By Amr Emam
Investigative reporter, The Egyptian Gazette
Mohamed Abdel Baki sticks to the radio for two hours every evening like glue to listen to a language his family members and friends fail to identify.
When he tells them that the thing that keeps him entranced for hours is the Korean Program, they snigger at the "bizarre" interest he has developed over the last few years.
"Some of these people are narrow-minded", Mohamed, a 44-year-old civil servant from Cairo, the capital of Egypt, said. "They just don't know that in a few years' time, Korean could be one of the leading languages in the world".
Abdel Baki is part of a trend that has started to seep out of intellectual and educational circles in Egypt and into wider society over the last few years. In this Arab Middle Eastern country of 76 million people where jingoism is sometimes mixed with people's religious feelings and loyalties, a love of the culture of Korea, a country thousands of kilometers away, has started to creep into the hearts of many.
A brief stroll into the streets of Cairo, where vehicle drivers never stop honking their horns and worm their way through narrow lanes, can show how highly Korea is viewed here. A visitor of the city may be surprised to see an endless array of Korean cars, such as Hyundai, Kia, and Daewoo. Here, where the roads are uneven and rush hour stretches on for ages, these Korean automobiles are reckoned to be enduring and economic.
The glass windows of cell phone shops and call centers, ubiquitous sights in today's Egypt, do not have a paucity of Korean products either. For many shop owners, Korean cellular phones like Samsung and LG are bestsellers and to their customers they are exceptionally good products.
"Korea is a model for Third World countries that can be accepted by everybody here simply because it doesn't threaten us", said Emad Aisha, an assistant professor of international studies at the American University in Cairo. "It's a self-made country that was able to advance towards industrial-technological excellence without losing its cultural authenticity: without Westernizing", Aisha added.
This may be one reason why friction - so common with the introduction of a new culture - is not significantly felt when Egyptians are exposed to Korean culture, despite Egypt's dominantly conservative society, where Muslims make up 85 percent of the population and Christian Copts make up the remaining 15 percent.
Three years ago, Egypt's second largest university, Ain Shams University, opened a new department for Korean studies. The number of students who applied for the new department astonished everybody at the College of Languages, where the department was opened.
General Education Certificate graduates flocked in hundreds to the college to study Korean, echoing a generally-held belief that the heyday of English and French is long gone in this country, which the British occupied for over 80 years and the French occupied for three.
"These students know very well that to learn Korean or any of the other languages of East Asia is to be able to make a living in the future", said Makarem el-Ghamry, the dean of the College of Languages, where the Korean Language Department was opened. "The importance of any language is linked to the importance of the country that speaks this language and Korea is very important nowadays".
To the dismay of many, el-Ghamry could enroll just 30 students in the department every year. A lack of funds and space makes her unable to accept more students, but demand is growing.
Inside the classrooms of the department, the students prick their ears and listen attentively to the teacher, a native of Korea, explaining one of the rules of the Korean language.
The students seem to enjoy what they were being taught greatly. The gleam that appeared in the eyes of many of them, however, referred to something that was far deeper than just enjoyment.
One, Omnia Magdy, is actively discussing one of the rules with the teacher. She keeps using Korean, winning the admiration of both the teacher and her colleagues.
"Everybody is waiting for the countries of East Asia to become the biggest economic powers in the world", Omnia, 20, says. "So why shouldn't I prepare for this by learning the language?"
Omnia, a third grade student, spent 10 days in Korea herself in 2006 as part of a group of students who got the highest grades at the school. She spent the 10 days with a Korean family and was dazzled by the similarities between the Koreans and the Egyptians.
"I never felt away from home", Omnia says. "The Koreans are as conservative as us and they have their own habits which they cherish exactly like the Egyptians do".
Why the surprise then, when a TV series, "Winter Sonata" was broadcast here two years ago, produced a groundswell of acclaim by viewers in this country, which is often referred to as the "Hollywood of the East"?
The series, which offered more than a complex love story, intriguing plot twists and memorable scenes, being directed craftily by Yun Seok-ho, captivated both men and women in Egypt and inspired people to look further into the Korean materials they had at hand in search of something similarly touching.
The series opens with Joon-sang played marvelously by Bae Yong-joon, and Yoo-jin, played by the talented Choi Ji-woo, as two high school students who fall in love for the first time. Their ill-fated love, however, suffers a cruel blow, as the hero soon dies in a car accident, leaving the heroine heart-broken and dispirited.
Ten years later, Yu-jin finds herself working on a ski resort project with Min-yeong, who looks exactly like Joon-sang. Oddly enough, he courts Yu-jin's high school rival, Chae-lin, excellently played by Park Sol-mi. Yu-jin's uncontrollable attraction to Min-yeong jeopardizes her engagement to her childhood admirer, Sang-hyuk, played by Park Yong-ha, who in conspiracy with Chae-lin, tries everything to separate the two destined lovers.
When the truth comes out that Min-yeong and Joon-sang are the same person and, worse still, the suspicion that Joon-sang and Yu-jin are half-brother and sister, everyone involved is thrown into untold confusion, resulting in grief.
Bae Yong-joon, extremely smart and handsome, has many fans in Egypt. Some of his admirers have even formed a group and called it the "Bae Yong-joon Bond".
"Korean dramatists are so creative", says Sarah Maged, another Korean Language Department student. "They take a piece of real life and put it into their work, and that is why they never fail to mesmerize everybody".
But the thing that Sarah, 19 years old, likes the most about Korean series, apart from the wonderful scenery, the romantic themes they discuss and the fine language they use, is that they "can be watched by all family members".
She is of the view that because Korean series have little or racy content, they are most welcome. A recent movie in Egypt that contained lesbian references caused a stir, and religious scholars filed a suit against the director Khalid Yusuf.
"When there is a Korean series, I don't hesitate to invite my wife and children to watch it with me, knowing that their morality wouldn't be damaged by what they see", Abdel Baki, the 44-year-old Korean Radio fan, explains. "But what we see in the series is a reflection of the nature of the Korean people, which is very peaceful, and this is what makes them very appealing to us Egyptians".
Similarities abound between Egypt and Korea. Both countries have been invaded and both have struggled for independence. The two countries are of strategic value in their respective regions, which are beset by crises. They both play an influential role in defusing regional tensions.
Economic relations between Egypt and Korea have evolved remarkably over the last 10 years. In 2006 trade between the two countries was $830 million, while in 2007 it was $1 billion. The Korea International Cooperation Agency plays an important role in bolstering relations between the two countries through projects in the fields of education and technical and vocational training.
The number of Korean tourists visiting Egypt is increasing rapidly. In 2006, 40,000 Koreans visited Egypt, up from 27,000 in the previous year. The number is expected to reach 50,000 soon.
The other much-acclaimed Korean TV series here was "Autumn in my Heart". When the series was broadcast on national TV here a few months ago, audiences were glued to their televisions as it won their hearts.
The talented young cast, along with beautiful locations, made this tragic love story a piece of television artistry that captured the hearts of everybody in Egypt. Even after the series ended, many still remember the events from the story, which seem to have left an indelible mark in the memories of Egyptians who like to identify themselves as belonging to a romantic culture.
"It was extremely wonderful", says Sarah, a second grade student at the Department of Korean Language. "It was actually one reason why I am dying to travel to Korea one day and visit the filming locations presented in the series.
A short time ago, Sarah watched another Korean drama, "Coffee Prince", which revolves around the love life and dreams of four young people who meet together at a cafe. The four young people find themselves drawn to the gourmet coffee business where they also find love and new hope.
She says if this series is broadcast in Egypt, it would be "the greatest thing Egyptians could watch".
"This is a culture that has every reason to prevail and be embraced warmly here", Abdel Baki said. "The Koreans have wonderful, soft power and they can carve a niche for themselves everywhere using it".
Although Korea is becoming increasingly popular here, it is in no way equal in popularity to China, which has entered every home in Egypt. In this country, where dependence on imports of all types is hitting an all time high, the sight of a Chinese seller knocking on the doors of apartments to sell his/her cheap wares is a common occurrence.
Some people say the fact that Korea does not flood the local market with cheap articles is to Korea's advantage because this way, Korea has distinguished itself as a quality producer which does not pose threats to the national economy.
"The Korean success story could wash off onto all Korean cultural products - language, cuisine, clothing, etc", Aisha said. "Unlike China, Korea doesn't threaten us economically because there are no cheap Korean goods pricing out domestic competition and no Korean labor (undercutting us either)".
But this is not the view Abdel Aziz Badawi, a 35-year-old security man at a major company in Cairo, holds about Korea.
Badawi, who lives in a village in the Governorate of Qaluibia, about 60 kilometers south of Cairo, and earns 350 Egyptian pounds ($63) a month, bought a Samsung cell phone a few years ago. He says the cell phone was wonderful, but it was expensive. He bought it for 900 Egyptian pounds.
"And when it broke down, I couldn't find spare parts for it", Badawi said. "China, on the contrary, adapts its products to the needs of the market. The majority of the people here are poor and China gives them cheap products to buy. What does a quality expensive product mean to me when I don't have the money to buy it?" Badawi asked.
China produces everything Egyptians could need. It produces praying rugs for Muslims, all types of ready-made clothes and even lanterns children can play with during the fasting month of Ramadan, a time of the year when Muslim abstain from food from dawn to dusk.
That is one reason why observers think this "distinguished" Korean culture would take a long time to reach the average Egyptian. They say that for Korean culture to win through, Koreans need to employ more efficient marketing strategies.
"Marketing is the buzzword in fact", says Mohamed Tharwat, an Egyptian scriptwriter who is currently preparing a movie on Egypt`s first President Mohamed Naguib and the July 1952 Revolution, which ended the monarchy in Egypt. "Although Korean arts are magnificent, proper marketing is lacking".
Tharwat who watched the Korean dramas that were broadcast here, compared them with "The Bold and The Beautiful", a popular American soap opera broadcast in Egypt about eight years ago. He said before the American drama was broadcast, there was a lot of advertising for it on TV.
"So when it was broadcast, people were already waiting for it, hence the success", Tharwat said.
Abdel Baki, however, thinks that genuine things do not need marketing because they "speak for themselves, and very loudly, at that".
"Countries like Korea will prevail after all this noise comes to an end", he said. "Korean culture has authenticity and this speaks for itself".
Abdel Baki was holding a copy of a magazine called "Korea Policy Review", which had the picture of the incoming President Lee Myung-bak shaking hands with the outgoing President Roh Moo-hyun on its cover.
Source: Korea Policy Review May 2008
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