How do you feel when you see
Korean movies or songs on TVs, or when you see a 16 years old girl dressing up
as a member of Girls’ Generation and would like her friends to say, “You look
really like a Korean star”? Have you ever wondered why are they becoming more
and more popular, not only in East Asia, but currently in an emerging country
like Cambodia? If you are older than 20 years old, you will surely have these
questions in mind. Why high school teenagers are so mad in this kind of stuff?
Because as an upper 20 years old generation, we once used to enjoy so much in
Hong Kong and Thai-made music and movies, and at least I hope you have heard
about F4 and Andy Lau or a Thai mega actress, Suvanant Kongying, widely known
in Cambodia as “Morning Star”. Well, let get it straights. These are major
reasons making the Korean Wave (the increasing popularity of Korean culture)
reach its high time nowadays.
Eye-catching stars
Generally speaking, Korean stars
have got a kind of beauty and handsomeness which is regarded as a perfect
standard to many Cambodians. They are eye-catching. Let’s not talk about their
secret of plastic surgery! The Korean stars are tall, sexy, and in an ideal
sharp. They have got pearly white skin, shining hair, and long nose, sexy and
lovely red lips. And oh yeah! Many Cambodians translate these into rich,
classy, and high so’ qualities. If you tell a young Cambodian that she looks
just a Korean star, she would feel delighted.
Expensive scenes
Materialistic scenes make the
dramas and music videos look very attractive. Korean producers invest a great
deal in producing highest quality pieces of music videos and films that no
other Asian countries could make with the same budget.
A few months ago while I was
watching the Rihanna’s music video, “Diamond”, one of my friends said, “Korean
music videos are crystal clear and eye-poping much more than the U.S music
videos that you are watching, guy,”. Then, I raised my eye brows and said
nothing. I agreed with him in some extend as I was also a K-pop fan in the past.
Korean producers have always been trying to produce new flavors in their music.
And I actually really love some of them: “Blue”, “Fantastic Baby”, and
“Monster” by Big Bang, “Fiction” by B2ST, and “The Boy” by SNSD. You should
check out. They are enticing and extravagant!
Well focus
They focus well on specific
target audience. For instance, they produce dramas with excellent plots with romantic
and depressing love themes to gather attention from young teenagers and female
adult audience. And as a result, they have successfully achieved this and made
Korea become the top 10 cultural exporting country. Besides, K-pop (Korean pop
music) has excessively emphasized on teenagers all over East and South East
Asia. Have you ever asked yourself why most of Korean songs you heard were
titled in English? Because they have targeted broader audience who are not Korean
and it gives chances to the non-Korean speaking fans understand the main
message of the songs easily. Aiming to be label
their names in their fans’ hearts, the Korean singers always show off their
excellent dance moves, colorful clothes, and ear-luring lyrics.
The successful campaign of
pushing Korean music to the global recognition has made it becomes the second
biggest music market after US. Korean pop have hit on a billion and a half
Asians, contributing 2 billion dollars per year to Korean economy,
according to the BBC. Understanding the trend and its audience are major key
factors of their success
The Fall of Thai and Chinese
Culture
Before 2003, Thai popular culture
had a really strong impact in Cambodian society. Every TV channel was full of
Thai movies and music. Cambodians really adored Thai movies because both
countries have similar belief and value systems, making Cambodians felt very
connected with Thai popular culture. But sadly, the 2003 outraging forced Thai
movies out of the TV screens since that year. It has lost its mighty popularity
in Cambodia though Thai movies have always being watching by older female
Cambodians through rental VCDs, Thai popular culture has no longer played an
important role in this country.
Chinese popular culture also had
a strong influence before the emerging of Korean Wave. Hong Kong films were
extremely admired and liked. People watched Hong Kong films starred by Jackie
Chan, Jet Lee, or Andy Lau instead of Hollywood movies. However, over years
there has been criticism that Hong Kong and Taiwan-made films, dramas, and
music are slow to make a new flavor and less attractive compared to the Korean
made films and music. People still watch Chinese films and listen to their
music, but it is pretty hard for them to gain their spot back.
“Taiwanese music still keeps
doing the same things over last ten years. It is kind of boring when you listen
to ballad music all the time,” said one of my Facebook friends.
The Introduction of My TV
Despite the fact that Korean
dramas have appeared and got positive attention since early 2000, Korean pop
had never been stood out before the introduction of My TV in early 2009. As a
music TV channel, My TV was a phenomenal tool to bring Korean pop into
Cambodian scene. They play all types of popular music: Khmer, Korean, Chinese,
and American music. Yet they found that Korean music really has more impact on
teenagers/ high schoolers. K-pop has started to explode. Since then producers
at My TV have started to invite several Korean bands and singers, and at least
once a year for their annual biggest TV concert.
All in all, you could see that
Korean popular culture really has a solid impact in Cambodia and the whole East
Asia. But the thing is that how long they will be able to maintain their energy
to keep people in questions? I personally think it still be able to keep it
position at least till the next decade according to the current trend. The only real threat of Korean popular culture
is the mainstream U.S culture as I have observed that some young Cambodians are
starting to heartedly pick the western culture and view Korean popular culture
as trivial. So let see together!
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