More of the Same Weakens Hallyu Appeal

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Just until a few years ago, even hearing the theme song of KBS hit drama "Winter Sonata," starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, had crowds in China, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam flipping.

Come to think of it, that was the peak of Hallyu, the Korean wave, as we now look back to those days, wondering if the same heat will ever be rekindled.

Less than 10 years after the term Hallyu was first coined to define South Korea's cultural influence cross borders, the wave has fizzled to something a lot less powerful.

The growth of South Korea's exports of cultural contents, including everything from books to films, is still increasing annually, according to the latest government data, but the margin is steeply narrowing every year.

Easily put, Korea's pop culture is selling less and less overseas.

So are the soap operas and movies no longer intriguing, the boy bands losing appeal and the music not as addictive?

Those are only the beginning of the problems, says Lee Jong-gun, marketing director of culture and service industry at KOTRA, the nation's trade promotion agency.

"From films and dramas to animation, producers are running out of ideas," he said, pointing out that the country is struggling to find items to sell.

Experts say that 2003 to 2005 was when South Korea's cultural prowess shined the brightest, largely lit up by TV hits such as "Jewel in the Palace," "Full House" and "Hotelier," and singers including Jang Na-ra, Rain and TVQX. But, in recent years, the domestic industry has offered fewer "killer contents."



Lee explained that the overseas cultural content market has shifted from a seller's to buyer's market.

"Buyers are looking for something new, fresh and appealing, but we're not satisfying their needs to the fullest," said Lee, who has interacted with buyers from Asia and Europe.

Kim Sun-jung, a senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association's (KITA) strategic trade division, says South Korea isn't dealing with the same buyers it did a few years ago.

They purchased homegrown content at a high price until recently, she explained, but the results were less than expected.

"They're now asking themselves, 'Is Hallyu worth all the money?' " said Kim, who labeled the current phase as a period of market correction through which the bubble eliminated.

Experts agree that the domestic industry must make a quick comeback before it becomes too late to snatch its old status again.

They say more investment is needed in research and development and global marketing because traditional methods are no longer enough.

The global recession is pressing down on the entertainment industry as well, and Lee suggested Korean producers team up with overseas partners for joint investment.

"Going joint is the global trend these days because it not only halves production costs, but helps break into new markets abroad on a smaller budget," he explained, adding that many European companies have already shown an interest in developing animation projects together with Korean makers.

He also said production firms should keep in mind that some of the most successful films in the past were centered on Korea-specific themes, such as "Swiri" and "Silmido."

"We have to remember what works and what doesn't before moving on forward," said Lee.

An area that needs more attention from the government is the copyright issue.

Kim says that all the hard production work will be worthless if content keeps leaking overseas through illegal file sharing.

She stressed that the government needs to devise a way to protect local copyright more effectively.

These measures could collectively help power the wave again, but critics both here and abroad say that South Koreans' behavior overseas also takes a toll on Hallyu.

If the country's cultural messengers, such as tourists and businessmen, don't act responsibly, then the outside world's impression of anything Korean is bound to crash.

They say it's a disappointment to see that all the great things shown on television and movie screens are unreal.

Source

Comments

[tyreling.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with you. though some might disagree, youtube and other streaming videos sites really are the places where performances/artists can be exposed to the whole world.

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

2pm got a feature for their again and again song so it must be having some effect.

[tyreling.livejournal.com]

Which is a great thing~! They're getting popular each day.

The columnist probably only looked at charts when she/he wrote this.