--♥ [NEWS] 100206 ♥--
--♥ Mighty 'Korean Wave' ♥--
--♥ Needs Localization in Japan ♥--

(*JJ Magazine. TVXQ is the first male group to
be their cover page in their 35 yr history.)

“So you’re asking me whether `hallyu’ is facing a crisis?
I don’t think so. Maybe it doesn’t have the same almost blind
zeal among Japanese it enjoyed during the initial stage.
Rather, I think it has entered a stabilization stage,”
said a Korean movie producer,
Shawn Shin, who works in Japan.

The view that hallyu or the Korean wave
(the popularity of the Korean culture abroad)
hit its apex and stands
now on a downhill curve in Japan
surfaced in recent years.

But those who work on the frontier of hallyu
in Japan flatly reject the view.

The most profitable mobile entertainment
contents in Japan are of hallyu.
As much as 30 percent of video rented
in Japan are also Korean movies and dramas,
according to Shin.

A recent survey in Japan supports Shin’s view.
The Korea Creative Content Agency (KCCA), a government body that
promotes and exports Korean culture abroad,
in August found that 90 percent of Japanese respondents said the
number of Japanese who like to watch the
Korean popular culture increased or leveled out.
Only six percent said they
feel hallyu’s influence decreased.

Hong Jung-yong, KCCA chief representative in Japan,
said thanks to the popularity of "Dong Bang Shin Gi,"
one of the hottest and youngest Korean idols today,
known in Japan as Tohoshinki and other Korean pop idols,
hallyu today in Japan is not just popular among
the middle-aged Japanese women,
but its fans have expanded and diversified.

Katsuki Yoshiharu who runs a company, called SPO,
which imports Korean popular entertainment contents,
said “these days, Japanese don’t get automatically
excited about any Korean drama, but have developed a taste for
a certain products they prefer.”

Contrary to some concerns,
the number of Korean dramas,
aired in the Japanese TV also increased
from 27 in November 2008 to 42 in June 2009.

While the survey quells worries about the
losing popularity of hallyu,
experts said Korea should eagerly
explore “localization” strategies, including
co-production of dramas and movies to maintain
popularity of hallyu in Japan.

“The age for unilaterally selling Korean
dramas and movies to Japan is over,”
said Choe Jae-young with the KNTV media
group. “We should move into a new business
model in which we co-produce contents and
seek a win-win results that
also reflect the Japanese culture as well.”
02-06-2010 22:22

Source Credit: The Korea Times News
Shared by: OneTVXQ.com + www.tvxqpowerfullgods.blogspot.com
Posted By:Sayuri JaeJoong♥