Is there a Japanese backlash against the Hallyu wave?

It’s no secret that as of late, Korean entertainment companies have been setting their sites on the greater pool of fame and fortune laying a short plane ride away, in the island nation of Japan. Idol group after idol group has either debuted or been slated for a Japanese release. The dramas and the television programs follow. The reasons behind it are not difficult to see.  Japan has a far larger music industry than Korea. Being a small fry in the Japanese industry will still rake in far more profit than being a small fry in the Korean industry. However, as of late, it’s becoming quite evident that not all Japanese are welcoming of the “Hallyu Wave”.  Protests have jumped from the bowels of the internet to fronts of television network buildings.

 According to Japanese Internet news outlets such as J-CAST, roughly 6,000 people gathered outside Fuji Television Network to protest what they believed was too much time allotted to “Korean Wave” content on TV.

 “We do not want to watch Korean TV dramas,” protesters chanted, adding that Fuji TV should not force people to watch programs they did not want to see.

 They added that the Japanese people desired more homegrown programs on TV.

These protests come on the heels of the controversy surrounding the firing of Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka from his agency, after he made some negative remarks concerning the recent flood of Korean entertainment into Japan. This kind of conflict is not surprising, given the history between Korea and Japan. But it leaves the question: are Japanese netizens being irrational in their negative reaction to the Hallyu Wave? And what can be done to minimize backlash?

The first, rather obvious point that people will make is that despite all the negative attention, Korean music seems to be selling quite well anyway, with recent acts such as SNSD and Kara topping Japanese pop charts. Kara has been gathering a significant fan base inJapan, and does seem to be growing genuinely popular, but this does not hold true for the vast majority of other K-pop groups. The majority of the imported groups sell very well, but hold little consequence in the mainstream because they have an extremely small, loyal niche of K-pop fans that buy up physical albums. These fans are not reflective of the average casual listener; they are like other overseas Korean idol fans. They are devoted, but exist outside of the mainstream trend.

Once the fact that Korean groups are, on average, not enjoying runaway success is established, it leaves the question: why does the Japanese public tend not to like K-entertainment? It’s tempting to say that it boils down to a matter of historical tension and nothing more, but that fails to dig deep enough. There is a pervasive assumption that Korean groups are only gaining airtime because powerful Korean zainichi executives are cutting deals within the Japanese industry to give them the spotlight, thereby shutting out native music groups. Given the number of zainichi executives giving rookie K-groups ample, easy opportunity to promote in the industry, it is a hard accusation to refute. Add this to the recent economic crisis caused by the earthquake and tsunami and a stew of general bitter feelings is created. It may be that if K-pop idols gave the impression of working hard to achieve their fame, then some of these problems might have been overlooked by the public. However, when very few groups even bother to learn Japanese, let alone record original songs or promote properly, it makes the fact that the attempts to break through are nothing more than a grab for money even more obvious.

There is no easy fix for this situation. There are extremely racist Japanese netizens, determined to never give a Korean group the time of day, as there are xenophobic Korean entertainment executives who want the money but cannot quite conceal their distaste regarding Japan. However, if more groups took the route that DBSK took, and worked from the bottom up rather than taking advantage of cheap media grabs, then it would go a long way towards improving things. Do you think that the system for debuting groups in Japan should be changed? Do you think that any groups will achieve a greater level of success within the current system?

Source: (The Korea Herald)
Credit: Seoulbeats
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110822 Questions remain over young K-pop idols’ conditions

Sexual overtones, lack of diversity among challenges to overcome

Since the Korean pop music idol group’ concerts in June in Paris, the K-pop industry is leading a second Korean Wave around the globe. This is the last installment of the two-part series of articles looks at the bright and dark sides of K-pop, respectively. ― Ed.

The K-pop boom and the popularity of Korean idols are often attributed to Korean entertainment agencies’ tough training that nurtures talented aspirants and turns them into global idol stars.

However, what one person might see as “passion and devotion” for practicing singing and dancing for long hours every day can be viewed by another as “exploitation” of young aspirants by management agencies.

Girl group KARA, who were once embroiled in a dispute with their management agency over a contract, performs at the 2011 Korean Music Wave Festival at the Incheon Munhak Stadium on Aug. 13. (Incheon Tourism Organization)

 

As more K-pop idol groups perform overseas and become exposed to the international entertainment business, hidden sides of the K-pop in terms of harsh labor conditions will surface, one critic said.

“When they (Korean idols) go overseas, the first thing they will see is the different perspectives on their work. Those considered as a typical practices in Korea are not really typical practices overseas. If your contract says you’ll work only eight hours a day, you don’t work longer than that overseas,” pop music critic Cha Woo-jin said.

“In Korea, part-timers in the entertainment industry work as if they were ‘volunteering.’ They often travel to remote areas and stay the night frequently without extra pay. But in advanced countries, employers’ contracts with part-timers are strictly adhered to. Otherwise, employers can be sued and fined.”

The tight performance schedule of Girls’ Generation in June led many fans of the girl group and Internet users to wonder how the group managed to cope.

According to the official schedule disclosed on the group’s website, Girls’ Generation’s concerts and entertainment activities were as follows: “MJ presents special” on June 8; “Samsung Taiwan Anniversary” on June 9; “SM Town in Paris” on June 10-11; “NHK Music Japan” on June 12; a five-day break; “Japan Arena Tour” in Tokyo on June 17-18; “MTV VMAJ Fan Meeting” in Chiba on June 25 and another “Japan Arena Tour” in Tokyo on June 28-29. The nine members of the girl group have not complained about the schedule, though.

The tight schedule for performances and events was the major cause for former TVXQ members taking legal action against S.M. Entertainment. Junsu, Yuchun and Jejung ― who later split off to form JYJ ― had claimed in a 2009 lawsuit that they were forced to perform too many shows under an excessively long 13-year contract.

An entertainment industry insider, however, asked why people think training an athlete and training a singer are different.

“Korean people don’t raise issues with tough training and long workout hours of a national sports star striving for a gold medal. Why can’t K-pop stars be regarded as the same?” said an industry insider who requested anonymity.

“The hard and tough training system is the driving force of the K-pop boom.”

Sexualizing K-pop teens is another frequently raised issue.

Kim Su-a said in her book “Idol: Culture Report on Idols from H.O.T. to Girls’ Generation,” that Korean male fans of girl groups call themselves “samchon fan” (uncle fan) to justify sexualizing teen idols.

“Setting a family-like relationship with the idols effectively blocks criticism that they love them because they want to actually touch and hold them,” the writer said.

Will Cote, a 28-year-old lecturer at Sungkyul University, raised issues with what the expatriate called the “superficial appearances and robotic dances” of the K-pop idol groups.

“Why I’m not interested in K-pop? I don’t like the sexual overtones in it. I don’t like the dancing,” Cote said.

“To me, it sounds all the same and pretty superficial.”

He added that K-pop bands seemed to have been created by entertainment agencies to make money and that they only appeal to teenage groups.

“I’d rather call trot music more Korean. It’s old-fashioned but I like music to have deeper meanings to it,” he said.

Lack of diversity in terms of musical genre is another challenge that K-pop needs to overcome, experts say. When people refer to K-pop, the music of indie bands, folk singers and rock groups is still excluded from the discussion.

Although there were some bands holding a showcase in Japan or in Southeast Asia recently, the proportion of such rock bands is only a fraction of K-pop idol groups who have a strong impact and presence in the global market.

On the Gaon Chart, the national Korean pop chart, almost half of the top 100 songs in July were by idol groups. The rest were either cover versions featured in the MBC reality show “I Am a Singer” or songs co-produced by hosts of the MBC program “Infinite Challenge.”

In terms of indie or rock music, only three songs by indie band 10 cm were on the list but that was because the group was featured in the MBC program “Infinite Challenge.”

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldm.com)

credit: koreaherald
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110823 Japanese Weekly Magazine : “Korean Stars Go To Japan For Money”

The hallyu wave has swept the Asian regions, and in the neighbouring Japan, there are some that are pro-hallyu, and those that are anti-hallyu. The Japanese weekly magazine “Flash” published an article stating that the South Korean stars were simply in Japan for the money, and also revealed the appearance fees of several “big players.”

According to Chosun Ilbo’s report today, Flash Weekly’s latest article pointed out that “It’s not just Fuji TV, but all the Japanese TV stations have become “Korean TV stations.” Korean stars are not coming because of their love for Japan, but for the money.”

The magazine used South Korean girl group Kara as an example, saying that in Korea, where illegal downloading is rampant, it would be a feat just to sell 100,000 copies of an album, but they managed to sell a shocking 500,000 copies in Japan, proving that they were (in Japan) for the money that could not have been earned in their own country.

For male group JYJ, the trio’s total guaranteed revenue is approximately 2 million yen for a performance in Korea, but when in Japan this sum becomes 20 million yen.

Flash Weekly also revealed a chart with the net worth of various South Korean artists.

This chart shows that the artist commanding the highest advertising fee is Jang Guen Suk. Early this year, Jang Geun Suk’s appearance fee was 40 million yen, but as his alcohol advertisements did well, his current value has “risen” to 90 million yen.

Also, the appearance fees for Kara and SNSD were 40 million yen and 30 million yen respectively at the start of the year, but both groups now command 50 million yen.

However, the value for male group TVXQ fell from 60 million yen at the start of the year, but still commands a value of 40 million yen. Male stars Bae Yong Jun and Lee Byun Hun command 50 million yen and above.

Source : [cna.com.tw]
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110726 New Topic In Kpop : Overcome Three Main Barriers

Currently, K-pop has broken past the first barrier. That is to say, they have already established the value of their existence. However, this is just the beginning. To globalize K-pop, there are three main issues they need to overcome.

Break away from “Idol Stars”

The first generation of Hallyu was led by actors. Korean dramas were pushed forward in large numbers, with Bae Yong Jun, Lee Byung Hyun, Song Seung Hun, Kwong Sang-Woo and other actors becoming popular as Hallyu idols. However, due to extensive “blank periods” and poor management, the hallyu wave that was led by actors became stagnant.

During this time, the idol stars seized the opportunity and took over this space. Led by TVXQ, and now SNSD, Kara etc, a large volume of girl groups have been gaining the attention of overseas markets. They spearhead the Korean Idol culture, and have broken the geographic barriers between countries.

However, this trend is starting to be a little overdone, and has established the stereotype that “Hallyu = Idol stars.” Aside from music, even dramas such as “Playful Kiss” and “You’re Beautiful” star members from idol groups. To ensure that Hallyu wave can make better progress, aside from appealing to the younger age groups with idol groups, we urgently need to grasp and establish ourselves in a broader age categories and a variety of Hallyu elements. A person related to one of the idol groups said, “We need to discover new hallyu stars, to appeal to the overseas fans who do not like idol groups. If we can give them a stage (opportunity,) then the hallyu wave will be able to progress further.

Break Away From The Japanese Market

Japan, which is located next to Korea is one of the biggest appreciators of the Hallyu culture. From another angle, you can say that it was the Japanese fans’ support that have helped the hallyu stars to grow. Aside from Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and various Asian regions have seen a rise in popularity for Hallyu stars. However the truth is, a majority of the hallyu stars are over-reliant on the Japanese market’s support.

With TVXQ, Big Bang, SNSD, Kara and others, recently everyone is trying to break into the Japanese market. They are very sensitive towards the Oricon rankings. The strange thing is that, compared to the current lack of emphasis on song ranking programs in the Korean market, Korean singers are more sensitive to the ranking charts in Japan. This shows that they are using this (Oricon rankings) as a measure of their popularity in Japan.

Aside from Japan, starting from the time of H.O.T., Hallyu stars have been enjoying great popularity in China. However, the issue is that the public is only focused on a specific few stars. Although Super Junior, Rain, SNSD and other are very popular, but China, unlike Japan, is still unable to allow more groups and singers to actively promote there.

And under such circumstances, the group JYJ released their first English album “The Beginning” in October last year, and was judged as “daring to try something new.” JYJ joined hands with famous American producers Kanye West and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, and using the new group name “JYJ” released their first album produced in English. This album bears the significance of “starting their journey towards the world stage.” The three members, who have dominated the Japanese and Asian markets, have set their sights on the global market, and can be regarded as leaders in “breaking away from Japan.”

Someone in the music industry said, “When you analyze the structure of the Chinese market, it’s not hard to know that they are more appealing than the Japanese market. But so far, the progress of singers has not been as smooth as in Japan. Aside from that, they should also be looking at Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan etc, and create more roadways for the Hallyu wave.”

Break Away from Stereotypes!

The first pioneers of the hallyu wave were dramas. “Jewel in the Palace,” “Winter Sonata” made it big, and big stars like Bae Young Jun and Lee Young-Ae were born. Recently, due to “You’re Beautiful,” Jang Geun Suk has become the new hallyu star, but compared to the time of “Winter Sonata,” the power of dramas in the hallyu wave has been considerably diminished.

And the space left by the dramas was filled by K-pop. The hallyu market which was dominated by male idols has now hit a turning point led by SNSD and Kara. K-pop can be considered as the successor to J-pop, which has captured the Asian music market.

On the other hand, the power of the hallyu wave at Chungmuro (T/N: refers to the film industry – Chungmuro is the street in Korea that is famous for culture & film) has become plain. Actors who have become hallyu stars through their dramas also boosts the popularity of the movies they are featured in, but using popularity to break into the Japanese film industry is not enough, a situation where “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Someone related to sales in the hallyu market said, “Korean movies have been promoted in various overseas markets, but the effect is not strong enough to be considered part of the hallyu wave. Unlike television dramas which can be watched on public broadcast, movies require an entrance fee, so the visibility among the masses is lower.”

If we want to the multi-faceted Korean culture to be embraced in all fields, not just for dramas and music, we need to promote our movies, games and food as well as other areas, and introduce more variety.

Source : [Jrw8008 + Hankooki]
Translated & Shared by : dongbangdata.net

110710 TVXQ, JYJ, KARA and SNSD among artists in Top 10 of Twipple rankings

In the half year rankings for 2011 recently posted by Twipple on their homepage, Korean artists took six spots in the Top 10. Ranking highest was JYJ’s Jaejoong, coming in at #2 with 834,390 tweets, behind Japanese girl group AKB48. KARA made the list at #4 with 633,540 tweets. At #5 was TVXQ with 573,690 tweets. The 7th through 9th spots were all taken by Korean artists as well. At #7 was Girls’ Generation with 490,220 tweets, while #8 and 9 were taken by JYJ’s Yoochun (483,040 tweets) and Junsu (404,790 tweets).

Twipple is the Japanese version of Twitter and trending topics are usually Japanese-based. Twipple and Twitter can be synced so that what is being tweeted on Twipple can show up on Twitter and vice-versa.

Source: Twipple+Koreaboo

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