Actor Park Min-young / Courtesy of Hook Leisure
Chae Jong-hyeop ‘reimported’ from Japan, a twist in Korean Wave
By KTimes
In Vietnam, a key hub of the “hallyu” or the Korean wave in Southeast Asia, actor Park Min-young stands out as probably the most beloved Korean celeb, surpassing even stars like Han So-hee and Cha Eun-woo in reputation.
Park, who debuted within the 2000s, has been voted the preferred lady Korean actor in Vietnam. This was revealed in a survey performed by the Vietnam workplace of the Korea Inventive Content material Company, which surveyed 1,070 native residents between April and Might this 12 months to gauge the present traits of the Korean wave in Vietnam.
In accordance with the 2024 Vietnam Hallyu Pattern Change Survey, revealed lately, 47.3 % of respondents chosen Park Min-young as their favourite Korean actor.
The TV collection “Marry My Husband,” during which she starred, has been recognized as the principle driver of her reputation. Within the drama, which aired earlier this 12 months, her character discovers her husband’s affair, dies after which travels again to her personal physique 10 years earlier, in search of revenge.
The sensational and provocative mixture of melodrama and fantasy on this “Ok-makjang” (over-the-top, excessive and infrequently unrealistic cleaning soap opera) storyline has not solely enthralled viewers however has additionally made Park a hallyu star in Vietnam.
Park Min-young, left, and Na In-woo within the drama “Marry My Husband” / Courtesy of tvN
Na In-woo, who co-starred with Park within the drama, has additionally risen to fourth place (28.1 %) amongst widespread Korean male actors in Vietnam. This marks a brand new pattern, contemplating that earlier hallyu stars like Kim Soo-hyun from “My Love from the Star” (2013) and Lee Min-ho from “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) rose to fame by romantic youth dramas.
“Marry My Husband” was ranked because the third hottest Korean drama in Vietnam, following “Squid Recreation” (2021) on Netflix.
Nevertheless, an sudden reality has come to gentle: “Marry My Husband” has by no means been formally broadcast on Vietnamese TV or any on-line streaming providers accessible in Vietnam.
This means that many viewers in Vietnam watched the drama by unofficial channels, highlighting the highly effective attraction of “Ok-makjang” tales, which have compelled audiences to make use of pirate web sites to look at the present.
Actor Chae Jong-hyeop / Courtesy of IOK Firm
Rebirth of ‘archived dramas’
The evolving dynamics of hallyu abroad are evident in circumstances like Park and Na.
Not too long ago, a brand new sort of hallyu actor has emerged, gaining main consideration overseas earlier than being belatedly “re-imported” again to Korea. One such instance is Chae Jong-hyeop.
In June, he held 4 fan conferences in Japan, together with on the Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, attracting a complete of round 30,000 attendees.
This marked his first fan assembly each domestically and internationally since he started his appearing profession with the drama “Range League” in 2019.
It’s fairly uncommon for an actor who isn’t a distinguished Ok-pop idol or extremely acknowledged in Korea to carry an occasion of this scale in Japan.
His reputation in Japan soared following the March broadcast of the drama “I Love You,” during which he starred, on Japan’s TBS community. Following its launch in Japan, Chae’s Instagram followers skyrocketed from round 1 million to over 2.6 million.
The sudden rise of Chae as a hallyu star in Japan additionally led to a change within the Korean broadcasting schedule. TvN aired the drama “Serendipity’s Embrace” starring Chae in July and August this 12 months.
In accordance with sources, this drama had accomplished filming early final 12 months however had been shelved and neglected, unable to discover a spot on TV or OTT platforms till earlier this 12 months.
An official from a drama manufacturing firm, acquainted with broadcast scheduling, stated, “After Chae Jong-hyeop emerged as a brand new star in Japan with ‘I Love You,’ tvN immediately determined to air ‘Serendipity’s Embrace.'”
Chae Jong-hyeop performs at a fan assembly held in Japan final June / Courtesy of IOK Firm
Korea in Indonesian non secular movie
As hallyu continues to evolve organically in abroad markets, additionally it is reshaping content material itself. In Indonesia, a religious-themed film set in Korea is about to premiere in October.
The storyline includes a girl who goes to Korea for her research. The film’s trailer, lately launched on YouTube, exhibits the protagonist in a hijab strolling by Korean subway stations and the streets of Seoul’s Myeongdong buying space.
Bae Dong-sun, an Indonesian correspondent for the Korea Basis for Worldwide Cultural Change, stated, “This shift displays how hallyu has penetrated even non secular life in Indonesia.”
As such, the Korean Wave is more and more turning into a neighborhood phenomenon, influencing every part from widespread tradition to non secular narratives in numerous nations.
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Instances, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Instances.
