Thursday, December 9, 2010

What is Korea known for?

The immediate connection that is established when one thinks of Korea is none under than the well-known Korean Pop music scene, affectionately known as K-Pop. This is due to the overriding Hallyu waves that have been sweeping across the globe in recent years.

The Korean Pop music scene started to pick up in the early 21st century, when groups like TVXQ and Big Bang debuted in the scene and started to take over the hearts of millions of fans in Korea and around the world. Following in their footsteps were bands like Super Junior, SNSD, Wonder Girls, and the more recent SHINee, B2ST and Miss A. With the Hallyu wave taking over many parts of the world, K-Pop is fast becoming a popular culture amongst teenagers around the world. It acts as a common platform for youths from different backgrounds to come together and exchange views and establish relationships. The K-Pop culture is not necessarily a bad thing, many experts say. Some of the pros that have been pointed out include idols being perfect role models for youths to follow, as well as fuelling the South Korean economy. In a recent showcase held by popular boy group JYJ, some 3,000 international fans flew to Korea just to show their support. According to allkpop.com, “flight agencies were able to see a visible bump up in sales for November 2010”. Through this, we can see how impactful the K-Pop industry is on Korea itself and the world. You can read more about the mammoth economic impact of JYJ Seoul’s concert here: http://www.allkpop.com/2010/12/jyjs-seoul-concert-had-a-mammoth-economic-impact

(SHINee, S.M. Entertainment)

(B2ST, CUBE Entertainment)

(Miss A, JYP Entertainment)

(JYJ)

In addition, popular boy band 2PM had also done a promotional video “Fly to Seoul” to encourage tourism. Take a look at the video below!

One personal experience that I wanted to share was how K-Pop had brought me and a friend of mine together. He is French and we got to know each other through Facebook because of the common interests we shared. We exchange our views on K-Pop through emails and messages in Facebook and I cannot deny that it is interesting to hear from a K-Pop fan from that part of the world. It is true that they areconsidered ‘underprivileged’ because not many Korean artistes get the chance to travel to the European countries for album promotions and such. It is definitely an interesting encounter for me as we were able to get over our language barriers with one another and stay in touch via constant updates of K-Pop-related issues.

Besides K-Pop, K-dramas are also part of the Hallyu wave. They have been popular throughout Asia in recent years. Popular titles include Winter Sonata, Princess Hours and Jewel in the Palace. K-dramas are unique in its own way; they are not popular because of who acts or stars in them, but because of the unique story plots that each drama series carry. It is very different from the typical idol dramas in Taiwan and Japan, which gain popularity because of the actors in them. For example, Jewel in the Palace was a big hit in Singapore when it was first aired on Channel U. In my opinion, the lead actress was not exceptionally pretty, and neither was she a famous Korean idol. However, what captivated the hearts of many was the historical setting, the story and the realistic and professional acting skills demonstrated by the cast. K-dramas would be carving a path out for themselves soon as they continue to grow in popularity around the world.

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