Movie - Korean Wave(Hallyu) #1

In this time, I would like to explain Hallyu more detailedly.

"Hallyu" now widely used to refer to the popularity of Korean entertainment and culture across Asia and other parts of the world, Hallyu or the “Korean Wave” first appeared during the mid-1990s after Korea entered into diplomatic relations with China in 1992 and Korean TV dramas and pop music gained great popularity in Chinese-speaking communities.





Korean pop music, especially dance music, began to gain popularity among Chinese teenagers after it was introduced in earnest in 1997 by a radio program called Seoul Music Room broadcast from Beijing. The decisive moment in igniting Korean pop culture fever in China was the concert of Korean boy band H.O.T., held at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium in February 2000. Korean news reports used the term Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, in describing this concert. The Korean Wave, acknowledged in an article published by Beijing Youth Daily as early as November 1999, began to finally be recognized by Koreans themselves from this point.

The ‘Korean Wave’ craze has expanded to Korean traditional culture, food, literature and language, creating more and more enthusiasts. The worldwide popularity of Korean pop culture resulted in the reemergence of hallyu (Korean Wave) movie stars such as Bae Yong-Joon & Choi Ji-Woo (Winter Sonata), Kim Soo Hyun & Jeon Ji-Hyun (My love from the star), Song Jung-Gi & Song Hye-Gyo(Descendants of the Sun) and Jang Hyuk & Park So-Dam(Beautiful Mind). The outstanding international reputation that certain K-movie directors and stars enjoy today is in part due to the international film festivals held in Korea including the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) and the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).

International film communities have recently begun to show a keen interest in Korean films and film directors. The Korean directors who have attracted the attention of Western critics include Im Kwon-taek, Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook, Hong Sang-soo, Kim Ki-duk, Kim Jee-woon, Im Sang-soo and Bong Joon-ho, all of whom have produced masterpieces as if to reward their support and the expectations surrounding them, such as Strokes of Fire (2002) by Im Kwon-taek, Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang-dong (2007), Thirst (2009) by Park Chan-wook and The Taste of Money (2012) by Im Sang-soo.

For Kim Ki-duk, a memorable moment came in September 2012 when he became the first Korean director to win the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival with Pietà. He made his debut as a director in 1996, just three years after suspending his art studies for which he stayed in Paris from 1990 to 1993, and began to pour out such works as Birdcage Inn (1998), The Isle (2000), and 3-Iron (2004), causing controversy among film critics and audiences alike.

Alongside him, Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee-woon and Bong Joon-ho who have all been successful both commercially and critically and have been invited to Hollywood to make films for the wider film going public. In 2012, The Thieves, a film by Choi Dong-hoon, was invited to compete at the Contemporary World Cinema Program of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

Recently, Director Lee Hae-Han's "Operation Chromite" was released. It had all the factors to become a summer blockbuster: the Battle of Inchon that is remembered as one of greatest battles in history, stories of unsung heroes, a big budget and a star-studded cast, including Hollywood actor Liam Neeson and Korean A-lister Lee Jung-jae.

The influence of Korean Movie is getting bigger over the world. The K-Movie will be one of the reasons why you should learn Korean and Korean culture. You will be much more impressed with your Korean ability.