Update on the Progress of Hallyu

Recently, more and more Korean idols are making their debut in Japan. As Kara and Girl's Generation who are making huge successes in Japan, more and more K-Pop stars are hoping to get more fans and become widely know all over the world. As I have stated in the older posts, Japan has the second largest music industry in the world. Therefore, if Korean stars become successful in Japan, it means more than becoming popular in a small country, it means that they've proved that they are the best in the world and that they can be the top of such a big market.
Recently, the Hallyu wave seems to be flowing very smoothly. Girl's Generation released their first album in Japan on May 31st and they have started their Japan tour from a few days ago. Their newly released album is ranked as the best seller for several days and they seem to be the one to make number one on the weekly chart too. Moreover, their first tour has been going very well and all television programs are introducing and explaining their first tour. The tickets are all sold out and they seem to be making a large progress.
The Hallyu wave seems to be getting stronger and bigger since new K-Pop stars are planning their debut and albums soon. For example, a boy band named BEAST and a girl group named Afterschool are making their debut this month and SHINee is also making their debut soon. Along with the consistent popularity of Korean music, Korean dramas are also gaining popularity once again. After the Winter Sonata about 10 years ago, Korean dramas were not gaining popularity; however, recently new dramas such as You are Beautiful gained a lot of popularity and it is being remade in Japan. Korean dramas are gaining popularity once again because Korean idol stars are starring as main or sub roles in these dramas. For example in this drama, You are Beautiful, a member of a boy band FT Island and CNBlue are starring as main roles. Moreover, Korean dramas have become much more sophisticated which is the reason why so many Japanese people are attracted to them.