Korean broadcast launches in Asia<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Toting sneak peaks of TV dramas, cartoons and documentaries as
\nwell as business commodities, dozens of South Korean TV people
\nvisited Jakarta to sell some of their finest broadcast
\nproductions to local TV stations earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Their schedule in the first-of-its-kind Korea TV Showcase 2005
\nis quite tight as they plan to continue the marketing tour to
\nThailand on May 30 and later to India in early June.<\/p>\n
When it comes to their cultural products, it is obvious that
\nKoreans mean business.<\/p>\n
Putting a nice touch on the marketing attempt, the Korean
\nBroadcasting Commission (KBC) appointed one of the country's TV
\nstars to carry the mission to expand South Korea's charm to not
\nonly Indonesia, but also later to Thailand and India.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four-year-old Kim Jae Won, who has starred in 12 TV
\ndramas and movies, was scheduled to go to the three countries to
\nhelp promote Korean programs as \"Honorary Ambassador\" for the TV
\nKorea Showcase 2005.<\/p>\n
\"The overarching mission is to introduce things about South
\nKorea to the world. The particular mission is to introduce Korean
\ndrama to the world,\" Kim said in a press conference on Thursday,
\nat the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"To the world\". It might not be as overly ambitious as it
\nsounds.<\/p>\n
\"Hallyu\" or Korean Wave is popular across much of eastern Asia
\nas is South Korean pop music, TV dramas, movies and fashion.<\/p>\n
Korean TV dramas have penetrated Japan and China and now
\nIndonesia. If the industry succeeds in selling the programs to
\nIndia, well they would already have a hold of almost half of the
\nworld's population.<\/p>\n
Take into account their ardent marketing strategy and the
\nnation's staunch love of their own cultural creations, and it is
\neasy to speculate that it will not be long until the world sees
\nKorean productions competing neck-and-neck with Bollywood flicks
\nand Hong Kong movies.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the Hallyu began transmitting when a private TV
\nstation aired Winter Sonata, which was a hit in Japan and China.<\/p>\n
The drama, set against beautiful scenery of Korean winter
\ntime, later spurred Korean tourism, generating a trend where
\ntravel agents in Japan began offering \"Winter Sonata\" tour
\npackages.<\/p>\n
Although no Korean drama has ever surpassed the popularity of
\nTaiwanese Meteor Garden in Indonesia, it does not mean their
\nclutch on the Indonesian market is weak.<\/p>\n
After the booming Winter Sonata, Indonesian TV viewers eagerly
\nwatched a string of other programs like My Love Patzzi, Full
\nHouse, which just finished this week. And now the latest is
\nSunshine of Love, aired by Indosiar.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Taiwanese drama programs have been on the decline
\nhere since Meteor Garden 2, while Japanese dramas have long been
\nin the back of the minds of girls as well as women, since Tokyo
\nLove Story in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Once again, when it comes to cultural products, Koreans mean
\nbusiness. The government, in this case KBC, is willing to
\nfacilitate such marketing tours for its broadcast industry.<\/p>\n
Bimo Nugroho, from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission,
\nwhich was also involved in the showcase's preparation, said that
\nthe Korean Showcase would not benefit only the Korean industry,
\nbut also the Indonesian industry.<\/p>\n
\"In the showcase, we also provide opportunities for Indonesian
\nTV stations to sell their programs to the Korean TV,\" Bimo said.<\/p>\n
The showcase is largely comprised of business meetings and
\npresentations of TV programs on the shelves. KBC is reported to
\nbe looking forward to having the event annually in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure Indonesian TV stations have a lot of interesting
\nprograms to offer to Korea,\" Bimo added.<\/p>\n
Well, let's see whether the Korean TV stations would be
\ninterested in buying our (Indonesian) soap operas.<\/p>",
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