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.
When the Olympics or any other world competitions come near, East Asian countries are sparked up in cheering on their athletes. Especially swimming, figure skating, baseball, and soccer are the big events for Koreans. In the swimming competitions, there is a fierce rivalry between Korea and China. Tae Hwuan Park, a South Korean athlete and Jiang Lin, a Chinese athlete have been big rivals in swimming. During the Beijing Olympics and the Guangzhou Asian Games, all Koreans watched the games and cheered for him to win a gold medal. East Asians in general have great competition in sports. The sports competitions are not a simple game but it also includes the national pride of the country. Another major event for Asians is baseball. The strong baseball teams in Asia started with Japan's baseball team, which started to appear during the period of western imperialism. Korea, after gaining their independence, also started to support baseball and formed one of the world's strongest baseball teams. Korea and Japan continuously met each other in world wide baseball games, proving that the Asian baseball teams have dominated the world. Although Asians are not very good at soccer, it became very popular in Korea and Japan after the World Cup in 2002. During the time, Korea made it to the top four and it was the hottest event of the year. All television programs, commercials, songs, and other things revolved around the world cup and thousands of Korean and Japanese citizens came out to the streets and cheered for their teams. From 2002, soccer has become one of the most popular sports in Korea. The most competitive of all is the figure skating season. From Korea, Yu-na Kim and from Japan, Mao Asada and recently Miki Ando are competing for the top figure skater. During the Vancouver Olympics, Yuna Kim won a gold medal and Mao Asada won silver. During this game, all of Korea and Japan was watching the game and cheering for the skater representing their country. I remember the same happened in our school. Yuna Kim's long program was on during our passing period so nobody moved even when the bell rang. Moreover, students were secretly watching Mao Asada's skating during class on their computers. When we watched Yuna's performance, everyone was not even breathing. They were all frozen and praying that Yuna wouldn't make a mistake and win gold medal. Yuna wining gold was not just about wining a gold medal in the Olympics, it was a kind of evidence that Korea would show to Japan and prove that they were not inferior to them in any way and take revenge on the Japanese for what they have done during the period of annexation.
Although Korea and Japan are located extremely close to each other, many Koreans do not like Japanese people. The major reason for this hatred is Korea and Japan's relationship in history. All throughout history, Japan constantly invaded Korea to gain more resources and to set up their way to China. Since Japan is a small island, they do not have much natural resources except rice, fish, and silver. Therefore, they had to get resources by invading other countries that were near. Korea was Japan's main target for a long period of time. However, Koreans did not form this strong hatred until Japan's annexation in the 20th century. When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, they forced Koreans to completely erase their national identity and to follow Japanese culture. From 1910 to 1945, when Korea gained independence, Koreans were suppressed and terribly treated by the Japanese. During the Japanese occupation, Koreans were forced to speak Japanese, women were often forced to work as prostitutes and Korean pregnant women were used for scientific experiments by the Japanese. The Japanese government also tortured nationalists/rebellious leaders by cutting off their fingers or by using electric chairs. Moreover, Japan took most of the rice that was produced in Korea to feed their growing population and left hundreds of thousands of Koreans starving to death. Due to this tragic event during the Japanese occupation, many Koreans still hate Japanese people just by the fact that they are Japanese. Even after Korea was free, the conflict between Korea and Japan continued for several reasons. First of all, Korea and Japan are constantly declaring their right and control over an island called Dokdo or Takeshima. The two nations are even disputing on what the island should be called.
Since the annexation of Korea, or even from before then, Koreans continued to have a bad image and stereotype of Japanese people. However, the exchange of popular culture between Korea and Japan improved the views of Japanese people from Korea. In the late 1900s, Japanese pop music (J-Pop) became extremely popular in Korea and Japanese dramas are widely known and popular in Korea. In the early 2000s, Korean dramas made a big hit in Japan and recently, Korean pop music (K-Pop) has become extremely popular in Japan. I started to change my view towards Japan because I started to like a Japanese boy band, Arashi. Before I became their fan, I had a negative view on Japanese people just like most Koreans. However, after I became their fan, I wanted to know more about Japan and from watching their dramas, movies, and television shows, my negative view changed extremely positively. It is amazing how pop culture can have huge effects on politics and international relationships. If cultural exchanges continue, I think Korea and Japan's relationship will improve and I hope someday Japanese and Korean people would have a positive view on each other.
Currently, I'm living in Seoul, South Korea and I see lots of foreigners who are visiting Korea. Today, I'll teach you some tips to make your experience in Korea better.
Table Manners in Korea: 1) When you eat in a Korean restaurant, you should never hold up any of the plates/bowls that are on the table. It is considered to be rude if you do so. (In Japan, it is normal to hold up their bowls while eating because they only use chopsticks while eating but in Korea, they use spoons and chopsticks.) 2) If you're eating with a Korean person and if they're older than you, you should wait until they start eating first. Koreans are very strict in the idea of respecting the elders so Koreans wait until the oldest person in the group starts eating. This is just a tradition that has been made because of the culture of respecting the elders. 3) Like most of the Asian countries, Koreans also use chopsticks while eating. As westerners, using chopsticks is very challenging but if you're planning to travel to Korea, you should definitely learn how to use chopsticks. Watch the video below to learn!
Korean (language): Before, traveling to Korea, you should learn some of the basic phrases to communicate with Koreans. Many people in Korea know how to speak English, so if you can speak English that will help a lot but it's important to know some phrases in Korean. 1) 안녕하세요 (an nyong ha sye yo?) - Hello/Hi 2) 감사합니다 (k/gam sa ham ni da) - Thank You 3) 네 (nae) - Yes 4) 아니요 (an-ni-yo) - No 5) 여기로 가주세요. (yeo gi ro ga joo sae yo.) - Please take me to this place. 6) 이게 얼마에요? (I-ge ŏl-ma-ye-yo?) - How much is this?
Shopping Places: 1) Coex Mall - Coex Mall is a great place to visit. There are many shops for shopping, many places to eat, a movie theater, an aquarium, an art gallery, and many more. I recommend you to either ride the subway or ride the taxi to get there. Subway fees are about $1.00 but I recommend you to make a transportation card (T money) and charge it. You can purchase these in the subway stations. Coex Mall is located in Sam Sung Station on the green line. When you get off, there are signs that will lead you to Coex Mall. 2) Rodeo Street - Rodeo Street is often known as the street of the young. There are many people, coffee shops, and many stores to shop. I recommend you to taste ice cream in the shop named Gustimo. It's really good! Rodeo has many places to shop! I recommend you to ride the taxi to get here because the subway station is far away. If you're within Seoul, it probably won't take more than then dollars to get there but if there's traffic, it might cost more. Try not to travel on the taxi from eight to nine in the morning and six to nine in the afternoon. 3) Dong Dae Moon - Shops in Dong Dae Moon are very cheep but it's sort of hard to get there. I recommend riding the taxi. 4) Garosoo Street - Garosoo Street is my favorite place to shop in Korea. Prices are a little bit more expensive than Rodeo Street but they have unique items. If you want to get here on the subway, get off on Shinsa Station and get out from exit 1. I strongly recommend this place! * Korean department stores are very expensive. Especially, if you're from the U.S. I don't recommend shopping in Korean department stores. * Some Korean cosmetic shops are very cheap and good for your skin. You can find these shops in the Coex Mall or Rodeo Street.
Weather: - If you're traveling to Korea during the winter time, I recommend you to pack your thickest and warmest coat or but one if you don't have one yet. During the winter time, Korea is really cold; there are lots of strong winds blowing and you should be prepared for this if you're going to travel in Korea during the winter time. -If you're planning to go to Korea during the summer, I recommend you to always bring an umbrella. Koreans call it "Jangma" and it's a period of time during the summer where it rains a lot. If you don't want to ruin your clothes during your experience in Korea, I strongly recommend you to bring an umbrella around all the time. Overall, the temperature in Korea during the summer is very hot. Be prepared! * I want to inform you that Korea's weather forecast is not very trustworthy. Even if the weather forecast says it's not going to rain, bring an umbrella just in case. I'm sure you won't want to waste your money and time buying a new umbrella or waiting until the raining stops.
Watch Out! -Last but not least. I want to warn you about the Korean "Ajummas". Ajumma is a Korea word which represents the old, married ladies. They aren't mean or anything, actually they are full of warmth. However, sometimes, they're very aggressive and as a foreigner you might think that they're rude. For example, they might curse at you or push you on the subway but don't be too shocked and upset. I hope today's posting helped some people who are thinking of traveling to Korea. Korea is a very nice place and I strongly recommend you to visit! I hope you have a great experience in Korea!
The hottest event these days is definitely the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Everyone around the world is getting excited, cheering for the athletes that are representing their country. In Korea, there is one athlete that is especially loved by the citizens. Her name is Yu-na Kim, a women figure skater who won a gold medal the day before yesterday, breaking the world record(which was also make by her) in both the short and free program.
She also didn't have any mistakes in her long program. Her score was 150.06! A new world record, again! Setting a new world record for the short and long program, her point totaled up to 228.56! Wining a gold medal from the Vancouver Winter Olympic!
Yu-na's popularity in Korea is incredible. Known as the national treasure or the sister of Korea, she is probably one of the most well know person in Korea. I'm sure that none of the singers or actors in Korea can exceed her popularity. She's also the most loved celebrity by the advertisers. Her great performances, cute face, and her perfect body shape appeals as a very good image to the people in Korea. Therefore, many companies in Korea choose her to advertise their products. Yu-na also has a great name value, which resulted in many products that include her name. For example,
1. Yu-na Bread:
"오늘은 연아빵~ 연아빵~ 사랑스러운 연아 //ㅁ//." Loving Live the Queen ♡Yu Na Kim♡. N.p., 11 June 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .
"'연아의 햅틱' 50만 대 돌파 :: 네이버 뉴스 ." 네이버 뉴스. N.p., 18 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .
This product is from the company Samsung, which has a greater meaning to it. As you know, Samsung is a world wide know company and since they chose Yu-na to advertise their product, it shows how Yu-na's name value is very high.
5. Yu-na Smootie:
"스무디킹, 김연아 스무디 '비 화이트 연아 스무디' 출시 :: 네이버 뉴스 ." 네이버 뉴스. N.p., 10 June 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .
This is not the end, there are hundreds of products that Yu-na advertises. The ompanies that use Yu-na as their model say that there was a 30~40% increase in profit after Yu-na started advertising their product. Isn't that just incredible? This is commonly called the Yu-na effect. With all these advertisements, Yu-na was also ranked as one of the top three Korean celebrities who earned the most money last year. Today, I talked about the most loved athlete in Korea, Yu-na Kim. I hoped you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Just like how the Hallyu boom disappeared slowly after 2002, several people are also predicting this second Hallyu boom, especially focused on K-pop will disappear too. However, some people disagree since Japan currently has no idol group that can beat these well-trained and highly skilled Korean idol groups. Although there are controversial ideas about how it will lead to in the future, most people believe, including myself, believe this boom will last a pretty long amount of time. I will explain why.. First of all, as I have stated above, currently, Japanese idols are do not have high quality skills to produce something that would be better than the Korean stars. They need at least four years of intensive training in order to become a successful Korean stars. Another reason is that Japanese music industries are not interested in making an idol group that would beat the current K-Pop stars. It is not necessary because the Japanese people believe K-Pop can just become a portion of J-Pop culture. However, this is something that the Koreans want to prevent from happening because Japanese people might actually call K-Pop J-Pop and including a high quality music in their industry. Moreover, it is cheaper and more efficient to just make contracts and hire the already trained idols instead of creating their own. It is also safer since they already had success in Korea and they might have fans that access them from the internet. Since the economy overall is pretty bad right now, the Japanese investors want to invest in a safer place, which are K-Pop artists.
Unlike before, girl groups are flourishing and dominating the Korean music industry. They call it the "Golden Age of Girl Groups" because there are so many of them and they're getting popular and popular day by day. Girl groups in Korea have members that have very strong characteristics and their cute/pretty faces and slim bodies attract not only boys, but also girls. Today, I'll talk about some of the most famous girl groups in Korea!
1. SNSD or Girls Generation
"Girls generation…… tell me your wish « myKoREanStaRs." myKoREanStaRs. N.p., 21 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .
Girls Generation is most definitely the most popular girl group in Korea right now. Each member is very talented in acting, singing, and dancing. Every song they release easily win first place in the K-pop chart and they've been chosen as the best artist in Korea last year. Their most famous song, "Gee":
Girls Generation's most recent song, "Run Devil Run":
They made a big change on their image this year!
2. Wonder Girls:
"Wonder Girls Signed on as Exclusive Models for KTF Ever CF « Wonder Girls Wonderland." Wonder Girls Wonderland. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .
The Wonder Girls has many hit songs. Recently, they've moved to the United States to expand their field but I'm sure that they'll easily be on the top of the K-pop chart when they return. They made a big hit out of a song called "Tell Me" and continued the popularity with songs, "So Hot", "The Fool" and "Nobody". They're the group that led to the trend of hook songs in the K-pop industry. Hook songs are songs that have a repetitive melody that makes the listeners strongly attached to the song. These songs are often very addictive but I think you get tired of it pretty easily. However, I think hook songs are pretty fun! WG's hit songs: -Tell Me
Compared to other girl groups, the Brown Eyed Girls are very old. However, this factor of the Brown Eyed Girls led to their success. Unlike other girl groups, who have the cute and lovely image, they have a sexy and more mature image. They made a big break with the song, "Abracadabra".
4. 2NE1:
"2NE1 – I Don’t Care « LocaBuzz Latest Craving." LocaBuzz Latest Craving. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .
This group is a very unique girl group. It's been their first year after their debut but they have lots fans! They're fans are mostly girls unlike other girl groups. This is because their songs created an image of a strong girl and many girls look up to them as role models of a cool woman. One of their song, "I Don't Care" is a good example.
5. Kara:
"Honey by Kara « Biraincute’s Blog." Biraincute’s Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .
Last but not least, it Kara. Kara has five members and they're all very cute and lovely. I think Kara has a very feminine and cute image. Kara fans say that that's Kara's biggest, most powerful attraction. Kara also has many fans in Japan and almost one third of them are girls! This is very unusual for a girl group but Japanese female fans say that they admire them and look up to them because they're so cute and pretty. However, Kara recently changed their image with the new song, "Lupin".
[Before] Cute&Feminine Kara:
I'm looking forward to other, new girl groups too! For example, 4minute, t-ara, and f(x). I wish they continue their successful reputations.
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.
