Hallyu Hits U.S. Shores

Hallyu or the Korean wave is a term used to describe the impact of Korean media in the global market. Chances are you have heard of their titles, names, or even content without even realizing it. Some of the more notable performers in this wave have crossed over to the U.S. market and have been gaining popularity in recent years.

One of the biggest Korean to American crossovers is BoA. She has worked with many big name music artists including Westlife, Sean Garrett, and Flo Rida to name a few. Her recent activities include performing songs off her debut English album self titled . She has made appearances in L.A., New York, and San Francisco. BoA performed at Pride in San Francisco in 2009. She performed three songs to a crowd that was largely there for her set alone. Pride is the same venue an unknown singer, Lady Gaga, got her start in the year prior. BoA was also featured on a version of the song “Beautiful,” by Akon. If any K-pop star was going to succeed in the U.S. it would be one of the biggest and that’s BoA. So far so good, however there is another singer that has precipitated into the market and the hearts of many women.

Rain (Bi) is arguably the most recognizable and successful name in Korean entertainment. He was named in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World in 2006 and People’s Most Beautiful People in 2007. Rain was also the target of Stephen Colbert’s parody music video, “He’s Singin’ in Korean,” aired on . The extent of Colbert’s “animosity” towards Rain led to a dance off on his show. Rain also stars in the Hollywood feature, . Don’t be surprised of the quality of the story in the movie, but what you can see clearly is Rain. To see a leading Asian star in a U.S. film is an accomplishment on its own, not to mention a sexualized role as well. Another ninja to watch out for is

Storm Shadow played by Lee Byung Hun. Like real ninjas, they do manage to sneak into Hollywood movies, but are easily detected, which in this case isn’t a bad thing. Not to be out done by the shinobis, Park Joon Hyung plays Yamcha in and had a role in Speed Racer, which Rain also plays a character. Lee Byung Hun has been a household name for years in Korea and Park Joon Hyung was predominately a singer at the beginning of his career.

It isn’t just the males immigrating to the silver screen, actress Jun Ji Hyun (Gianna), of fame, plays Saya in . This movie is set in Japan, but the dialogue is in English. This movie didn’t get much promotion, but it’s not the last we’ll hear of her in the states. In case the title, My Sassy Girl, rings a bell, it was remade 2 years ago in the U.S. but went straight to DVD. More on the issue of American remakes of Asian films in another article.

Other Korean pop stars, besides BoA, that continue to work in music are creating their place in American music as well. The transition is largely done through collaborating with American artists. One of the first was Park Ji Yoon with Willa Ford on the song “Nastified” released on the formers album in 2002. This song is all in English, but relatively unheard of in the U.S. Se7en worked with Lil Kim on “Girls,” which was released in 2009. He is just starting off and is working with all the right people in the music business. It will only be a matter of time until we hear more from Se7en. The most progressive of any of the singers is a girl group, The Wonder Girls. The group has been touring with The Jonas Brothers since 2009 (anyone notice a trend here?). They also performed their song, “Nobody,” on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance. The viewership of broadcast TV brought their performance to millions of homes. This is great promotion for the group, K-Pop, and Asian talent.

It's quite exciting to watch all the Korean crossovers and this is only the beginning. The U.S. has a highly desirable market and the talent hoping to penetrate it is plentiful. The quality of Korean media has only gotten better, so instead of crossovers, the future may even be Korean media in its pure form. For some, this may be too much for our shores, but the overall impact in Hollywood is undeniable. For anyone that hasn’t already tested the water, don’t be afraid and get ready to get swept by Hallyu.