How the Korean Wave conquered the world and what that means for Taiwan

How the Korean Wave conquered the world and what that means for Taiwan

2024-05-12

From dramas to pop music, South Korean culture has taken the world by storm. The so-called Korean Wave began around the year 2000, when Korean dramas took hold of Asian markets. What followed was a global love affair with all things Korean, including the country’s language, food, and fashion. This phenomenon has had a tremendous economic impact on South Korea, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy. Tonight, in our Sunday special report, we explore how the Korean Wave was achieved, and what Taiwan can learn from its success.

Tucked away in a busy alley of Taipei’s East District, this small shop offers the latest Korean trend: personal color analysis.

Colorful fabric swatches are draped over the client’s shoulder. The color consultant determines which tones make the client’s face light up.

Shiny
Color consultant
You can see that blue tones, due to their color, reflect blue light to produce a soft glow. But the color black absorbs light, diminishing all the other colors.

During the half-hour session, the consultant analyzes the skin, hair, and even the irises, identifying the colors that suit each best.

Color analysis went global when K-pop star Jisoo shared her personal results online. To cash in on the craze, a Taiwanese entrepreneur launched the service in Taipei, along with Korean-inspired makeup and photo shoot packages. These offerings have drawn waves of young clientele.

Vina
Color consulting workshop owner
The pursuit of beauty is just as fervent in Taiwan as it is in South Korea. So there’s a significant Taiwanese market for these services.

Before going on hiatus, Korean boy band BTS was achieved superstardom from Asia to the U.S. Another Korean group, Super Junior, packed the Taipei Arena in 2022. The so-called Korean Wave has taken the world by storm, but what is it exactly, and when did it arrive in Taiwan?

Chen Ching-de
Feng Chia University assistant professor
The term “Korean Wave” was introduced in 2001 by South Korea’s tourism ministry, and it was promoted globally. The Korean Wave has been strong in recent years. South Korea’s government has invested in it heavily. Based on the information I have, the South Korean government began subsidizing its cultural sector in 2001. It started at about NT$400 million a year. Now, a decade later, that’s grown to NT$2.2 billion.

Simply put, the Korean Wave refers to the international craze for Korean culture, primarily its movies, TV shows, and cultural industries, including music, games, fashion, food, sports, tourism, beauty, and language. Among them, Korean drama was the first to catch on globally.

Actress Lee Young-ae is known for her roles in “Fireworks” and “Jewel in the Palace.” The latter aired in 90 countries and generated revenue of 38 billion won.

Although the Korean Wave was first driven by dramas, Korean pop music quickly became a major engine. Dubbed K-pop, it includes genres like hip-hop, electronic music, dance music, and R&B. Infectious melodies are paired with synchronized choreography. To reach Western markets, English phrases are used liberally in the lyrics.

Da Lead
Musician
Electronic music in the West is just as infectious, just as heavy. But you won’t see polished groups of attractive men and women dancing in a neat formation. What’s so infectious about K-pop is not just the music, not just the sound. It’s also the visuals.

From Girls’ Generation 20 years ago to the more recent BTS, K-pop groups have spread well beyond Asia. They’ve transcended language and cultural barriers to captivate Western markets.

Da Lead
Musician
Take this simple dance move, for example. Watch it once and you’ll know how to do it. It’s very well designed. This melody goes with that dance move – the choreography won’t be designed so that you can’t remember it. This melodic line is very long but then it turns around and you’re back again. It’s simple enough that a child can follow along.

But the path to stardom as a K-pop singer isn’t easy. Recruits must undergo draconian training under South Korea’s infamous trainee system.

Da Lead
Musician
In Western countries, the trainee system isn’t really a thing. This system involves a company discovering someone at a very young age, discovering that this person has talent, is beautiful, or is handsome. And then the company trains the person, and it’s five years before the person can debut. That’s generally not acceptable to Western children, but it is to children in Asia.

In South Korea, the trainee system is used by management companies to produce K-pop stars who can succeed.

Da Lead
Musician
Actually nowadays there are lots of Taiwanese artists, and even some in other countries, who are trained for a very short period of time, like one year or half a year. After they’re signed, a record is rushed out. Their training is not as comprehensive. In contrast, South Korean training is a very long process that covers music, dance, language, creativity, and voice work for acting, and media skills. It is extremely comprehensive.

Before the Korean Wave, it was Japanese pop culture that dominated Taiwan. Everything from anime to dramas to idols was red-hot.

Chen Ching-de
Feng Chia University assistant professor
Taiwan was once deeply influenced by Japanese culture. Back when I was a child, we were exposed to a great deal of Japanese influence. Just one example is Doraemon, which we called Little Ding Dong back in the day. Another example is the music we listened to, for instance Utada Hikaru and Amuro Namie. These were very well-known singers.

The three decades from 1970 to 1990 were also the heyday for Japanese dramas. But since the late 1990s, Japanese productions have fallen out of favor due to their simplistic themes and formulaic plots. The Korean Wave has taken their place.

Chen Ching-de
Feng Chia University assistant professor
Korean dramas are often criticized for overusing three plot devices: car accidents, amnesia, and the protagonist who miraculously survives everything. But Korean shooting techniques are more realistic and can be said to be more exciting. For example, Japanese horror movies might slowly build up to a scare, but Korean films will go for blood splattering everywhere.

Before South Korean culture overtook Japan’s, South Korea faced stiff economic challenges. Saddled with the legacy of the Korean War and military dictatorship, the country struggled with poverty.

Darson Chiu
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research researcher
During the Korean War, international media looked at South Korea’s economy and said this was a country set back to the Stone Age. They thought a recovery would take two or three decades. But South Koreans created an economic miracle. In 1960, the income per capita was just US$82. By the year 1990, it had gone up by 20 times.

In 1996, South Korea joined the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, aspiring to stand equal with the world’s major economies. But the Asian financial crisis struck the next year, reducing it to near-bankruptcy.

Chen Ching-de
Feng Chia University assistant professor
Then that famous South Korean president, Kim Dae-jung – he watched “Jurassic Park.” He learned about the economic impact of this film, for instance its box office sales and revenue from peripheral products. South Korea would have had to sell 1.5 million Hyundai cars to match the revenue generated by the movie. Culture is not just something that can improve quality of life. It can also create added value. So South Korea began to create the Korean Wave.

In South Korea, the government took the lead in exporting the nation’s culture. In contrast, Taiwan’s government has long been criticized for its fragmented and unfocused cultural policies.

Darson Chiu
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research researcher
South Korea took the Hollywood model and applied it to its cultural and creative industries. This is something we can take a lesson from. When planning the production of dramas and similar cultural products, we should not only target the local market. We should also set our sights overseas. That’s how we can drive up industry value through economies of scale.

Da Lead
Musician
Back in the 2000s, or in the 1990s, we were very focused on Mandopop. We thought that we were the center of the Mandopop industry, and we prided ourselves on our place in the Chinese-speaking market. But while we were saying such things, they were looking at the global market. What do you need to break into the global market? You need to pay attention to things like language, style, R&B, and rap – are these elements incorporated in your product? Are you aligned with the global audience’s musical tastes? Its preferences in dance? Is your product acceptable to the global audience? You need to look closely at the product you’re making. You need to look closely at your culture and its values. I think that Taiwan is weak in this area and could improve.

Successful cultural export doesn’t happen overnight. Meticulous planning is required in market strategy, resource allocation, and even the determination of which products to make. Look at South Korea’s creative industry, and then think about Taiwan’s. That might just be the lesson we need from the Korean Wave.

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