'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.