'Hallyu' wave flows on in Indonesia

'Hallyu' wave flows on in Indonesia

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

On her first chance to go to South Korea, Korean TV drama buff
Lanny Tricya, 32, immediately prepared for the tour in her own
special way.

"I rewatched Bae Yong-joon's Winter Sonata, memorizing all the
beautiful scenes. I bought five woolen shawls, a neutral-colored
sweater, and an overcoat in a boutique," Lanny said.

Spending six wintry days in the country, Lany asked the tour
guide to show her locations where the booming Winter Sonata
scenes were taken.

To fill Bae Yong-joon's position, she asked a handsome (at
least according to Lanny) security guard in a brown uniform and
armed with a baton or, on another occasion, a sweeper, who to her
was also handsome, to pose with her.

Taking about 150 pictures, of which 70 were taken at Korean
drama locations, Lanny then added captions that indicated the
location and in which episode of the drama it appeared, below
every photograph she made.

"I like Korean drama. I have only six sets of the Korean
series though, because I only buy those I really like. I have
posters, soundtrack records, merchandise like 'Polaris necklace'
and more," Lanny said.

She also liked Taiwanese and Japanese drama but loved Korean
more.

Hallyu or Korean Wave, a phenomenal Asia-wide popularity for
Korean pop music, TV dramas, movies and fashion, has been
transmitting to Southeast Asia and Japan.

A lot of tourists from the region took a Winter Sonata tour
and did what Lanny did in the country.

In Indonesia the wave began transmitting about three years
ago. In the vanguard, TV drama Winter Sonata was aired on a
private TV station in Indonesia.

The wave has continued to flow, with the most recent TV drama,
Full House, being broadcast on another TV station.

"The series will end next week but we shall continue with
another Korean drama," Gufron, a public relations officer at
Indosiar TV station, said last Wednesday.

He said that although it enjoyed rising popularity, the hype
had not reached the level it did for Taiwanese Meteor Garden,
which was aired by Indosiar.

"We air Korean drama at five in the afternoon, which is not
prime time. However, the ratings are quite good. It receives
about 30 percent of the 5 p.m. audience," he said.

Video rental stores in Jakarta have also seen growing demand
for Korean dramas.

To rent the Full House series, one has to go on a waiting
list.

"It is partly due to its availability. We bought only one set
of each drama series. Meanwhile, for mainstream Hollywood movies
we buy more than one copy," said a marketing officer at Ultra
Disc, Andri.

"These days, the popularity of Korean drama is on the rise.
Among Taiwanese and Japanese, Korean is the most popular now," he
added.

"For me, Korean drama is more logical compared with Taiwanese.
But not all Korean dramas are good -- some have a protracted
story. You can usually tell whether a series is good or not by
the fourth or fifth episode (if a series comprises 16 episodes),"
Lanny said.

She said that she always rented or borrowed the drama first
and bought it only if she liked it.

"I like Korea more than Australia, where I went on a tour
before Korea. If I can get a free trip, I want to go to Korea
again," Lanny said.

In recognition of its growing popularity, the Embassy of the
Republic of Korea in Jakarta and the Indonesian Broadcasting
Commission (KPI) are hold a TV Korea Showcase 2005 on May 26 and
May 27 at Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta.

Drama actor Kim Jae-won, who starred in the TV series My Love
Patzzi, is scheduled to make an appearance in the showcase.