Korean's Decline in Japan Due to Bad Marketing?

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/03/31/200603310013.asp

I recall last week there was a post saying that the Halyu Wave was slowing down in East Asia, primarily that of Japan. The article link above discusses this problem. 2005 was probably a slow year for Korean movies in Japan because the industry tried a different approach. In the past, Japanese TV stations would buy the shows directly from Korea and distrube them domestically within their own markets. Basically, the article states that while Bae Yong Jun and Winter Sonata proved to be a HUGE money maker in Japan and fueled interest in the Korean pennisula, MBC did not actually make a lot of money of his success. Thus, riding on the Halyu craze, Korean companies began selling the rights to their shows at a higher price. That is probably why their are less Korean dramas on Japanese television. It is also interesting to note that the Korean megahit (#1 movie in Korean history), King and the Clown, will be the first movie that Korea will try to release by itself in the Japanese market.

I am a bit unsure about this plan. Obviously, it would mean a higher gross for the companies by distributing the films/ dramas on their own. However, they have to realize that the Japanese market has a different taste than Korea. Will the Korean companies be able to succesfully market their media to cater to other audiences? By succesfully doing this, the Korean companies can be more self sufficient and not so dependant on selling rights etc. I think a good example of this would be Asian movies and the American market. The ones that make it to American screens are the ones that are distributed by Hollywood companies such as Miramax etc. Needless to say, that is why we see so few. If the Korean media can succesfully distribute their films on their own, it will mean a stronger Hal Yu.

On a side note, I was in Hong Kong during Christmas time. During this time, the Korean movie, Typhoon was playing. While clearly a bad movie, I was suprised on how little advertising Korean movies get in the Hong Kong market. Most people had never heard of the movie etc. By distributing their movies on their own in foreign markets, the Korean industry can make themselves a staple of other cultures and not merely a fad.

- Alex Liu