Dae Jang Geum (Drama - 2003) - 대장금

2008/05/12 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

MBC's upcoming drama "Spotlight", which airs this Wednesday night, promises to bring back a bit of excitement to the small screen.

Following on the heels of its more-than-lackluster predecessor "Who Are You?", "Spotlight" focuses on the gritty and enterprising lives of city desk broadcast news reporters. The drama tracks one woman's rise to fame, from her struggles at the city desk to her eventual success as an anchorwoman.

With a plot like that, the success of "Spotlight" rides on the strength of its heroine and on its scripting.

And the script promises to be solid. The drama's writer Lee Ki-won possesses a finesse for drawing out the dark political power struggles that go on in the workplace. And his intense and cutthroat writing will play out well in the newsroom. Lee also wrote last year's hit medical drama "White Tower".

"I focused on the inner struggles that reporters face as humans", Lee said at a press conference held last week. "While there is romance, more importa...

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2008/05/07 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"Hallyu" seems to be on the wane. It is ebbing in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, where the fascination with Korean TV dramas, pop music and films known as the Korean Wave, peaked in the last few years.

However, the Korean Wave is still flourishing in Mongolia. Several Korean TV dramas are broadcast every day at prime time. The number of people learning the Korean language is increasing remarkably, with many Mongolians rushing to Korea in search of the "Korean Dream".

"Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum") has been a big hit. The drama has fascinated Mongolians so much that it has been aired five times here. Other dramas such as "Autumn in My Heart" "Winter Sonata" and "Stairway to Heaven" have also been popular. These dramas have kept Mongolian viewers glued to their screens and have become daily topics of conversation.

Korean pop singers have been also immensely famous in the country. Songs by "Rain", Big Bang, Shinhwa, BoA and Jang Nara all top the charts and keep young ...

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2008/05/05 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Following the introduction of three local dramas last year, everything about Korea from pop music to motor vehicles are taking off in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos.
Shin Haejoo has more on the latest nation to be struck by the "Korean Wave" of culture.
In the southeast Asian country Laos, just about anything made in Korea seems to catch on.
Interest in Korea started with the launching of three Korean hit drama series in Laos last November as part of the Korea Broadcasting Commission's project to increase Korean presence in the region.
The shows that aired are two historic TV dramas",Hwangjin-i", which tells the true story of a legendary Korean entertainer during the Joseon Dynasty, and "Dae Jang Geum", which is a fictional twist on the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty.
The last one is a modern story "Stairway to Heaven" with a plot that resembles the old Cinderella tale.
Active ties between the two country's broadcasting systems began last year with the sig...

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2008/04/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

In the last few years, Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. This is the 33rd in a series of essays by a select group of scholars and journalists looking at the spread of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asian countries and beyond. - Ed.

Following is an email interview with Tom Larsen, president of YA Entertainment, the largest distributor of Korean TV drama DVDs in the United States. - Ed.

The Korea Herald: What is the current market position of Korean TV dramas in the U.S. market? How are they perceived in comparison with mainstream U.S., Chinese and Japanese programming?

Tom Larsen: Like most other TV programming from international markets, Korean TV dramas are generally considered a specialty entertainment niche here in the United States. Having said that, the popularity of Korean TV dramas in the United States has grown dramatically over the past five years. Korean TV dramas are now widely recogni...

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I am in LOVE with Korean Dramas!!!!!!! fighting 2008-04-25 20:47:50

2008/04/11 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Yasmin Lee G Arpon
Deputy Editor of the Asia News Network

'Koreanovelas' Fever is sweeping the Philippines

In the last few years, Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. This is the second in a series of essays by a select group of foreign scholars and journalists looking at the spread of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asian countries and beyond. - Ed.

The names Johnny, Jenny and Andrew may not ring a bell for Koreans, but for Filipinos, they started the so-called Korean Wave in the Philippines. They were the "Filipinized" names of the main characters in the drama "Autumn in My Heart", better known as "Endless Love 1" when it was shown in the Philippines. It was the first-ever Korean drama to air in the country.

In 2002, the Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden" swept through the Philippines and the rest of Asia, paving the way for Chinese dramas to enter local markets. The drama was aired on the ABS-...

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