Half a day by plane from Korea, New Zealand is an island nation populated by only some four and a half million people. Nonetheless, here, too, Korean pop has been recently growing in popularity. The May 24 edition of the Sunday Star-Times published a special edition titled "How Korean Cool Took Over and Why We Love It" to spotlight the cultural phenomenon that's currently taking the nation by storm.
Inside was an article titled "The Kiwis Riding the K-Pop Music Wave" written by reporter Michelle Duff. It featured an in-depth look into the background of the popularity and appeal of Korean pop music that is riding an ever-growing wave of popularity around the globe.
The article starts with a vivid description of a recent song and dance audition held in New Zealand hosted by JYP Entertainment, one of Korea's larger talent agencies. It shows the picture of a number of candidates between the ages of 10 and 24 going through every dance move they know in two minutes: singing, dancing, rapping. There is one young woman who, "clamps her hands between her knees to keep them from shaking," ahead of her turn on stage, and one young man travelled all the way from Melbourne, Australia, along with his dad, who was working on his laptop beside him.
This is the second JYP audition to take place in three years. One of the managers is reported as saying that, "During the first audition, the majority were Asian, but this has diversified, so we're getting kids from all different cultures and backgrounds."
In the article, Duff explained that, "A few years ago, the majority of New Zealanders hadn't even heard of it [K-Pop], but then came goofy South Korean singer Psy." The song "Gangnam Style" and his signature dance move were an international success. The growing popularity of Korean pop culture -- broadly translated as "Hallyu" or, "The Korean Wave" -- covers not only music, but television soap operas, film, video games and fashion, among others. Duff said it is, "growing fast, with millions of converts across the globe, from China to Latin America to Australia and beyond. New Zealand is no exception."
Like elsewhere around the world, the influence of Korean pop is most prominent among youth. The Auckland dance troupe ACE, the runner-up in last year's K-Pop World Festival, and Auckland University's K-Pop Planet, among others, are two of the most prominent groups, according to the article. Some 160 members of K-Pop Planet, "meet and play games based on Korean variety TV shows, organize K-Pop nights," and also travel to neighboring nations to see Korean pop group concerts. Some of them give the general public dance lessons, too, the article said.
Behind the popularity of Korean mass media and pop culture, the magazine said, are the many wise and appropriate investments made by the Korean central government. The nation, with a population of about 50 million, has enhanced its national image by, "heavily investing in the broadband infrastructure, technology and entertainment industries," it said. This created the right environment in which pop culture could grow. "In 2012, Korea's pop culture revenue was $4.8 billion," it reported.
The article also said that such vibrant cultural exchanges based on pop culture have had a positive impact on the bilateral relationship between Korea and New Zealand. There has been a 40 percent spike in the number of students enrolled in Korean language classes at the University of Auckland compared to past years, it said. It also quoted Andrea Smith, New Zealand's deputy secretary of foreign affairs and trade, as saying that, "Korean food and music, both traditional and modern, are becoming well-known in New Zealand... the 'Korean Wave' is now becoming part of the Kiwi lifestyle."
Finally, the magazine gave rosy prospects toward the bilateral relationship, as the two countries signed their first ever free trade agreement earlier this year in March.
The original article can be found at the link:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/68734424/the-kiwis-riding-the-kpop-music-wave
By Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writer
slee27@korea.kr
Inside was an article titled "The Kiwis Riding the K-Pop Music Wave" written by reporter Michelle Duff. It featured an in-depth look into the background of the popularity and appeal of Korean pop music that is riding an ever-growing wave of popularity around the globe.
The May 24 edition of New Zealand's Sunday Star-Times magazine talks about the popularity of Korean pop, TV and fashion.
The article starts with a vivid description of a recent song and dance audition held in New Zealand hosted by JYP Entertainment, one of Korea's larger talent agencies. It shows the picture of a number of candidates between the ages of 10 and 24 going through every dance move they know in two minutes: singing, dancing, rapping. There is one young woman who, "clamps her hands between her knees to keep them from shaking," ahead of her turn on stage, and one young man travelled all the way from Melbourne, Australia, along with his dad, who was working on his laptop beside him.
This is the second JYP audition to take place in three years. One of the managers is reported as saying that, "During the first audition, the majority were Asian, but this has diversified, so we're getting kids from all different cultures and backgrounds."
In the article, Duff explained that, "A few years ago, the majority of New Zealanders hadn't even heard of it [K-Pop], but then came goofy South Korean singer Psy." The song "Gangnam Style" and his signature dance move were an international success. The growing popularity of Korean pop culture -- broadly translated as "Hallyu" or, "The Korean Wave" -- covers not only music, but television soap operas, film, video games and fashion, among others. Duff said it is, "growing fast, with millions of converts across the globe, from China to Latin America to Australia and beyond. New Zealand is no exception."
The May 24 edition of the Sunday Star-Times gives a vivid picture of hopeful pop stars in training who attended a recent audition.
Like elsewhere around the world, the influence of Korean pop is most prominent among youth. The Auckland dance troupe ACE, the runner-up in last year's K-Pop World Festival, and Auckland University's K-Pop Planet, among others, are two of the most prominent groups, according to the article. Some 160 members of K-Pop Planet, "meet and play games based on Korean variety TV shows, organize K-Pop nights," and also travel to neighboring nations to see Korean pop group concerts. Some of them give the general public dance lessons, too, the article said.
Behind the popularity of Korean mass media and pop culture, the magazine said, are the many wise and appropriate investments made by the Korean central government. The nation, with a population of about 50 million, has enhanced its national image by, "heavily investing in the broadband infrastructure, technology and entertainment industries," it said. This created the right environment in which pop culture could grow. "In 2012, Korea's pop culture revenue was $4.8 billion," it reported.
The article also said that such vibrant cultural exchanges based on pop culture have had a positive impact on the bilateral relationship between Korea and New Zealand. There has been a 40 percent spike in the number of students enrolled in Korean language classes at the University of Auckland compared to past years, it said. It also quoted Andrea Smith, New Zealand's deputy secretary of foreign affairs and trade, as saying that, "Korean food and music, both traditional and modern, are becoming well-known in New Zealand... the 'Korean Wave' is now becoming part of the Kiwi lifestyle."
Finally, the magazine gave rosy prospects toward the bilateral relationship, as the two countries signed their first ever free trade agreement earlier this year in March.
The original article can be found at the link:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/68734424/the-kiwis-riding-the-kpop-music-wave
By Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writer
slee27@korea.kr
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