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| yna@yna.co.kr 2022-12-16 09:31:37
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- 2022 was a year that confirmed that K-culture, such as Korean dramas, movies, and songs, has become a mainstream leading the global pop culture trend, not just an one thing issue.
The Netflix series "Squid Game" won the Emmy Award, the most prestigious award in the U.S. broadcasting industry that non-English works could dare dream of receving an award, and at the Cannes Film Festival, director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho won two accolades.
BTS members led the popularity of K-pop doing solo activities, and BLACKPINK and Stray Kids also reached topped Billboard chart, showing off K-pop popularity.
◇ K-dramas overcoming 'Language Barrier'...Using Woo Young-woo's IP to expand the business
The Korean film won two accolades at the Cannes Film Festival in May, receiving the highest honor in more than 100 years of history.
Director Park Chan-wook of movie "Decided to Leave" won the director's award, and actor Song Kang-ho, who have been on Cannes seven times, took the Best Male Actor award with movie "Broker." Korea has become a key country with two winners, unlike the past when it was considered an honor just to be nominated.
While Korean films have built up their status on the world stage, Korean dramas have taken over the world at once with the flow of online video services (OTT).
"Squid Game" continued its popularity and held an award race at the U.S. awards ceremony this year. At the Emmy Awards held in September, it won six awards, including the first non-English drama to win Directors's Award and Best Male Actor award.
The reason how "Squid Game" could overcome the language barrier was because of the online streaming service (also known as OTT), Netflix. With the global platform in which works are simultaneously released in more than 190 countries, Korean dramas have become the center of the world stage.
Netflix's original dramas were not the only ones that benefited from such key function. Dramas in which Korean production companies and broadcasting stations have the IP (Intellectual Property), the copyright of the drama, were also streamed on Netflix. "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (hereinafter "Attorney Woo"), which brought a sensation almost to a syndrome, is the main example.
"Attorney Woo" topped Netflix's non-English-speaking drama category chart for seven consecutive weeks, and Netflix even began producing an English dubbing version.
Woo Young-woo, a lawyer with an autism spectrum disorder, melted the hearts of people around the world including sexual minorities, mentally disabled people, North Korean defectors, children and women, all who are constantly exposed to competitive society.
Moreover, "Attorney Woo" is said to have taken a step further than "Squid Game" considering that Korean production company AStory has full IP of the drama.
This is due to the fact that if the production company has an IP, it can expand its business from remaking, webtoon and musical. It went over the limit of global OTT like Netflix having the work's right and Korean creators being placed under it and doing minor things.
TV dramas, in addition to "Attorney Woo," including KBS drama "The King's Affection" and tvN dramas "Little Women" were simultaneously released on Netflix as they were aired in Korea, drawing attention overseas. The KBS drama "Young Lady and Gentleman" was streamed on Netflix five months after the show ended in Korea, but it gained more popularity after from other foreign countries such as Latin America and the Middle East.
◇ K-pop Hallyu on fire this year as well
The popularity of K-pop remained the same. Although BTS as a group is on hiatus with the enlistment of the eldest member Jin this year, their popularity continues with the release of solo albums by members: J-Hope, Jin, and RM.
BTS held large concerts at Jamsil Main Stadium in Seoul and Las Vegas in the U.S., meeting local fans for the first time in a while. In June, they released an anthology album "Proof," which compiled their activities of the past nine years, and has closed the door of their first chapter.
"Proof" topped the Billboard 200 main album chart while the lead track "Yet to Come" and the track "Run BTS" also debuted on the Hot 100 main single chart. BTS hopes to resume their team activities in 2025.
Boy group Stray Kids has solidified its status as a next-generation K-pop star by placing two albums at top of Billboard 200 chart this year, and BLACKPINK is the first Asian group to top the world's two largest album charts, U.K and U.S.
BLACKPINK won two awards at 2022 MTV Video Music Awards and gained attention as the first Korean girl group to make the stage. They are also currently on the largest world tour in the history of K-pop girl groups, mobilizing a total of 1.5 million people.
Lim Young-woong, winner of TV Chosun's "Mr. Trot," is also gaining massive popularity, becoming a million-seller with his first regular album and topping the domestic music charts.
In addition, large rookie girl groups such as New Jeans, Le Seraphim, and Enmix, led by Ive, poured out one after another and succeeded in box office success, making the girl group craze stronger than ever.
Girl group also made a record by winning both the Rookie of the Year award and the Grand Prize at the year-end music awards, as their debut song "Eleven" followed by "Love Dive" and "After Like" all made hits.
Legendary singer Cho Yong-pil released his first new album in 13 years since his 19th album "Hello" in 2013, and "Diva" Patty Kim made the stage on KBS 2TV's "Immortal Songs" for the firs time in 10 years, moving the audiences. The band Songgolmae, a band popular in the 1980s, also attracted the fans' attention by holding a duo concert of Bae Chul-soo and Koo Chang-mo for the first time in about 40 years.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)
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