Winter Sonata (Drama - 2002) - 겨울연가 (Gyeo-ool Yeon-ga)

2008/05/11 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

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 ...

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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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2008/05/01 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Actress Park Sol-mi entered a new management company and signed a contract. It is also Oh Ji-ho's company.

She signed a contract with Heavenly Star Entertainment, which started early this year. Heavenly Star is a new company, with stars such as Oh Ji-ho, Kim EZ, and Kim Jong-seok.

Park Sol-mi debuted in 1998 with MBC and rose to stardom through KBS "Winter Sonata", "All In", and movie "Paradise 1986". Park Sol-mi has been active in Japan as a Hallryu star with various promotions, commercials, and participation in albums.

Heavenly Star said, "After "Paradise 1986", she has been taking a break while exercising and studying Japanese. She is looking at scenarios and scripts for her next work. She will build her determination as a Hallyu star through Woosoo Management in Japan....

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2008/04/28 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Korean games are blossoming in the capital of games, Japan.
While many Korean television shows and feature films have lost their appeal, Korean games still remain strong in a market that is awash with top-notch games.
"Ragnarok of Gravity" has been in the top ranks of the Japanese game industry for seven years as of 2007. Last year, Ragnarok sales amounted to 57 billion won ($57 million).
"Red Stone", developed by L&K Logic, is also a major hit in Japan. Last year, the company earned 50 billion won from the game.
This year, NCsoft's role-playing game "Lineage II" is succeeding against the top seeds of the online games played in Japan.
Popular Japanese television shows have been finding it difficult to maintain the same level of excitement that they enjoyed for more than three years.
The hit television show "Winter Sonata" earned 50 billion won ($US 50 million) in Japan during its debut in 2004. However, since then earnings have started to fall.
On the contrary, online games have...

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2008/04/28 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The Korean Wave has been spreading Korean pop culture across Asia and beyond for more than a decade, although it has barely reached Poland, in the centre of Europe. It is sad to admit, but Korean culture (traditional as well as the "new wave") does not exist in Polish minds as a distinctive identity. It is often mixed in with Chinese and Japanese cultures, which are more defined in Poland yet still often confused with each other.

Still, it is trendy nowadays in Poland to go to an East Asian restaurant, buy Chinese souvenirs, own Japanese-style furniture, follow feng-shui rules, watch an Asian movie or send kids to taekwondo or karate classes.

Although Polish knowledge of Korean culture is minimal, the present article aims to show that there is a gentle Korean wind that is blowing into Poland faster than the mainstream Wave.

There is, however, still no trace of: (1) the Korean entertainment industry invading the Polish media market; (2) any Polish fans adopting the lifestyles o...

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