From Korea With Love

The Hawaii K-Drama Fan Club not only visited Korea to tour the Korean drama film locations, but is bringing some its favorite Korean drama stars to the Islands this weekend to participate in charity events

the girls and their wives, and very romantic.”

Muramoto says Korean actor Bae Young Joon captivated her heart in Winter Sonata “because he’s so handsome, charismatic, and when he acts, he’s very emotional - he cries a lot in the drama, and the chemistry between him and his co-star made it better.”

While most fans are middle-aged women, men are just as enthusiastic.

“My favorite Korean drama is Winter Sonata . It is the drama that really sparked the whole Korean pop culture and Korean drama craze in the world,” says Jeff Chung. The 38 year-old Korean American is general manager of KBFD. He says when Winter Sonata aired in 2002, audiences really responded in Japan and Hawaii. Since then, the station’s revenues have increased 30 percent.

Another mini-series, called Dae Jang Geum , also known as Jewel in the Palace, soon followed, and has become the biggest hit globally, especially in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to Jun Yoo, a Korean history professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The historical drama is based on a true story. The heroine, a poor orphan, beats the odds to become the king’s first female physician. It’s also Yoo’s favorite drama.

“For those who don’t know the Chosun period (16th century), it was a very patriarchal society,” says Yoo. “To see a woman deal with all kinds of tribulations and overcome them is extremely empowering, but also entertaining.”

Long overshadowed historically by China and Japan, South Korea is now inspiring the pop culture trends. Yoo also credits the popularity of Korean dramas for improving relations between Korea and Japan, which colonized Korea for 35 years.

“The dramas have gotten the Japanese population to look at Korea in a different light, and they’re beginning to somehow grapple with their past,” explains Yoo.

Meanwhile, the Korean Wave has been an economic boom for South Korea. It’s cultural exports of TV dramas, film and music are raking in millions of dollars and drawing thousands of tourists to the country.

Last month, 54 members of The Hawaii K-Drama Fan Club (out of 90 people from the Islands) went on their first official “Meet the Stars” tour to South Korea. They visited the film sites of eight Korean dramas, including Dae Jang Geum, Summer Scent and Emperor of the Sea, as well as Korean film studios and the Korean Broadcasting System. For them, the highlight was meeting the stars, including some of the actors they’ll be bringing to Honolulu this week.

Here at home, some fans are so addicted to Korean dramas, they’re staying up in marathon sessions to watch them on DVDs. Since The Mountain Apple Company began distributing Korean drama DVDs with English subtitles in August, its sales in Hawaii and on the Mainland continue to grow.

“It’s taken off like wildfire with every ethnic group - the Japanese, Caucasians, Hawaiians, Filipinos are picking it up. And on the U.S. mainland, the Latin community has really picked it up,” says Leah Bernstein, company president.

“The women are beautiful, but in a very wholesome way. It’s not like they’re sexy Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. They’re basically everyday women, but they’re just gorgeous,” says Bernstein, who’s seen folks become mesmerized by the dramas and their morals.

“The story has a beginning, it has an end. It has a point. And people are really gravitating toward it. It’s almost going back to the ‘60s television mentality of Leave It to Beaver - it makes you feel good.”

On location in South Korea

And that’s the whole idea behind the Korean Wave events taking place this week - to share a passion for all things Korean, and also generate good feelings between Hawaii and South Korea.

“We have a lot of Aloha for the K-Drama stars,” says Nakamura, “and by showing how devoted Hawaii fans are, organizers hope more Korean celebrities will come here in the future.”

HALLYU SHOOTING STARS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Two charity events called “Hallyu (Korean Wave) Shooting Stars” are planned to welcome 20 Korean actors and entertainers to Hawaii. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii.

* Banquet dinner at the Ala Moana Hotel Friday, May 26, 6-10 p.m.

It will also feature an auction and entertainment by Henry Kapono (his sister is a member of the fan club)

Pamela Young of KITV will host the event.

Tickets: $75

* Korean Celebrity Charity Basketball Game Stan Sheriff Center, Saturday, May 27, 6:30-10 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

Tickets: $10 for students, $20 for adults The Phoenix (K-Drama Stars) Team will take on local players, including Hawaii’s former women collegiate players and high school players and Korean Youth.

City and state leaders are also taking part in the action on the court. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann will challenge Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona in a 3-point shoot-out.

The evening will feature a halftime show with Korean pop stars Chae Yeon, Kim Min Jong and Son Ji Chang.

Hawaii K-Drama Fan Club, Beauty Touch LLC and the UPS store at Makaloa are sponsoring the events.

They’re also looking for sponsors and donations to help defray the costs.

For information, contact David Lim at 228-6500, 943-1183.

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