このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
シンガポールを襲ったKポップ
最近シンガポールではKカルチャーがブームです。Kカルチャーとは、韓国文化のこと。日本でも韓国映画『シュリ』や『JSA』が大ヒットし、韓国出身の女性歌手 BoA がチャートで1位になるなど、韓国のポップカルチャーが脚光を浴びていますが、シンガポールでも同じような現象が起きています。
K-culture takes Singapore by storm
A new wave of K-culture is fast converting young people in Singapore into devoted fans of all things Korean, ranging from music, movies and television to football and food. The craze for Korean popular culture is unprecedented in its scope and size. The popularity of this phenomenal K-culture may be attributed to the recent World Cup 2002.
K-culture is hip and kimchi-hot in trend-crazy Singapore. It is fast replacing J-culture, or Japanese popular culture, which has loomed over the island for quite a while. Some years ago, people would be baffled if asked what they knew of Korean imports, and most often they would reel off brands like Samsung, Hyundai and LG. Fast forward to the present, and they will now pop names of K-pop band Shinhwa and Korean star footballer Ahn Jung Hwan.
Colin Young, a veteran journalist said, "Culture is like water. It flows from stronger ones to weaker ones. People idolize countries that are wealthier, freer and more advanced, and in Asia, that country, which used to be Japan, is now Korea. Geographically and culturally we are closer to Korea and Japan than to the United States and Europe, so it is natural that Korean products would be a hit here. Take for instance Korean and Japanese fashion, they fit us better than American and European styles."
K-dramas seem to be spearheading the K-culture movement with Korean soap dramas like "Autumn In My Heart," "All About Eve" and "Friends" taking the main prime-time slots on national television channels. Explaining their appeal, Lee Soo Hui, 30, vice president of programming at a local television network reveals, "Generally, Korean dramas have very high production qualities, good cinematography and story lines. They are also very relevant to Asian viewers, in terms of the appearance of the artists."
Elaine Chua, a 20-year-old undergraduate, who is a Korean drama fan, says, "'Autumn In My Heart' really made me cry very hard, and it also made me start to notice actors like Won Bin. I like Korean movies too. They touch on political issues like the North and South Korea divide, like in 'Joint Security Area'."
"Joint Security Area" and other blockbuster Korean movies like "Shiri," "My Wife Is A Gangster" and "My Sassy Girl," made waves at the box office last year with each raking in respectable box-office takings. In particular, "Shiri" achieved a highly successful box-office result of Singapore $293,000 (¥19.6 million) in just two weeks. Such is the popularity of Korean dramas and movies that there is a huge demand for bootleg VCD copies of them, especially among many teenagers and young adults.
K-pop acts and singing sensations like Shinhwa and BoA are all the rage. Multi-talented BoA is a gorgeous singer proficient in English and Japanese. She displays her versatility, fusing urban R&B and pop in her second album, which includes three tracks in English.
However, for animation imports, Japan-born Pokemon still reigns in popularity over Korean animated figure Mashi Maro. The Pokemon craze is not waning because of its sheer diversity of characters and creative marketing approach, which have captured the hearts of many young children.
Singaporeans, known for their hot, spicy tastes, have also gradually developed a big appetite for Korean cuisine. They believe that Korean food is healthy and invigorating as well as tasty.
Mary Lim, a businesswoman in her 40s, said, "I like the taste of Korean ginseng chicken soup and some other popular Korean dishes like radish root kimchi, which are usually very low in calories, being made of various vegetables."
Kimchi, high in vitamin C, is only one of the many spicy dishes in a cuisine seasoned with red pepper, green onions, soy sauce, bean paste, garlic, ginger, sesame, mustard, vinegar and wine. During the World Cup fervor, fast-food giant McDonald's offered hamburgers served in a Korean style sauce. The mania for Korean cuisine has made Korean restaurants among the most popular.
A former Japanese food outlet near my office has started to serve Korean cuisine and stopped serving Japanese food. There is now a push cart selling Korean food and snacks that appears near my workplace. More supermarkets have Korean food products section as well.
Even though South Korea did not make it into the World Cup final, K-culture is definitely here to stay till the next tsunami wave of change in trends hits the shores of Singapore.
Shukan ST: July 28, 2002
(C) All rights reserved
- 〜 takes 〜 by storm
- 〜が〜を襲う
- (is)converting 〜 into 〜
- 〜を〜に変えている
- devoted
- 熱心な
- craze
- 熱狂
- unprecedented
- 前例のない
- scope
- 範囲
- phenomenal
- 驚異的な
- may be attributed to 〜
- 〜のおかげかもしれない
- hip
- かっこいい
- kimchi-hot
- キムチのようにホットな
- trend-crazy
- 流行に飛びつく
- is fast replacing 〜
- 急速に〜に取って代わっている
- has loomed over 〜
- 〜にぼんやり現れていた
- be baffled
- 困惑する
- reel off
- 並べ立てる
- Samsung, Hyundai and LG
- 韓国の大財閥、三星(サムソン)、現代(ヒュンダイ)、エルジー
- Fast forward
- 早送りする
- pop
- 口にする
- Shinhwa
- 6人組アイドルグループ「神話」
- Ahn Jung Hwan
- 安貞桓(アン・ジョンファン)
- idolize
- 崇拝する
- Geographically
- 地理的に
- Take for instance 〜
- 〜を例にとってみると
- spearheading
- 先頭に立つ
- "Autumn In My Heart"
- 恋愛ドラマ「秋の童話」
- "All About Eve"
- 女子アナのドラマ「イブのすべて」
- "Friends"
- 日韓共作ドラマ
- prime-time slots
- ゴールデンタイムの枠
- programming
- 番組編成
- cinematography
- 撮影技術
- story lines
- 筋
- relevant
- 関連性がある
- in terms of 〜
- 〜において
- undergraduate
- 大学生
- Won Bin
- 韓国人俳優ウォンビン
- 'Joint Security Area'
- 韓国映画『JSA』。Joint Security Area は共同警備区地区、板門店のこと
- blockbuster
- 大ヒットの
- "Shiri"
- アクション映画『シュリ』。舞台は板門店
- "My Wife Is A Gangster"
- アクションコメディー『妻は極道』
- "My Sassy Girl"
- コメディー『猟奇的な彼女』。Sassy は「生意気な」の意
- made waves at the box office
- 大ヒットした
- respectable
- かなりの
- bootleg
- 海賊版の
- 〜 acts
- 〜の歌手
- are all the rage
- すごい人気だ
- gorgeous
- かっこいい
- versatility
- 多才さ
- fusing 〜
- 〜を合わせて
- reigns in popularity over 〜
- 〜より人気がある
- Mashi Maro
- マシュマロのように白くふわふわしたウサギのようなキャラクターのアニメ
- is not waning
- 弱まっていない
- sheer diversity
- 豊富な種類
- tastes
- 味の好み
- (have)developed a big appetite for 〜
- 〜に対する食欲を募らせている
- cuisine
- 料理
- invigorating
- 元気にさせる
- Korean ginseng
- チョウセンニンジン
- radish root kimchi
- カクキムチ
- seasoned with 〜
- 〜で味付けした
- bean paste
- みそ
- 〜 fervor
- 〜熱
- did not make it into 〜
- 〜にいけなかった