The Korean Pop Culture

When South Korea's government decided to use popular culture as a form of "soft power" and an economic opportunity, no one would have predicted its sweeping power. The phenomenon reached not just East Asian countries like Japan and China, but the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Korean pop culture even needed a name, hallyu, coined by Chinese journalists in the late '90s.
The Korean Wave, an alternative term for hallyu, transcended different barriers in many countries. In China, despite political tension due to Korea's missile defense system, fans of Korean pop culture still subscribe to hallyu products including music, TV shows, cosmetics. An outrage broke out even when the Chinese government imposed a ban on these

Even in Western countries, where pop culture is a thriving business, many also turn to hallyu products as another choice in a repertoire of cultural products. Of course, the language barrier is not a problem for hallyu, as Korean pop music (Kpop) can be heard in establishments in countries where it is more popular.
The Philippines is one of the countries with a large following of hallyu. It has remained popular here since the importation of Korean drama until the influx of Koreans in major cities; many factors explain this, such as cultural proximity, regionalism, historic similarities, and others.
But perhaps the most important factor dictating the popularity of hallyu in the Philippines is the country's economic and political openness to anything foreign. It opens its doors to countries for trade and investments, and as one of Asia's superpowers, South Korea is one of them. The Philippines established a stable economic and political relationship with South Korea, paving the way for the Korean Wave to sweep the Southeast Asian archipelago.
History: Hallyu in the Orient's

Popular culture will be isolated at times from politics because they are said to be non-related aspects of society. While at times politics seem not to make a difference in culture (e.g. China's ban on hallyu products), most of the time it serves as a catalyst in the spread of a particular cultural phenomenon such as hallyu. The relationship is that of a support system; politics reinforces culture while culture supports politics.
Politics and popular culture: the relation
Before discussion of this complicatedly simple relation, a definition of terms is needed. A simple dictionary definition of politics would be the practice of governance in a certain country or area through the establishment and management of a government. The political entity, called a state, formed in order to govern the citizens of that nation. Politics also deals with the relationship between states, such as trade, cultural exchange and peace.
But perhaps the most important term in the study of politics is power, with the questions who holds it, what is it used for, and how is it manifested. It is not a simple matter of government, laws and constitutions; it is, more importantly, a matter of power and authority, dominance and influence, in a particular set of social and economic