IMPORTANT FACTS

Officiallanguage: KOREAN

Capital: SEOUL

Governmentt : UNITARY

PRESIDENTIAL CONSTITUTIONAL

REPUBLIC

Population

50,219,669 (2013)

Currency: SOUTH KOREAN

WON

Hermit kigdomVictim of

attacks and invasions

Closed its doors

Until nineteenth

century

In recent years It has changed almost 180 degrees, and it has-been open tothe world not only through their technology, vehicles sold worldwide, alsowith its new cultural industry that now is spreading to Southeast Asia,Australia, Latin America and Europe. This new trend is called Korean Wave

SEOUL THE CAPITAL OF THE KOREAN WAVE.

•is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.

•is the world's 3rd largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people.

•Today, Seoul is considered a leading and rising global city, resulting from an

economic boom called the Miracle on the Han River which transformed

Korean to the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of

US$774 billion in 2012 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles.

Hallyu, the Korean Wave, has swept the world, bringing South Korean culture to all parts of the globe.

Hallyu was created like an easy way to control the economic crisis, this also helped to increase the income.

It is an government strategy, to increase its diplomatic power in the world. It is a cultural industry that generates exports of 2000 MD per year, this also attract foreign people for all over the globe.It was created as a very precise and elaborated plan with the purpose to seduce the occidental world.

Hallyu, started at the end of the 90´s as a consequence of thedragmas (Korean soap operas) succed in China, Japan and otherAsian countries.

Then, this economical and cultural expansion included Popular Koreanmusic (K-pop) and dramas (K-dramas) which are the favorites ofmillions of people.

e.g.From 2003 to 2004, the number of foreign visitors in South Koreaincreased from 2.8 to 3.7 million, and the country's authoritiesattribute it to the global explosion of the pop culture.

The four factors that drove K-pop to new heights:

SNS ERA

The speed at which K-pop clips can go viral has significantly reduced the time and expense needed to build awareness in foreign markets. The impact of SNS is apparent when comparing the time it now takes for Korean entertainers to gain popularity compared to the pre-SNS era.

K-pop now relies heavily on social networking services (SNS)

for worldwide exposure.

e.g.Views for K-pop videos reached 2.3 billion on YouTube in 235 countries in 2011.

Target market

In contrast to Korean TV dramas, whose fan base consists of middle-aged women, K-pop appeals to young people, particularly women, who are already comfortable with SNS and IT (Information technology)

1. Launching K-pop-based products through a “one source, multi-use” method.

e.g.

The game and animation industries can develop characters using K-pop content and stars. K-pop songs and singers can form the basis for blockbuster theater productions

the K-pop Strategy

2. Develop tourism packages designed for K-pop fans. Tour packages that combine concerts, shopping and music locations can be developed.

3. The third strategy is to collaborate with K-pop idols in new product development and marketing. By connecting stars’ image with product concepts, companies can enjoy substantial marketing effects

The fourth strategy is to use K-pop stars as models for advertising related products. Makers of food and beverages, cosmetics and clothing can bridge customers’ psychological distance to products by using familiar K-pop singers that fit the product’s image.

S.M. Entertainment , an independent record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music , which started and leaded the Hallyu Wave around Asia and the world.

It was founded by Lee Soo-man, and it´s one of the three largest record labels in South Korea.

The first K-pop group to roll out of the S.M. factory was the boy band H.O.T. in 1996.

In 2012, the company's market capitalization rose to ₩1.38 trillion (US$1.24 billion)

The k-pop temple

SM entertainment invest a lot of money in a rigorous process.

This process is systematically designed:

Starting with selecting prospective stars, putting them through a rigorous training regime, producing shows and promoting globally.

Training in particular is highly engineered, trainees’ daily regimen includes not only singing and dancing but also acting, foreign language skills and personal development. Training is conducted by teams of experts, and trainees must pass periodic evaluations to stay in the program. Performers can see their names on marquees only after several years of this regimen.

Plastic surgery

Plastic surgery has increased in Korea recently, it’s currently the most cosmetically-enhanced nation on the globe .This is because all the entertainment firms force to all the future K-pop stars to have several plastic surgeries before they get renowned.

The k-pop culture has persuaded a huge quantity of teens to emulate everything of a star: clothes, lifestyle, dance moves and even restructure their faces and body with the purpose to look like a certain Korean star.

Taekwondo

o South Korea isthe birthplaceof taekwondo

o Men travel toKorea

o They created a place calles Taekwondowon

o Is located in the province of Muju

o Opened his doors in March 2014

o Capacity for 4500 spectators

o It will have anacademy to learn thismartial art

o Expected mor tan 2 million visitors eachyear

South Korea has become an emerging power since the beginning of XXI century.

It has increased its diplomatic and geostrategic in the world.

Occupies a seat on the G20 and is a standout in the Asia-Pacific economic forum member

The current secretary general of the united nations is a Korean