Korean Productions

Fans loyal despite cooling fad

Left & right: A Tale of Autumn, a popular Korean drama, was introduced to Hong Kong in 2001 by Cable TV. (Courtesy of Cable TV.)

By Winki Kwok

$1,000 a month. Four hours a day on the Internet. Days following their idols around.

Time and money are what loyal fans of Korean productions are willing to spend just to get a glimpse of their idols or feel a little closer to them.

Best friends Carmen Wong and Colour Chung, both 18, are obsessed with Korean culture and products. They became attracted to Korean music after listening to songs from boy group H.O.T. when they were disbanded in 2001.

Ms. Chung said, “The breakdown of the group received large coverage at that time. Out of curiosity, we sought out their songs and we were surprised by their ability.”

H.O.T., or High Five of Teenagers, has released five albums. It also has a circulation of 10 million in Korea.

Ms. Chung added, “Apart from their good looks, they can compose songs, sing and dance very well.”

Since discovering H.O.T., Ms. Chung and Ms. Wong have become addicted to Ko-rean show business. They spend about $300 a month on Korean products like CDs and magazines. Sometimes the amount goes up to $1,000.

Ms. Chung said, “Every day we spend 3 to 4 hours browsing the Internet to search for news of our favorite stars. We have also set up a website to share files and opinions with other fans.”

When Korean male singer Seven came to Hong Kong in October to perform in the Harbour Fest, the best friends did some investigative work. The duo, who live in Sheung Shui, found out the various places Seven was going to appear and they waited for him.

Finally, they were able to see Seven and get his autograph. They find that what they did was worthwhile.

The invasion of Korean products dates back to 1999, when Korean film Christmas in August was screened at the 23rd Hong Kong International Film Festival. Audience response was unexpectedly good and the film was shown in the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Cinematheque Broadway. It played for almost 3 months.

Because of the success of Christmas in August, the media and the public began to pay more attention to Korean products.

The number of Korean productions in Hong Kong jumped dramatically. According to www.krmdb.com, only two Korean films were shown in Hong Kong in 1999. The number shot up to 17 in 2001.

Hong Kong Cable Television was the first to introduce Korean dramas to the local market. Winnie Ngai, a programming manager at Cable TV, said, “We started to broadcast Korean dramas when Cable TV first operated in 1993.”

However, because of the inferior quality, Cable TV’s entertainment channel stopped airing its two Korean serials after 2 years. Said Ms. Ngai: “At that time, the quality of Korean TV dramas was not so good.”

Korean productions were brought back in 2001. Ms. Ngai added, “We re-introduced Korean TV dramas because the quality of their production improved a lot in the late 1990s. We thought it was the right time to boost Korean culture and programs.”

When Cable TV broadcast the Korean drama A Tale of Autumn, it pushed the wave to a peak. Ms. Ngai said media coverage contributed to the popularity.

Benny Lau, disc jockey at Commercial Radio, is considered the pioneer of Korean culture promotion in Hong Kong. He was captivated by Korean music while changing planes at Seoul’s airport.

He said, “I loved the music so much, I decided to introduce the music to the audience (in Hong Kong).”

In 1998, he started a 15-minute radio program, Korean Storm. It aired once a week.

“At first, the response was not good. Some people even laughed at my idea.”

But later, with the increasing popularity in Korean drama and film, more people started to notice Korean music. Said Mr. Lau: “When Korean Storm was first introduced, I received only two or three emails on the program per day. But now I have to reply 40 to 50 each day.”

Korean Storm became a 1-hour program in late 1999. The content of the program has undergone changes over the past years to meet audience’s tastes. Mr. Lau said, “The content has became more diversified. Besides music, I also provide information about Korean films and TV dramas. Sometimes I even go to Korea to interview celebrities in order to offer the most up-to-date news.”

Mr. Lau has visited Korea at least 30 times in the past 5 years. In July 2002, he launched a website, www.koreanstorm.com. In the first month alone, 1,500 people joined his website. That number has grown to over 10,000 today.

Mr. Lau said his audience is diverse and from all walks of life. “The majority of the audience is female. Among them, I find that married women and office ladies prefer Korean dramas and films. The young people prefer music.”

Mr. Lau said it is the features of Korean products that bring about their success. “The products are like the Koreans, who are implicit. Unlike Japanese products that emphasize packaging, Korean products look plain but are of good quality.

“In highly urbanized cities such as Hong Kong, many people seem to lose their identities and feelings. Korean films and TV serials focus on the relationships between people, such as family, love and friendships. They describe the feelings of people in detail, which can touch the bottom of the hearts of the audience,” said he.

Man Sheung Ching, 26, started liking Korean TV dramas and films 2 years ago. She said, “Although they almost always contain plots on life and death and the story pace is sometimes too slow, they are humane. The sentiments they describe are very pure and sincere.

“After watching a Korean drama or film, I usually think about my relationships with others. Hong Kong productions are entertaining, but all they do is make you laugh.”

Anthony Fung, an assistant professor teaching popular culture at the Chinese University, dismissed the idea that Korean culture has penetrated Hong Kong. He said, “The media promotes Korean culture intensively and gives the illusion that it is very popular. But in fact only a small group of people like it. The development of the Korean wave is systematic. It is a marketing strategy.”

Prof. Fung also thinks that Korean culture does not have a big influence on Hong Kong people or the media, and he remains conservative about the future of Korean products in Hong Kong. “Korea will not focus just on Hong Kong. They would rather target a larger market such as mainland China,” he said.

According to Ms. Ngai of Cable TV, Korean TV dramas currently shown are not as outstanding as before. Said she: “We do not find any surprising elements in recent Korean TV dramas.

“We will continue to promote Korean TV dramas in the future, but the quantity will decrease.”

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