Hometown Cha Cha Cha: Hallyu’s ‘soft power’

Hometown Cha Cha Cha, the Korean drama series on romance that bloomed between a big city-bred dentist and a local village chief, has been topping the audience-share charts leading toward its season-ending episodes this weekend. In the Philippines, it was the number one show on Netflix last week, edging out Squid Game that was the top-rated show worldwide since October to date.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha features the simple and happy life of a seaside community called Gongjin where residents frequently drop in on each other’s homes, share food, and help each other overcome day-to-day difficulties.

Nielsen Korea reports, too, that Hometown Cha Cha Cha is rated number one in Korea. Crowds of fans have flocked to the coastal city of Pohang in North Gyeongsang province, venue of Gongjin, the fictional village where the characters reside. It is 272 kilometers away, or nearly a four-hour drive from Seoul.

Last month, the sensational K-Pop band BTS (for Bangtang Boys) delivered “a United Nations speech that got attention like few others — a plug for vaccines, young people and the Earth’s well-being.” South Korean President Moon Jae-in designated them as special ambassadors for future generations and culture. Their appearance generated a global audience of more than one million, thereby serving as a powerful megaphone for promoting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, including ending poverty, preserving the planet and achieving gender equality.

In 2012, Psy’s video for Gangnam Style went viral, and became the first YouTube video to record more than a billion views. YouTube has since propelled the international popularity of K-pop bypassing traditional channels such as radio stations where disc jockeys have been averse to playing foreign-language tunes.

See more at: https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/14/hometown-cha-cha-cha-hallyus-soft-power/