As members in the entertainment industry in Hollywood flocked to the exhibition titled"Manhwa 100: Centenary of Korean Comics" held in LA, US the prospect of Korean manhwa's entrance into the US market has been growing.
Hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA, President & CEO: Lee Jae-woong) and the Korea Cultural Center LA (Director:
Kim Jae-won) "Manhwa 100: Centenary of Korean Comics" laid a foundation to expand presence of Korean manhwa in the US market.
The...
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By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Singer and rapper Psy has finally returned from his military service.
The 31-year-old singer was re-drafted into the military as active duty after it was found that he neglected his duties during his previous service from 2003-2005. He began his second tern in August 2007.
"It's like a dream and I am so happy", he said at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul.
After being congratulated by fellow celebrity soldiers including singers Tony An and Kim Jae-deok, and actor
Kim Jae-won, Psy added that he "realized that time always passes, ...
MoreIt all started with a TV drama series - "
Winter Sonata". In 2002, one of Indonesia's TV stations aired the series, introducing one of Korea's cultural products to a wide public in this part of the world. Later on, another TV station, Indosiar - which specializes in Asian dramas from Japan, Taiwan and Korea - aired about a dozen Korean dramas. The latest favorite was "
Princess Hours" in 2006.
"The rating is not constant. It depends on the drama. When we air a TV drama that is very popular in Korea, the rating of Korean dramas subsequently rise above other Asian dramas", Gufron, a public relations officer at Indosiar, said.
Gufron said the highest rating in Indosiar is held by local reality shows, followed by local TV dramas. Asian dramas came fifth after feature-length movies produced for TV and music programs. Among Asian dramas, Korean dramas' ratings fluctuate, depending on the popularity of each series being aired at a certain time.
"We now air reruns of the Korean drama '
Full House'. Many viewers asked for reruns", Gufron said. "We have bought some new series. We're holding them for now. Right now our leading Asian drama is from Taiwan".
Korean dramas' popularity might not be as huge as local TV series or reality TV. However, Korean cultural products have gained certain fans, mostly girls and young women.
Many fans say they love Korean products because they were bored with products from the West. Indonesia has always been open to foreign cultural products, mostly from the United States and Western Europe. Indian, Taiwanese and Hong Kong products have also gained their own fans in the country, but Korean cultural products started gaining attention early this century.
"I like Korean pop music, TV dramas and movies because I'm tired of music from the West and Indonesia. I wanted something different and it turned out Korean music works for me", a fan of Korean music, Lia, said.
Another fan, Celcilia Ros, said she loves Korean movies and dramas because she finds that Korean lifestyles are closer to Indonesian culture than other Asian countries. "From the way they talk, to their food, they are close to Indonesian culture. We joke about it: Their ancestors were probably of Padang descents", Celcilia said. Padang, a city in West Sumatra, is famous for its spicy dishes.
Meanwhile, a Korean movie buff, Shanne, also known on the internet as Blue Sunflower, said she liked Korean movies because she was bored with Hollywood movies.
"I love seeing the beautiful images and ...
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He is tearing up as he hugs his friends farewell.
Kim Ha-neul is returning through a new movie!
