Singapore Sling K-culture takes Singapore by storm By Rennie Loh	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
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。

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

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