Asia dreaming of Korea's pop singers and actors

Asia dreaming of Korea's pop singers and actors

Back in 1965, the Beatles were named Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The members of the pop group that rocked the world with their powerful music were honored as esquires, the rank below knight. They were the first group of pop singers to make the honors list.

Thousands of Britons were incensed, including former recipients, newspaper writers and politicians. Six veterans returned their decorations, one calling the Beatles "vulgar nincompoops." The question of why the Beatles were inducted into the Order of the British Empire was debated in both houses of Parliament, with questions directed to then Prime Minister Harold Wilson since he recommended their names to the Queen.

Today, if the Republic of Korea were to award an equivalent of British knighthood to a Korean celebrity, the first person on the list may be actor-cum-singer Ahn Jae-wook, who perhaps has accomplished something that no politician, businessman or diplomat could ever do for the nation. Any jealous objection like the one for the Beatles? Well, it would be very unlikely considering his notable contribution and "national service."

Korean TV dramas starring Ahn have long dominated airwaves as prime-time highlights in China. Ahn now commands an unrivaled popularity in China, having emerged as the most popular celebrity in China, surpassing Leornardo DiCaprio in a recent poll. And it has been the case in China that there are more people outside wanting to buy tickets to his concerts than lucky ones packing giant stadiums and gymnasiums.

This handsome Korean soul has been a leading force of the "Korean Wave," as dubbed in China and Taiwan, or the ongoing frenzy of Korean pop culture that is sweeping vast regions of East Asia. In a sense, however, Ahn may only be the first and most noticeable among the pack of Korean stars who have burst onto the entertainment scene in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam for the past few years.

The Korean pop culture syndrome began with the release of TV dramas and their ensuing popularity since the late 1990s in these Asian markets. A large number of the latest Korean TV soap operas have been exported to these countries and appealed to local audiences to a great deal, owing to the cultural affinities and family values Korea shares with other Asian countries.

In Vietnam, Korean heartthrob actor Chang Dong-gun and actress Kim Nam-ju have been adored as national celebrities - to the degree that the Korean government invited them to an official dinner on Aug. 23 for Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong during his state visit to Korea.

Korean actors like Song Seung-hun, Won Bin and Cha In-pyo have risen to mainstream prominence in Chinese-speaking regions, and so have young actresses like Song Hye-gyo, Ha Ji-won and Kim Hyun-ju, all in connection with rave responses to their dramas.

The nascent boom for things Korean was further bolstered by the advance of Korean movies and, more than anything else, Korean pop music, which incorporates dynamic rhythms, powerful dances and, more often than not, lyrics deemed progressive or rebellious enough to appeal to young local fans.

Most of Korea's top singers are expanding their scope of activities into Asia through concert tours and the marketing of their albums translated and recorded in local languages.

For instance, Korea's platinum dance group H.O.T has emerged as national idols of teenagers in China, as indicated by the hundreds of thousands of young fans who stormed the group's concerts in China. Korea's "techno princess" Lee Jung-hyun has become a nationwide sensation in China and Hong Kong, with her Mandarin versions of her hits heard on every street corner and her powerful choreography shocking local music fans.

In some cases, the current Korea boom was further consolidated by the deliberate marketing efforts of some Korea companies operating in these countries.

LG Electronics, for instance, has provided the latest Korean TV dramas to local broadcasting stations in Vietnam free of charge and paid extra costs for domestic adaptations through dubbing. The unique marketing strategy contributed to reinforcing the ongoing Korea boom in that country, LG officials note.

Beyond listening to Korean pop songs and watching Korea TV dramas, the new generation of consumers classified as the "Korea Tribes" are aggressively adopting and emulating Korean lifestyles ranging from fashion, food and consumption patterns to even plastic surgeries.

Some ardent fans of Korean pop stars and dramas go as far as making pilgrimages to Korea on package tour programs that will make their dream come true - meeting with their idols and checking out shooting locations of their favorite dramas.

Korean stars like Ahn Jae-wook and Cha In-pyo are very responsive to the needs of their newfound loyal followers, throwing barbecue parties and spending some quality time with them in spite of their busy performing schedules.

As the picturesque romantic drama "The Fairy Tale of Autumn" has dominated small screens in China and Taiwan, the beach site near Sokcho where some of its most memorable scenes were filmed has become a popular destination for legions of its fans from Taiwan and China.

Experts attribute the phenomenal success and advance of Korea's mass culture in Asia to a set of its unique qualities - its characteristic dynamism (as displayed in Korean dance music), highly entertaining nature, admirable production quality and niche market position.

According to critics based in Seoul, what makes Korean mass culture attractive is its merit of faithfully dramatizing Asian sensibilities, including family values, and traditional emotive delicacies that are warmly embraced by local fans in some Asian countries where full-fledged industrialization has yet to arrive.

Korean industry veterans argue that, even though these countries are ready to accept Western values, the people may still find Japanese and American mass cultures irrelevant to their reality and uncomfortable with the foreign cultures' emphasis on violence and sex.

"Korean pop culture skillfully blends Western and Asian values to create its own, and the country itself is viewed as a prominent model to follow or catch up to, both culturally and economically," said Lui Mei, a Chinese resident in Seoul of three years.

In addition, the fact that anti-Japanese sentiment lingers in the hearts of people in many Asian countries is often cited as another side element that propelled Korean pop culture to garner wider acceptance in Asia.

Benefits

Experts note that the growing reputation of Korean pop culture in Asia is a blessing for Korea to improve its national image and advance its economic gains through systematic support regimes. Actually, such encouraging signs are visible everywhere.

Rapidly changing the popular perception of Korea in its favor, the mass appeal of Korean pop culture is especially beneficial to Korea in some countries where the image of Korea is bordering on negative.

For instance, the bloody hands of Korean soldiers during wartime are still vivid in the memory of many Vietnamese. In Taiwan, Korea, which severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan to pursue its relationship with China in 1992, might still be regarded as a traitor who traded loyalty and faith for economic gains overnight.

The improved national image leads to the heightened market awareness of general Korean products and materializes in the form of marked increases in sales. The value of the sales of albums, movies and dramas may be rewarding to the artists or the exporters concerned, but it has a much greater overall impact on Korean products in other sectors.

Major Korean companies based in these countries are now bent on advancing their presence and establishing their brand images through marketing strategies intended to transform the massive groups of Korea-savvy cultural fans into the customers of their products and services.

Samsung Electronics so far has doubled its sales volume of PC monitors to more than two million units this year, becoming the No. 1 seller in China, thanks to its marketing strategy of starring Ahn Jae-wook in its commercials,

In Vietnam, sweetheart actress Kim Nam-ju worked a miracle for LG Household & Health Care, which hired her as a model for its commercials last year. The Korean company is now reigning in the cosmetics market with the largest market share, beating out competition from global market leaders such as Lancome, Shiseido, Unilever and Revlon.

In addition, the loyal followers of Korean pop culture in Asia mean a new market for the Korean tourism industry to explore.

According to the Korea National Tourism Organization, more than 3,000 "Korea Tribe" tourists from China and Taiwan ventured to Korea, while the number of devoted fans who came to Korea to meet Ahn Jae-wook have already surpassed 1,000. These tourists are estimated to have spent eight billion won (approximately $6.7 million).

"A favorable national image of would create a massive pool of stable consumer groups of Korean products in the long run and relate to national prestige and competitiveness," said Kim Hyu-jong, dean of the Graduate School of Cultural Industry Studies at Chugye University for the Arts. "It is a golden opportunity for corporate Korea."

In recognition of the enormous value of the Korea boom, the Seoul government recently decided to implement a set of policy measures to ensure the quality of pop export items and systematically promote and carry on the momentum of the Korean Wave in Asia.

"If we want to see the Korea boom endure not as a one-time fad but as a steady movement, it is necessary for the government to take up the role of a coordinator for the private industry and individual artists," Culture-Tourism Minister Kim Han-gill said.