Karl Yune (칼 윤)

The epicenter of the Korean Wave was East Asia, but gradually Korean popular culture has reached the shores of other continents as well.

Although its popularity in non-Asian regions is not as pronounced as it has been in East/Southeast Asia, the growing interest in and visibility of Korean popular culture in different parts of the world signifies its emerging position in the global cultural landscape.

In this increasing dissemination of Korean culture, the role of overseas Koreans is noteworthy since they are usually at the center of the consumption of their culture in foreign countries. Before the emergence of the Korean Wave, it was mostly introduced to the local population by Koreans living in other countries.

Since the Korean Wave has grown internationally, overseas Koreans have become crucial forces behind its promotion, as they are probably the most enthusiastic and closest followers of Korean pop culture in most non-Asian countries.

Korean-Americans' role in the spread of the Korean Wave deserves attention. Their residence in the United States, the center of the global pop cultural industry, their close connection with Korea and their extensive travels enable them to effectively take part in trans-Pacific cultural exchanges.

Some of them, including Korean "yuhaksaengs" (students who study abroad), have been creative forces behind the Korean Wave as they became successful pop stars or influential producers in Korea. There have also been indications that they may become effective bridge-builders between the Korean and U.S. entertainment fields. A few Korean-Americans have had promising receptions in Hollywood in recent years.

Since the United States is the most coveted market for ambitious Korean entertainers and production companies, Korean-Americans' success and their potential mediating power in Hollywood are considered significant. Let us focus on their roles as consumers, disseminators and creators, and discuss how Korean-Americans have been involved in the trans-Pacific flow of Korean pop culture and what that means to the pop culture world.

It is common for immigrants to make an effort to retain their heritage. Often they consume news and cultural products from their countries of origin. Hence, long before the emergence of the Korean Wave in Asia, Korean-Americans had extensively enjoyed Korean pop culture, at least in metropolitan areas where access to it was relatively easy.

Ethnic media including TV, radio and newspapers, as well as ethnic video stores, proliferated in big cities where Korean-Americans have been concentrated and provided a variety of cultural information from Korea on a daily basis. In this sense, Korean-Americans' consumption of Korean pop culture is not a new phenomenon.

However, the success of the Korean Wave attracted new groups of Korean-American followers (such as the U.S.-born young Korean-Americans who previously showed little interest) and facilitated the circulation of Korean pop culture beyond the boundaries of ethnic Korean-American communities.

Their consumption is related to several factors. The first is the increasing availability of Korean pop cultural products and the amazing speed of information sharing. As mentioned earlier, in U.S. metropolises a variety of ethnic media is available depending on the region and the size of the ethnic media market. In addition, various ethnic businesses such as ethnic video rental shops, bookstores, and different types of ethnic cultural spaces (including cafes, clubs, clothing stores, hair salons, etc.)...More

More and more young Korean-American actors and actresses are making their presence felt in Hollywood, the global Mecca of the movie world. One of them is Aaron Yoo. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Yoo entered the entertainment industry and made his name with a supporting role in Paramount Pictures' "Disturbia" last year. Now he's enjoying growing popularity with his latest work in Columbia Pictures' "21", which opened in the U.S. last month.

In a recent interview with the Chosun Ilbo, Yoo acknowledged that good fortune has played a major part in his success so far, but he also believes his confidence in his acting ability has been another contributing factor. An admirer of Marlon Brando, James Dean and C...More

The movie "My Father" drew attention even before it started shooting because it stars the half-Korean heartthrob Daniel Henney. The film follows a Korean adopted by an American family who comes to Korea to seek out his biological parents, only to find that his father is on death row.

Henney plays James, who volunteers to join the U.S. Forces Korea as a way to find his biological parents. On the first day of shooting on Jan. 10, he successfully shed his gentlemanly image for his role as the young adopted man who slowly opens his heart...More

The Korean pop-culture wave has swept Asia. Now what? The challenges to Korean stars continue, and their next target is the heart of the international movie market, Hollywood. Park Joong-hoon, Lee Byeong-Heon and Jeong Joon-ho already have their engines revving. With their dreams seeming to come into focus, the group of top stars may even be seen in Hollywood this year.

Park Joong-hoon, the first to break into Hollywood with the film "The Truth About Charlie" (2002), is now involved in his second project, working title "Bibimbap". "Bibimbap" is a romantic comedy that tells the story of a Caucasian restaurant critic who falls in love with an Asian chef. If everything works out, it will be the actor's first starring role in a Hollywood film.

The U.S. magazine Variety recently said of the actor, "Of all Korea's top-ranked male stars, Lee Byeong-Heon may be best placed to break through internationally". As a K-Wave star with a huge following in Japan, Lee is also already linguistically prepared for the task. In TV dramas and films he has already shown off his near-perfect command of English o...More

July 16, 2005 ㅡ Critics have compared the rivalry between the two film festivals with the legend of David and Goliath, David being the brave shepherd who killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stone. On the opening night of the Real Fantastic Film Festival (ReaFan), which was created by the dismissed staff from the Puchon International Fantastic Festival (PiFan), it was evident that the biblical history was indeed repeating itself.
At Seoul Art Cinema on Thursday night, the theater that usually hosts a small number of arthouse film enthusiasts was filled with hundreds of filmgoers and notable celebrities. They came to see "Aelita", one of the first Russian science fiction films and the opening screening for the ReaFan.
The festival, which is small enough that it had skipped a red carpet extravaganza and special events to celebrate the opening, began modestly with a short introduction by Kim Hong-joon, the former chairman of PiFan. Earlier this year, he was fired by Hong Geon-pyo, the mayor of Bucheon, for allegedly failing to include enough family-oriented films instead of gory cult films that were a trademark of PiFan. Another rumored sleight was that the mayor was outraged when Mr. Kim unintentionally neglected to call out his name during the official opening ceremony of the 2004 PiFan.
On Thursday, Mr. Kim was greeted with loud applause when he said on stage, "I am Kim Hong-joon, a former staffer of the PiFan and now the director of the Real Fantastic Festival".

On the same night, the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival launched its 10-day-long event at the Bucheon Citizen's Hall outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi province, attended mostly by festival guests.
Timure Bekmambetov, a Russian director of one of the two opening films, "Nochnoi Dozor", or the "Night Watch", and Anapola Mushkadiz, leading actress of...More