'Hallyu' wave flows on in Indonesia<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
On her first chance to go to South Korea, Korean TV drama buff
\nLanny Tricya, 32, immediately prepared for the tour in her own
\nspecial way.<\/p>\n
\"I rewatched Bae Yong-joon's Winter Sonata, memorizing all the
\nbeautiful scenes. I bought five woolen shawls, a neutral-colored
\nsweater, and an overcoat in a boutique,\" Lanny said.<\/p>\n
Spending six wintry days in the country, Lany asked the tour
\nguide to show her locations where the booming Winter Sonata
\nscenes were taken.<\/p>\n
To fill Bae Yong-joon's position, she asked a handsome (at
\nleast according to Lanny) security guard in a brown uniform and
\narmed with a baton or, on another occasion, a sweeper, who to her
\nwas also handsome, to pose with her.<\/p>\n
Taking about 150 pictures, of which 70 were taken at Korean
\ndrama locations, Lanny then added captions that indicated the
\nlocation and in which episode of the drama it appeared, below
\nevery photograph she made.<\/p>\n
\"I like Korean drama. I have only six sets of the Korean
\nseries though, because I only buy those I really like. I have
\nposters, soundtrack records, merchandise like 'Polaris necklace'
\nand more,\" Lanny said.<\/p>\n
She also liked Taiwanese and Japanese drama but loved Korean
\nmore.<\/p>\n
Hallyu or Korean Wave, a phenomenal Asia-wide popularity for
\nKorean pop music, TV dramas, movies and fashion, has been
\ntransmitting to Southeast Asia and Japan.<\/p>\n
A lot of tourists from the region took a Winter Sonata tour
\nand did what Lanny did in the country.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia the wave began transmitting about three years
\nago. In the vanguard, TV drama Winter Sonata was aired on a
\nprivate TV station in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The wave has continued to flow, with the most recent TV drama,
\nFull House, being broadcast on another TV station.<\/p>\n
\"The series will end next week but we shall continue with
\nanother Korean drama,\" Gufron, a public relations officer at
\nIndosiar TV station, said last Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He said that although it enjoyed rising popularity, the hype
\nhad not reached the level it did for Taiwanese Meteor Garden,
\nwhich was aired by Indosiar.<\/p>\n
\"We air Korean drama at five in the afternoon, which is not
\nprime time. However, the ratings are quite good. It receives
\nabout 30 percent of the 5 p.m. audience,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Video rental stores in Jakarta have also seen growing demand
\nfor Korean dramas.<\/p>\n
To rent the Full House series, one has to go on a waiting
\nlist.<\/p>\n
\"It is partly due to its availability. We bought only one set
\nof each drama series. Meanwhile, for mainstream Hollywood movies
\nwe buy more than one copy,\" said a marketing officer at Ultra
\nDisc, Andri.<\/p>\n
\"These days, the popularity of Korean drama is on the rise.
\nAmong Taiwanese and Japanese, Korean is the most popular now,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"For me, Korean drama is more logical compared with Taiwanese.
\nBut not all Korean dramas are good -- some have a protracted
\nstory. You can usually tell whether a series is good or not by
\nthe fourth or fifth episode (if a series comprises 16 episodes),\"
\nLanny said.<\/p>\n
She said that she always rented or borrowed the drama first
\nand bought it only if she liked it.<\/p>\n
\"I like Korea more than Australia, where I went on a tour
\nbefore Korea. If I can get a free trip, I want to go to Korea
\nagain,\" Lanny said.<\/p>\n
In recognition of its growing popularity, the Embassy of the
\nRepublic of Korea in Jakarta and the Indonesian Broadcasting
\nCommission (KPI) are hold a TV Korea Showcase 2005 on May 26 and
\nMay 27 at Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Drama actor Kim Jae-won, who starred in the TV series My Love
\nPatzzi, is scheduled to make an appearance in the showcase.<\/p>",
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