| K-pop duo TVXQ! is one of the key players of the hallyu boom that is sweeping Asia. K-pop stars are idolized throughout Asia, sometimes producing side effects. / Korea Times file |
By Jung Min-ho
BANGKOK — When Japanese popular culture gained traction in Korea in the 1990s, critics deplored the comic books and music, saying they were destroying Korean traditions and values.
Now, with the Korean wave experiencing phenomenal popularity all across Asia, traditionalists in these countries are expressing similar concern over the harmful effects Korean TV shows and K-pop stars are having on their own societies.
Speaking to The Korea Times, journalists from a variety of Asian countries, from Mongolia to Thailand, said one of the most worrisome by-products of the Korean wave was the spread of plastic surgery.
"Many Mongolian women visit Korea these days to get plastic surgery," said Cosmopolitan Mongolia editor-in-chief Khaliuna Bold. "This was extremely rare before Korean shows started running here 10 years ago.
"The cosmetic surgery business is thriving in Mongolia, too. Some girls go to hospitals to change their face to look like a certain Korean actress."
Today, almost all Mongolian TV channels run Korean shows regularly, she noted.
"They have become guilty pleasures," she said. "Despite rising concerns, people like them. So, broadcasting companies run them to make money."
Over the past 10 years, the demand for plastic surgery in Thailand has also grown alongside the popularity of Korean TV shows and songs, said a reporter from The Nation, a Bangkok-based English daily newspaper.
In addition, the demand for such shows was expected to grow as Korean TV producers were promoting new ones.
In September, four episodes of the Korean makeover show, "Let Me in," featured two Thai women getting free cosmetic surgery. This drew great attention in Korea and Thailand.
The Thai reporter, who declined to be named, said Korean cultural content had a bigger influence on people in Asia than did Hollywood, because Asians could relate more to Korean TV stars.
The Korean cultural wave, known as "hallyu," has also profoundly changed the way Bhutanese live. This includes what they eat, what they wear and how they view the world, said Kinga Dema, a senior reporter of Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper.
"Today, Koreanized culture is visible in clothes, hairstyles, shoes, bags and even language," she said. "There are also many shops that sell Korean-inspired clothing. "The young people in Bhutan say there is nothing wrong with such clothing as they consider it fashionable, but many parents are concerned.
"Many young Bhutanese seem to be moving away from traditional values and culture. This is where the Korean influence comes in, which makes most elders worried."
While the trend for plastic surgery is not quite as big among Malaysian young people, there has been a significant increase in interest in all things Korean, from food to fashion, hairstyles and other consumer products, according to S. Indramalar, a reporter for the Malaysia-based Star Online.
She said that even some Malaysian politicians had realized the popularity of K-pop and capitalized on it, bringing K-pop bands to the country to attract young voters.
The consensus among these journalists seems to be that Korea needs to be more responsible for what it makes and sells, given the country's increasing influence in Asia and beyond.
Korean Language
한류 열풍 타고 2020년 콘텐츠산업 매출 95조원 육박
올해보다 31.6% 증가…문화관광연구원 분석보고서
우리나라 출판·방송·광고·게임 등 콘텐츠산업 매출규모가 케이팝 등 한류열풍에 힘입어 2020년에는 올해보다 31.6% 늘어난 최대 95조원에 육박할 것이라는 전망이 나왔다.
정헌일 한국문화관광연구원 부연구위원은 20일 '콘텐츠사업의 경제적 효과·전망분석'이라는 보고서에서 현재의 성장세가 계속된다는 가정아래 우리나라 콘텐츠산업 매출액이 올해 71조9천440억6천300만원에서 2020년 94조6천892억6천600만원으로 31.6% 성장할 것이라고 예측했다.
음악분야는 현재의 케이팝 인기와 함께 국내 음악산업의 다양한 방식에 따른 해외진출 덕택에 가장 큰 성장세를 보일 것으로 예상됐다. 올해보다 66.4% 늘어난 7조8천751억원에 이를 것으로 전망됐다.
방송분야 매출액도 중국과 동남아 등 아시아시장에서의 한류 덕에 2020년 22조8천234억6천700만원으로 올해의 15조9천738억4천700만원에 비해 42.9% 증가할 것으로 추산됐다.
광고시장 매출도 2014년 13조9천716억1천900만원에서 19조5천860억2천100만원으로 40.2%, 게임업종은 38.2%, 영화업종은 28.7% 각각 늘어날 것으로 전망됐다.
콘텐츠산업중 매출규모가 가장 큰 출판업종은 종이출판의 하락세를 전자출판이 보완해 21조6천114억5천만원에서 23조2천303억5천100만원으로 7.5% 늘어날 것으로 추산됐으나 이는 콘텐츠산업 중 증가폭이 가장 적은 것이다. (연합뉴스)