ABSTRACT
The term Hallyu was mentioned in the Beijing Youth Daily in the late 1990s when the newspaper published an article about the “Zeal of Chinese audiences for Korean TV and pop songs.” They were not referring to North Korean TV and pop songs. In North Korea, the South Korean Wave or Hallyu is called Nam Pung – Southern Wind. The Hallyu phenomenon took Japan, China and the world by surprise. The seemingly quiet, long-troubled country of South Korea has experienced the type of interest from the international community which animation did for Japan. Around the world, more and more people from all walks of life began to take an interest in Korea. Out of Hallyu little wavelets generated interest in South Korean make-up products and fashion. For some, this generated still more interest in Korean history, business and economics. That small country in Northeast Asia, so often forgotten, was suddenly too charming and engaging to be overlooked. Viewers of Hallyu dramas, once plunged into the storylines, found themselves powerless against the intrigue. Happily Hallyu-victims succumbed to being washed along in the wave.
