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 spreading out even needed a name, hallyu, coined by Chinese journalists in the late '90s.
The Korean Wave, an alternative term for hallyu, transcended barriers in many countries, be they political, linguistic, economic or cultural barriers. For one, 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[insert

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.
Hallyu in the Orient's

Filipinos and Koreans also have similar views of family, elderly respect, romantic love and hospitality [insert citation, Igno and Cenidoza]. Many also credit the internet and its ability to connect cultures and facilitate better communication among the peoples of the world. Others would say this popularity comes from regionalism and cultural proximity, that is, finding an alternative to Western popular culture.
Interestingly, however, politics is not usually recognized as an influential force in the proliferation of culture. 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 (like the case of 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.
Political beginnings of