The K-Wave has swept the world and the BBC tries to explain why:
Korean entertainment is also a big tourist draw, with visitors dressing up in period costumes when they visit Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace
The so-called Korean Wave swept the world, experts say, when the success of streaming met American-inspired production value. And Korean entertainment – from pop music and mushy dramas to acclaimed hits built around universal themes – was ready for it.
BTS and Blackpink are now familiar names on the global pop circuit. People are swooning over sappy K-dramas from Dubai to India to Singapore. Overseas sales of all this Korean content – including video games – is now worth billions.
Last month, after 53-year-old poet and novelist Han Kang won the Nobel Prize for her literature, online boards were full of memes noting South Korea’s “Culture Victory” — a reference to the popular video game series Civilisation.
And there were jokes about how the country had achieved the dream of founding father Kim Koo, who famously wrote that he wished for Korea to be a nation of culture rather than might.
As it turns out, this moment had been in the making for years. (………..)
International fans are often looking for an alternative world because of disappointment with their own society, Prof Chung says.
The prim romances, with handsome, caring and chivalrous heroes, are drawing a female audience turning away from what they see as hypersexual American entertainment. And when social inequality became a stronger theme in Korean films and shows – such as Parasite and Squid Game – it attracted global viewers disillusioned with capitalism and a yawning wealth divide in their countries.
You can read more at the link, but I think Korean entertainment has become so popular because people are looking for original stories and not just the endless sequels and the usual storylines that Hollywood produces. I can remember going to the Korean markets in the U.S. to rent K-dramas and movies, but streaming has brought these movies for everyone to access. I suspect Korean entertainment will be a force for many years to come.
Jewel in the Palace is one of my favorite Korean dramas, but I would be surprised that a sequel to the series after over 20 years will have the same charm as the original. With that said Tom Cruise pulled that off in Top Gun Maverick so maybe Lee Young-ae can do it in this sequel to Jewel in the Palace:
Actor Lee Young-ae pose at production press conference of “Maestra: Strings of Truth”, Seoul, Dec. 6, 2023. Courtesy of tvN
Actor Lee Young-ae will reprise the popular character Jang-geum again in a new TV series, a follow-up to the mega-hit MBC drama “Jewel in the Palace,” a local entertainment company said Tuesday.
Fantagio said it has recently sealed a contract with a writer for the series, seven months after it confirmed the casting of Lee in the new series, “Dae Jang Geum” (working title).
Shooting will begin in October, the company said, adding it plans to air the show early next year.
“Dae Jang Geum” will tell the life story of Jang-geum as the king’s first female physician.
As with any news coming out of North Korea from defector reports make sure to keep some skepticism, but this report seems plausible to me:
More than 17 young North Koreans were prosecuted for watching unsanctioned videos and using South Korean slang in 2023 as the regime strengthened its control over almost every aspect of people’s lives, according to a report published Thursday (U.S. time).
In its annual World Report, Human Rights Watch (HWR), a New York-based NGO, said North Korea “remains one of the most repressive countries in the world” as totalitarian leader Kim Jong-un continues to use torture, executions and other barbaric means to tighten his grip on power.
Citing North Korean escapees who spoke to their relatives there, Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia director, said 17 young North Koreans were prosecuted last year for watching unauthorized videos ― likely originating from South Korea ― and using South Korean-style language.
“The group’s leader was sentenced to 10 years forced labor,” Pearson said in response to The Korea Times’ email inquiries. “In another case, youth athletes were sentenced to 3-5 years for using South Korean vocabulary.”
Even if she was a bully in middle school why should this impact her now? Kids in middle school are 10-13 years old, Kim Hieora is 34 years old now. People grow up and change over time. I think these allegations say more about the complainers than Kim Hieora because they need to grow up and change as well instead of trying to drag someone down from middle school:
Actress Kim Hieora, renowned for her role in the Netflix drama, “The Glory,” faces bullying allegations raised by a local news outlet.
The actress denied the allegations, while her entertainment company urged the public to refrain from spreading baseless information and warned of legal consequences for defamation.
“We’d like to ask people to stop spreading factually incorrect information,” Kim’s entertainment company said in a statement. “We will respond to malicious actions that defame the actress.”
According to the Korean-language news agency, Dispatch, Kim was allegedly part of a notorious school gang at Sangji Middle School in Wonju, Gangwon Province. She allegedly harassed her schoolmates and was also reportedly involved in case of theft on campus. Dispatch interviewed the victims.
The actress acknowledged her association with the school gang, but denied any involvement in acts of physical violence against others. “I wasn’t a good student. I was a gang member, but wasn’t active. I wasn’t so bad that I intentionally harmed others,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
I actually finished watching this series a few days ago and it was okay. It is ironic that it is number one for a non-English series when the series actually has a lot of English spoken in it. Overall, I thought Narco-Saints should have been a movie, but was instead dragged out into a six part series with a lot of filler content. Many of the gunfights were also ridiculous and video game like in my opinion. It was no where near as good as any of the Narcos series put out by Netflix:
Netflix’s new South Korean series “Narco-Saints” has risen to the top of the streamer’s latest weekly viewership chart for non-English TV shows in its second week.
The undercover crime thriller, released on Sept. 9, marked 62.7 million hours of viewing for the week of Sept. 12-18 to lead the official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to Netflix on Wednesday.
It gained four notches from fifth place a week earlier, ending the seven-week-long reign by the smash-hit Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
The six-part series about a businessman who takes undercover missions to capture a drug kingpin in a South American country is the ninth Korean-language show that has topped the weekly chart for the category, including the global sensation “Squid Game” (2021) and “All of Us Are Dead” (2022).
Suriname's Minister of Foreign Affairs Albert Ramdin says he is looking into the possibility of taking legal action against the producers of South Korea's new Netflix series Narco-Saints, which he says casts the nation in a negative light. Will also file a diplomatic complaint. pic.twitter.com/Qm3EmSHaqN
It is interesting that activists advocate for western women to act more masculine and now these women are attracted to guys that are effeminate:
After visiting eight hostels and interviewing 123 women, mostly from North America and Europe, Lee came to the conclusion that many had been drawn to the country by what she calls “the Netflix effect.”
Hit Korean television shows like “Crash Landing on You” and “Goblin,” were selling more than men with beautiful faces and chiseled bodies like their stars Hyun Bin and Gong Yoo. They were offering a glimpse into a world where men were romantic and patient, an antithesis to what the women saw as the sex-obsessed dating culture of their home countries.
The women Lee interviewed were fascinated with Korean men who were portrayed on TV as being in touch with their emotions and willing to embrace their “effeminate sides,” Lee said.
They considered Korean men cultured and romantic while complaining that men in their home countries often neglected their appearances and had one-track minds.
Grace Thornton, a 25-year-old gardener from the United Kingdom, traveled to Seoul in 2021 after watching K-drama “Crash Landing on You” on Netflix.
She was struck by how men in the show did not jeer at or catcall women on the street, as happens in her home country.
In her eyes, Korean men are “gentlemen, polite, charming, romantic, fairytale-like, chivalrous, respectful.” She said it also helps that Korean men dress well and groom themselves.
Squid Game fans will not only have a season 2 to watch, but likely a season 3 as well:
In this AP photo taken on Nov. 29, 2021, South Korean director-writer Hwang Dong-hyuk of “Squid Game” attends the Gotham Awards in New York. (Yonhap)
The global TV sensation “Squid Game” will likely return not only with season 2 but also with season 3, its creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said Tuesday.
“I’m in talks with Netflix over season 2 as well as season 3,” Hwang said in an online interview with Korean broadcaster KBS. “We will come to a conclusion any time soon.”
It is the first time that the director-writer has hinted at the possibility of a third season of the biggest Netflix original series after he confirmed a plan to produce another season in a media interview last month.
He said the next season will feature the story of Gi-hun, the final winner of the deadly contest of heavily debt-ridden people to win 45.6 billion won (US$38.9 million) in prize money.
I actually yesterday watched the first episode of this series on Netflix, it is a pretty crazy show with hundreds of people getting killed in the very first episode:
This photo, provided by Netflix on Sept. 20, 2021, shows scenes from Netflix’s original Korean series “Squid Game.”
Netflix’s original Korean series “Squid Game” ranked first on the U.S. top 10 TV show list of the video streaming platform, a chart has showed, becoming the first Korean drama to reach the milestone.
The thriller, featuring South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, made it to the top on the U.S. chart, as of Tuesday, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. (………….)
“Squid Game,” released on Sept. 17, is a thriller series about a group of people who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game to secure the prize money of 45.6 billion won (US$38.5 million).
