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a. A way of thinking b. To make a loud sustained noise or outcry. c. Korean wave d. The act of performing in front of an audience e. The place at which or the means by which a crossing of a culture takes place |
1. Crossover (E)
2. Hallyu (C)
3. Performance (D)
4. Clamoring (B)
5. Mentality (A)
IV. Discussion
àListen to the discussion about the article between two students.
Robin: That is so funny.
Mary: What is?
Robin: My cousin who lives in Hong Kong was talking about Super Junior performing in China.
Mary: Oh yea? I guess word travels fast.
Robin: Yea, it seems these days everyone is into the k-pop thing.
Mary: Yea, even non-Koreans. I was traveling in the Philippines last year and they were all watching Korean dramas. Some were even singing the songs in Karaoke bars!
Robin: Ha. That’s great. I have to admit they’re pretty fun to watch though. The guys are pretty cute too.
Mary: I think the guys are hot too.
Robin: Who is your favorite?
Mary: Wait, hold on. I have a phone call. Let’s catch up next time.
Mary: Oh, alright! See ya.
Discussion Key words and Expressions
Word travels fast- when news or gossip is heard throughout and travels quickly.
Karaoke- A music entertainment system providing prerecorded accompaniment to popular songs that a performer sings live, usually by following the words on a video screen
Catch up- means to learn or discuss the latest news
PART III
Notable Blogs:
AllKPOP.com - http://www.allkpop.com/
If we’re going to hold a discussion about influential bloggers on the topic of Hallyu, there’s no better place to start than allkpop.com. The site, ran by Johnny Noh, has more than 4 million dedicated readers every month: an impressive number for any type of blog.
The blog has such strong VIP credentials that it gains access to just about every high-profile celebrity event.
Frequently recurring themes that you’ll see on the site are gossip and rumour columns, backstage interviews, and the latest news and announcements about upcoming premieres, releases, and tours.
There’s also plenty of photographs of your favorite stars at their best and worst moments.
When visiting the blog, you’ll notice (in the top left corner of the home page) that there are tens of thousands of people who share the same interest at literally the same moment.
Finally, you can head over to the FORUMS for one of the most active discussions anywhere on the Internet about Korea’s biggest pop sensations.
K-popped! - http://k-popped.com/
Next, let’s move on over to K-Popped!, a blog focusing on the state of the Korean wave in Malaysia. From the long list of events related to everything Korean, it appears that Hallyu is still going strong in Malaysia, or at least that it was until late 2010.
The blog is run by three young ladies, all of whom say they enjoy various forms of freelance work: teaching, graphic design, blogging. And share a passion for keeping up with Korea’s biggest celebrities.
There’s certainly no shortage of celebrity gossip, profile pieces, or even exclusives with the likes of Super Junior or the Wonder Girls.
But what’s interesting is that the blog encourages interest in other parts of Korean culture as well. For example, you’ll see a long list of restaurant recommendations, many of which are halal to fit with the local dietary needs. Then there are resources for readers who want to keep up with the latest Korean fashions by shopping at Korean brand outlets in Malaysia or sourcing from independent designers.
Finally, for Malaysian readers of K-Popped who’d like to try the real thing, there is a section featuring travel advice for the Seoul bound.
SUPER-KPOP! - http://super-kpop.blogspot.com/
Wondering what obsessed K-Pop fans in Singapore are like? Well, you don’t need to wonder any longer! Head over to SUPER-KPOP! to find out.
The blog was created by Dorean and Shuyan to share their love of K-Pop with the world.
What sets them apart is that their site offers not only the latest news and celebrity gossip, but also lots of fun stuff for fans to express themselves.
In the latter category are plenty of wallpaper, buttons, and other downloads that can be used to decorate your PC or smartphone with reminders of your favorite K-Pop icons.
Finally, if you want to wish your favorite star a happy birthday, they have an extensive list of important dates to remember.
TWITTER:
1.
@yoreekoh
description: none given
Tweet: Productivity among Japanese women to plummet: YouTube launched a channel dedicated 2 Korean dramas. Bring on the K-wave http://bit.ly/qiILWZ
Quick Notes:
plummet: go down drastically
launch: to debut; start
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2.
@ONKEYshipper
description: An Indonesian Onkey shipper fanbase . Admin [L] [E] [I] [N] [W] [Q] . We ♥ ONKEY! OKS, let's follow this acc!! Promote --» Promote back . Thanks :)
TWEET: [Fan] Did you see? Hehe 'korean wave' concert tickets, all sold out!
Quick Notes:
fanbase: group of fans
acc: short for ‘account’ on Twitter
sold out: all sold; no more left
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3.
@ariesamardiani
description: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear
TWEET: Hallyu waves slowly but surely will hit indonesiaaahhh wohoooo!!
Quick Notes:
slowly but surely: not quickly, but definitely
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4.
@kpopculturefest
description: organized by KFEST Manila Events Management
TWEET: Did you miss Gyun Jin Nam since his last performance at KPOP NATION? He'll be back to serenade us all.
Quick Notes:
serenade: to sing in the open night air (in this case, romantically)
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5.
@WeLoveYesung
description: An account that has eternal love for Yesung/Kim Jongwoon/@shfly3424; posts updates and happenings about Yesung/Super Junior.
TWEET: SME I demand you to release an All About Super Junior DVD or whatever instead of producing an overly expensive album.
Quick Notes:
release: publish
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SIDE NOTES:
Social Media Helps Stars at Home and Abroad
Star power today is a funny thing. In the past, stars were made by carefully constructing an image, filtered through tons of editors, promoters, marketers, and record labels. Now, social media allows just about anyone to promote themselves or show their talents to the world.
For Kim Yeo-hee, YouTube made her a star. After releasing a video of herself singing Beyonce’s hit “Irreplaceable”, with background tracks provided by several iPhone apps, her name was all over the Internet. In just two days, she become the most searched for term on popular Korean search engines like Naver.
Now Ms. Kim, at the age of only 22, has released an album, available on iTunes all over.
At a time when the Korean wave started to slow in traditionally strong market likes Japan, social media also helped to revive it abroad.
In 2010, videos uploaded by some of Korea’s biggest stars were watched more than 800 million times in 229 countries across the world.
A lot of these can be attributed to the Girls Generation, with videos receiving in the neighborhood of 30 million hits in a single month.
Of course, there are others, too. And we just might continue to see Korean media sensations spread across the world on some of the most popular social networks available. |
Sources:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2013227,00.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/05/116_86960.html
Wrap up
When the Korean Wave first started spreading out in other Asian countries, the success mainly came from Korean dramas, however, these days, Korea pop music has become a large part of the Korean Wave and Korean entertainment companies recognize YouTube as a key component to the international spread of Korean culture. The impact of the Korean Wave is amazing. The number of people studying the Korean language is increasing, and tourism to Korea shows drastic increases.
However, along with the success of the Korean Wave, Korean pop culture also faces Anti-Korean Wave in the countries it has spread to. Recently, a Japanese actor openly showed his dislike for the Korean wave on his Twitter, and this led to an internet movement on boycott Korean programs on Japanese television.
Here’s our topic for discussion.
Some critics say that K-pop is heavily manufactured and it is hard to say that it represents Korean culture. What do you think? Do you think that the Korean Wave is driven by the commercial and media force only? Why or why not?
Please write your opinions on the discussion board.
I will see you again next week.
Here are some examples.
Example 1
I think K-pop has a great impact on the spread of Korean culture. Let’s me give you an example of the western idol groups such as New Kids on the Block and Spice Girls. Although these groups were originally formed by entertainment companies, they contributed a lot in giving positive impressions of their countries. Fans want to know more about where their favorite stars are from, so the success of K-pop surely helps spread out Korean culture.
Example 2
I don’t think K-pop equals Korean culture. They just imitate songs and dances from western pop groups. The entertainment companies pick young children and train them to be mannequins on the stage from early age. I feel bad for them. They are just considered products of the companies which produce them.
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