Hallyu to turbo-charge new year

Korean singer Psy performs his hit “Gangnam Style” during a morning television appearance in central Sydney in October. The 34-year-old rapper is ready to break into world music markets with a new song in February or March. / Yonhap

Psy to release follow-up song in February

“Hallyu” or the Korean wave, led mainly by K-pop in the past, is set to become even more influential around the world next year.

Psy, who amazed the world with massive hit “Gangnam Style,” is ready to break into world music markets with a new song in February or March. According to a local industry insider Friday, the song, most likely to be recorded in Korean, aims to gain a firm foothold in the global music industry.

His manager Scooter Brauns, who signed a contract with the singer in September, has generated a high level of interest by suggesting a collaborative work between Psy and American rapper MC Hammer.

The 34-year-old Korean singer galloped to superstardom with his horse-riding dance and “Gangnam Style” became the most-viewed YouTube video last week, topping 1 billion hits. Psy is the first Korean pop star to top the United Kingdom’s singles chart and place second on the United State’s Billboard chart.

“Psy’s success comes from a unique dance and music that excite audiences around the world but at the same time, it shows Korean songs can be popular worldwide despite incomprehensibility. Now we need to grow into a wider cultural concept K-style,” said Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik at a September press conference.

The culture ministry is also tapping into a new market of new indie bands that need financial support from the government to grow significantly. According to the ministry, it plans to spend about 1.5 billion won to support indie bands based in the Hongik University area, helping them produce, record and promote their music without having to worry about the heavy cost.

The same scenario applies to broadcasting as the country’s broadcasters are focusing on exporting a wide variety of television programs including documentaries. They are also seeking new markets around the world including plans to establish branches in the Middle East.

“We aim to expand the range of TV programs we produce and sell them abroad. So now we are focusing on areas such as food and fashion,” MBC head of operations Lee Yong-suk was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. He added that the broadcaster is to produce a global version of the reality show “We Got Married” and the format of singing audition program “I Am a Singer” has been sold to China.

The first major wave of hallyu was driven by such popular TV dramas as “Winter Sonata” (2002), “Jewel in the Palace” (2003) and “Full House” (2004) within Asia. But the new wave of K-pop has now spread as far afield as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, thanks to the recent success of Psy.

President-elect Park Geun-hye has stressed the importance of promoting hallyu further and it is one of her pledges. She is committed to setting up facilities and providing funds to improve cultural content and gain a firm foothold in world markets. <The Korea Times/Rachel Lee>