.

[edit] Criticism

In 2005 there were signs of a nascent backlash against the Korean Wave, just as there have been protests against the importing of Western pop culture. Vietnam's government even threatened to ban the broadcast of Korean dramas if Vietnamese shows were not broadcast more on Vietnamese TV stations. [4] Taiwan considered limits on the broadcast of foreign shows. China also considered boycotting or limiting the amount of Korean imports in the entertainment sector. [5] In Japan, a comic book with a title usually translated as "Hating the Korean Wave" sold enough copies that a sequel is being planned. Koreans accused the book of promoting hatred and containing historical inaccuracies. [6] [7] [8] In a tit-for-tat move, South Korean cartoonist Yang Byeong-seol published a comic book called "The Hate Japan Wave".

Some South Koreans have questioned why the government has not been able to extend Korea's cultural exports into the manufacturing sector.