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Topic: Why I like K-Pop (Korean Pop)
Korean Popular Music or more widely known as K-Pop refers to musical genre in South Korea. It comprises a wide variety of musical and visual elements. K-Pop also spread the Korean culture through language. History of K-Pop began in 1990s, but became famous in the 2000s. K-Pop is not only known in Korea, but also famous in the East and South East Asia, America and Europe. According to Mark James Russell from the global politics magazine Foreign Policy illustrated,” K-Pop has now spread to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of South America. It may not yet turn heads in Los Angeles or London, but this may soon change as K-pop’s influence continues to spread.“ The reason why k-pop can be accepted outside Korea is because the k-pop not only include one type of music, but also has many genres such as Rap and R&B. Michael Hastings Rolling Stone’s author writes that K-Pop embraces the genre fusion with both singing and rap, while emphasizing solid performances and visuals at the same time. It is a mix of genres like pop, rock, hip hop, R&B and electronic music. Michael also writes that the way these Korean singers perform their songs with synchronized dance moves and complex gestures has increased the popularity of K-pop. It now takes a big place in the music market throughout Asia and the world.
It’s no secret that the entertainment industry in Korea has sky rocketed. Although it is not common knowledge in America, the rest of the world has fallen in love with South Korea’s K-pop (Korean pop) and their never ending supply of dramas. K-pop is a multimillion dollar industry that has captivated the youth all around the world. Charmed with their catchy songs, correlated dance moves and beauty, k-pop groups have become huge. Popular groups include bands like 2ne1, 2pm, SNSD, f(x). Huge concerts put on by the music companies are put on all around the world, SM Entertainment, one of the leading k-pop companies.
However, the working conditions for k-pop idols, actors and actresses have recently been under attack for its poor working condition and long hours. The k-pop stars have also been reported that they are barely paid any money for all the long hours of training and practice they put in. Unlike stars in America, the idols are seen as regular employees in the mind of the companies and since putting on k-pop performances is extremely expensive, there is not very much money left for the stars. In addition, since most k-pop groups range from 4-13 members, the money also has to be split among them. Beside the rough edges that are still being smoothed over.
Although k-pop may not be well known in the United States, at the speed that this tidal wave is coming, it is sure to hit America soon.To conclude, Korean Wave or Hallyu is increasingly recognized by the international community. Through the Korean songs or K-Pop, K-Drama, and Korean Variety Shows, foreign people can learn Korean language and culture easily. In addition, there are a lot of information about Korea, such as food and famous places there. That causes Korean Wave to become popular among foreign people.
Topic: Why I like K-Drama (Korean Drama)
Korean Drama of Early Days:
Korean drama had its origin in the religious rites of prehistoric days. During the Shilla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935) dance movements and musical accompaniment were developed into a kind of drama called Ch'oyong. The Ch'oyong was not drama in the strict definition of the term. Even though it included dramatic elements that followed a distinct narrative story line, it was also made up of a series of dramatic dances. Besides Ch'oyong, there were several other such performances for royal and popular entertainment, but once again, primary emphasis was placed upon dance movements with music accompaniment which disqualifies them from being considered a true drama in general understanding of the word.
Dancing with musical accompaniment has always been important in Korean classical shows of all kinds regardless of their official designation as dance or drama. The sandae drama of the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) contains more definite dramatic elements than the Ch'oyong. It was performed on stage by masked actors following a script with a story and occasional spoken lines. Dances and songs dominated the play. The sandae was further developed during the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910), when it became one of the official functions of the court. Eventually, it lost royal patronage and became entertainment for the common people. This most representative of Korean classic dramas found wide popular acceptance, as the subjugated masses of agrarian Korean society found solace in the humorous, satirical mask dramas that ridiculed the privileged classe--Buddhist priests and the yangban aristocrats.
Modern Korean TV Dramas:
Korea is riding on the "hallyu" movement - the globalization of Korean dramas (K-dramas). Whether it's Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China or the U.S., viewers who watch Korean dramas are enamored by the "real" acting and fascinating stories that unfold before their eyes.
K-dramas are a refreshing change for many, and some, like Winter Sonata, take them back to first loves. Others like, Dae Jang Geum, tell about history in a fascinating way with rich costumes and realistic sets. While some viewers may find them too "mild" for their taste, many others will be thrilled to find tasteful, endearing programming that reels them in and leaves them wanting more and more and more and then they're hooked only to find that they are part of the "hallyu" movement.
Korean dramas are usually helmed by one director and written by one screenwriter, thus having a distinct directing style and language, unlike American television series, where often several directors and writers work together. Series are likely to have only one season, with 12–24 episodes. Historical series (sageuk) may be longer, with 50 to 200 episodes, but they also run for only one season. The broadcast time for flagship dramas is 22:00 to 23:00, with episodes on two consecutive nights: Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and weekends. Different dramas appear on each of the nationwide networks, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Korean Broadcasting System(KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and on the cable channels, Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (jTBC), Channel A, tvN, and Orion Cinema Network (OCN).
The 19:00 to 20:00 evening time slot is usually for daily dramas that run from Monday through Friday. Dramas in these slots are in the telenovella format, rarely running over 200 episodes. Unlike the American soap operas, these daily dramas are not also scheduled during the day-time. Instead, the day-time schedule often includes reruns of the flagship dramas.
Topic: Why I like K-Brands (Korean Brands)
Journey of Korean Brands:
Korean products and brands have become very popular in all corners of the globe. The stories of the Korean global companies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai and their leaders are featured by the global media such as Time, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fortune. Even some small and medium-sized companies such as Lock and Lock, Aurora, Pororo and Woongjin are also impressing people around the world by establishing their leadership in each category of the global market. South Korean brands are on the rise and have a well-earned reputation for quality: Samsung, LG, Kia, Hyundai and others have all earned their way into homes.
Electronic Industry:
One of the most vital aspects of marketing is branding. It is as important for a company as naming is for a newborn child. It is important for creating identity of an organization and generating long-term business perspectives. For a long time, Korea has been identified by the country's cultural heritage, cuisine, etc. But in recent times, the nation has become a representation of technological advancement. The Korean electronics industry is very close to being the best in the world. The popularity of the Apple products is being overshadowed by the increasing fandom of Samsung merchandize. The technological advancements are being highlighted worldwide by hosting events like the Big Bang Alive Tour and the Golden Disk Awards. These events receive global press coverage and have helped to build up a positive brand for Korea and its products (Salmon, 2013).
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2010, Samsung's head of U.S. marketing told Ad Age that the electronic giant's central challenge was to transcend a reputation for value alone. "The next opportunity for us is to become a brand of strong preference, to have an emotional connection to consumers who go to stores with the sole intention of buying a Samsung because they've already had a great experience with us," said VP David Steel at Ad Age's Digital Conference in 2011.
Automobile Industry:
With a significant year-over-year improvement, Korean brands continue to widen the quality gap with other automakers, while Japanese makes collectively fall below industry average for the first time in 29 years, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Korean brands lead the industry in initial quality by the widest margin ever, averaging 90 PP100, which is an 11 PP100 improvement from 2014. Porsche ranks highest in initial quality for a third consecutive year, posting a score of 80 PP100. With a 20 PP100 improvement from 2014, Kia follows Porsche in the rankings at 86 PP100. This marks the first time in the history of the study that Kia has led all non-premium makes in initial quality.
Conclusion:
The obvious analogy is that South Korea is set to one day replace Japan in terms of makers of high-quality brands, meaning Samsung in 2012 was on a trajectory to be Sony in 1995 and Hyundai will one day have as loyal a following as Honda. One difference: Since brands are more global than ever before, it's getting harder to identify a global brand with a single country. That could help ascendant brands as they gain a global presence.But if South Korean companies are to do it, they probably need to move fast. Japan had several decades to build those brands while U.S. manufacturing declined, but South Korea is already being stalked by newcomers from China and India, fueled by fast-growing middle classes eager to display their newfound wealth through luxury goods and premium brands.
