The Korean Wave

The Korean wave or Hallyu refers to the increased popularity of South Korean Culture around the world since the 21st century, especially among younger generations. The term Korean Wave was coined by journalists from Beijing in 1999 who were surprised by the growing popularity of South Korean goods in China (Faiola).

South Korea is among the world's top ten cultural exporters and the Korean wave began with the export of Korean television dramas and then incorporated Korean movies, music, food, and language (Kim Sue-young).

Some speculate that the Wave was caused by a financial crisis in South Korea in 1997. At this time South Korea changed its business structure from being a manufacturer of hardware to a creator of software. The crisis caused Korea to start creating intellectual capital, and thus the Korean Wave was born through Korea’s high literacy levels and the strong ability to manufacture sophisticated telecommunications & information technology products (Ramesh).

However the wave started one thing is for sure: it has been very good for South Korea. In recent years, the wave has moved on from exports of television dramas, movies and music to drive sales of anything Korean. Washington Post journalist Anthony Faiola said the Wave helps sell everything “…from cars to kimchi” (Jakarta).

The Wave has also been a blessing for South Korean tourism. Of the six million foreigners who visited the country in 2006, many were fans of the Korean Wave and stayed in the country for more than a few months at a time, either to learn the language or to scour for any Korean Pop culture merchandise they could get their hands on (Jakarta).

In America we have the Korean Wave to thank for our beloved Korean Dramas, hilarious reality/variety shows, and fun and catchy K-pop music. I, for one, hope this is one Wave that never reaches the shore.

References:

“A Hallyu Story: Behind the origins and success of the Korean Wave in China
& the future of content in a broadband world” by Bharadwaj Ramesh, National Tactical Planning Director, GroupM Chinahttp://www.wpp.com/NR/rdonlyres/7E5C1958-653E-481C-AED1-E356EF0E8DD2/0/Insidewpp_Atticus2005_BharadwajRameshGroupM_Atticus2005_Jul06.pdf
“Riding the Korean Wave” The Jakarta Post, May 23, 2008http://research.flagler.edu:9026/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T8654740115&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T8654740118&cisb=22_T8654740117&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=227171&docNo=5
“Japanese Women Catch the 'Korean Wave': Male Celebrities Just Latest Twist in Asia-Wide Craze” by Anthony Faiola, Washington Post Foreign Servicehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083002985.html
“Korean Wave ‘Hallyu” Abroad” by Kim Sue-young, Korean Times Reporterhttp://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/05/180_23641.html