The Korean Connection: How The K-Pop Frenzy Is Taking Over India

If you are even remotely familiar with Korean culture, K-Pop and K-Drama; then you will know that BTS does not only mean ‘Behind The Scenes', Big Bang is not just a theory that explains the evolution of the universe, GOT 7 is not the 7th season of Game of Thrones and EXO is a not a dishwashing bar. For those who caught the idea almost instantly, you successfully pass the test as a true K-pop fan and for those scratching their heads; these are some of the most popular South Korean boy bands.  

If you are still confused about why this K-Pop thing is such a big deal both in India and abroad, take the example of Psy and his hit song ‘Gangnam Style'. This Oppa's song has been viewed more than 2.8 billion times on YouTube already and is proof of the rising Korean wave, especially when we know that people don't give a single f**k about the lyrics and are only tripping over the beats. The ripples of this Hallyu wave was felt across India and people went berserk over a culture that's not even remotely similar to ours especially in terms of language. “It was almost like a virus. Someone mentioned it and soon all of us got hooked to it,” said Hina, who calls herself a K-Pop and K-drama addict. Hina, who is currently studying at the Korean Culture Centre in Delhi, further added “I was introduced to Korean culture through K-dramas and slowly became eager to learn more about their culture and Korea in specific.”  

Talking about dramas, in the year 2009 a high school drama was released, which took the entire world by storm. The drama was ‘Boys Over Flowers' and I am sure that by now F4 and their killer style must be hovering around your head like a halo. That drama etched actor Lee Min Ho's name in every teenage girl's heart and turned him into an international sensation, by the time the drama wrapped up. “I love Lee Min Ho Oppa and have watched ‘Boys Over Flowers' and ‘Faith' more than 6 times now. But, even today there's not a single scene that I don't cry or laugh over,” said Antara, a college student who has not missed a single Lee Min Ho drama and worships him, intently. “Every time I watch his dramas, I feel like I am coming here for the first time and probably that's the beauty of every Korean drama. In fact, I couldn't sleep for several nights because I wanted to see what happens next,” she further added.

The Korean wave started hitting international shores and India somewhere around the late 1990s. Apparently, it started in Manipur around 2000 when Bollywood movies were banned by the separatists. The people slowly shifted focus towards Korean entertainment (by getting pirated DVDs of Korean music and dramas) and since then there was no looking back. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), popular Korean phrases were commonly heard in Manipur's schoolyards and streets. Today, you can hear phrases like chingu (friend), saranghaeyo (I love you), Annyeong haseyo (hello) and mostly Oppa and Unni; ringing in our ears from all parts of the country. 

While you might think that we are exaggerating the popularity of Korean culture, there are many places in India and particularly the North-East, where K-Pop Festivals are celebrated with much fervour and enthusiasm. Furthermore, with the opening of Korean restaurants in India, people feel more connected with the country and want to learn as much as they can about the people and their lifestyle. From haircuts, hair colours, styling to outfits, people have started adopting every single thing that their favourite K-Pop idol flaunts. It won't be wrong to say that the Koreans are very smartly spreading their culture – although it's too strong a word to use here – through their dramas and music.  

Another reason for the growing popularity could be the loss of ideas and creativity in Indian dramas and their exaggerated longevity, which the K-dramas have managed to perfectly encompass. Honestly, this generation does not want to see an Indian housewife turn into a fly after fighting with ghosts and demons. We want substance and K-dramas and movies are giving us exactly that in a shorter span of time. While Indian dramas continue for years, K-dramas end within 10, 15 or 20 episodes, and people are welcoming this fresh approach with open arms. The popularity of Korean movies is no joke. You might not know who Choi Min Sik, Gong Yoo or Won Bin are, but if we tell you that they acted in ‘Oldboy', ‘Train to Busan' and ‘The Man from Nowhere'; you will instantly recognize them. Almost everyone has seen and loved these movies. Be it action scenes, trippy movie plots, or acting; Korean movies can give any entertainment industry a run for their money and they deserve all the credit for it.  

“I watched ‘Oldboy' out of curiosity because my friends were after my life, but man, after watching it I was left speechless,” said Tarun, who was recently introduced to the Korean wave. “Although I am not really a fan of Korean movies, this one really took me by surprise and has changed my perception about the movies and the actors,” he added. So what made him love K-dramas? “At times Bollywood action movies lose their focus and start shifting towards item songs and dream sequences, which takes away the essence from the movie. Korean movies on the other hand are kickass, brutal, and savage and have a message that sometimes Hindi movies tend to skip,” says Tarun, who is now waiting to watch Bong Joon Ho's ‘The Host'.  

It's not like we don't have a decent pop culture here. We too have names like Baadshah, Raftaar, Guru Randhawa and Honey Singh that are making people go crazy over their beats. But when we see Girls' Generation, 2NE1, Super Junior or Red Velvet on screen, how can we not lose our minds. Thanks to the subtitles, we end up watching them on loop the whole day. Another interesting part about Korean culture is that almost every other actor or actress is a singer and has lent his or her voice to some OSTs (original sound tracks), which are possibly the second best thing of any drama or movie – the first is the plot. While we overlay random Bollywood songs over romantic scenes, these OSTs are kind of standalone numbers which really add to the brilliance of K-dramas.  

Although we Indians are catching up with this ‘Hallyu' wave only now, the impact is slowly crushing the market for other entertainment industries like Bollywood and Tollywood. Today, women recognize and drool over Korean actors more than their Boollywood counterparts. Names like Lee Min Ho, Song Joong Ki, Ji Chang Wook, Lee Jong Suk and Bi Rain aren't alien anymore. We all recognize them and love them. In fact, not just K-dramas and K-Pop, but Chinese, Thai, Taiwanese and Japanese dramas too are gradually picking up here and let me tell you some of their dramas are worth spending sleepless nights on. *Just FYI, the Chinese entertainment industry does not comprise only of ‘Shaolin Soccer' or ‘Monkey King'.*