ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, Korean popular culture has spread infectiously throughout the world. The term, Korean wave, has been used to describe this rising popularity of

Korean popular culture. The Korean wave exploded in the media across the world generating a ripple effect. The Korean government took full advantage of this national phenomenon and began aiding Korean media industries in exporting Korean pop culture. This global expansion has contributed to enhancing South Koreas national image and its economy and has been seen as a tool for public diplomacy. This paper analyzed the Korean wave and its implications for cultural influence on neighboring

countries. Furthermore, this study explored how national identity impacts framing processes related to media coverage and public response.

INTRODUCTION
Korean wave or Hallyu refers to the enormously increase of the world s acceptance on South Korea popular culture. The term was firstly used by the Chinesemedia in 2001 as to portray the Korean triumphant attempt of cultural exports thatembracing fashion, music and film to China (Tadaamnuaychai, 2006). People are notonly interested on it, but also get passionate about it, everything about Korea, fromfood to custom and history. As the world recognizes Hollywood and Bollywood asthe icon in the entertainment industry, Korean Wave has got Korean entertainmentindustry to bloom as one of the huge entertainment industry which, to a great extent,has influence the world in term of life style, business and music trends.

RELATED LITERATURE
What Is the Korean Wave?
In the narrowest sense, the Korean Wave (hallyu in Korean) refers to a surge in the international visibility of Korean culture, beginning in East Asia in the 1990s and continuing more recently in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. The wave consists principally of two forms of media, television serials and pop music (K-pop), although Korean feature lms and other musical forms are also part of the phenomenon. Because the Korean Wave involves the export of Korean culture, it is inherently both a national phenomenon and a transnational phenomenon.

The rise of the Korean Wave

Korean popular culture has become one of the most beloved pop cultures among Asian fans over the last 10 years. Asia is no longer dominated by American popular culture, and fans now are choosing what they consider to be more "Asian." Many have recently come to prefer Korean popular culture, which they perceive to be fresh and trendy, as well as something that contains Asian values and sentiments. More and more people throughout Asia are choosing to watch Korean movies, listen to Korean popular music, follow Korean soap operas, and even travel to Korea to visit sites they have seen in their favorite Korean dramas. The sudden rise in popularity and the dissemination of Korean popular culture throughout Asia is new, unprecedented, and fascinating. This cultural flow in contemporary Asia is called the "Korean Wave." The Korean Wave is becoming popular in discourse in Asian countries and beyond. Many scholars and journalists have written about it in academic journals, newspaper columns, and magazine articles, putting forth reasons for the emergence of Korean popular culture as a force throughout Asia and speculating on its potential influence on the future of the region. Clearly, as a product similar to the products in consumers' own cultural backgrounds, the Korean Wave provides Asians with reassurance that, even within an increasingly globalized world, Asian identity remains strong. In Korea, popular and scholarly articles alike have discussed the influence of the Korean Wave on Korean society, argued for the superiority of Korean culture over other Asian cultures, and noted positive reactions of Asian societies to Korean popular culture in newspapers, television documentaries, and elsewhere.

How pop groups are manufactured, reports Asia Sentinel

As carefully as Korea, Inc. manufactures cars, televisions, containerships and washing machines, it is using those techniques to manufacture pop stars, according to a research paper by Ahn Shin-Hyun for the Samsung Economic Research Institute. The focus of Ahns paper is Girls Generation, a group of nine young women who are in large part responsible for spreading demand for K-pop, as it is known, beyond Japan and Southeast Asia to include North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Since Girls Generation made its debut four years ago, the singing group, who arent rock musicians, grabbed the audience with striking black outfits and boots and tight choreography. In fact, the strong reception for Girls Generation in Tokyo should come as no surprise. It was built on training as rigorous as the countrys notorious hagwon, or cram schools, that have students studying so deep into the night that the country recently passed a law making it illegal to do so after 11 p.m. The nine members of Girls Generation were groomed carefully for three to seven years at SM Entertainment, Koreas largest talent agency and its principal star maker, before they ever hit the stage, according to Ahn. In grooming its potential stars this way, Korea is following in well-worn footsteps going back to at least the UKs Spice Girls, who were regarded as having been created out of opinion surveys and careful merchandising rather than arising from their artistic talent. So-called Canto pop singers are developed in the same way in Hong Kong In the case of Girls Generation, rumors were already afoot that this new group would be super girls even before they appeared in public, Ahn writes. The group released a debut single, Into the New World, sporting wardrobes that ranged from school uniforms to roller skates.

What a psychologist says about fangirls:

A psychologist says: Dont underestimate those children who chase after Korean celebrities, their hearts are purer than anyone else, they love courageously, they will want to try their best to tackle difficult obstacles, the language and cultural barriers. They symbolise peace, they dont discriminate based on race, they befriend people with the same interest from different countries, theyre more passionate and warm than anyone else. They dont betray the ones they like easily, they are persistent and dont give up easily. They are stronger than anyone else on the inside, because when they are loving these Korean stars, they experience the setbacks theyve never experienced in life. They are all sensitive children, easily touched to tears for a long time because of one incident. Through investigation, most of them understand gratitude. Their way of thinking is different from others, they dont easily get carried away by love, they dont harbour thoughts of doing bad things, and their criteria when looking for a partner is very high, other than looks, personality is more important, so the rate of marriage isnt high, but neither is the rate of divorce. Their memory is very good, they can easily remember the korean lyrics they dont understand, and their coordination skills are also very strong. Most of them are cheerful children, not the kind who keep to themselves. Their will of determination is also very strong, they are able to persevere all the way just to buy something related to the celebrity they like. In short, the way these children think is vastly different from others, and their thoughts are not easy to understand. Generally, only those who have similar interests are able to enter their world.

Conclusion
Though, before, Korea were just a small country that would never draw onesinterest but now, it has indeed invaded the world at many courses. Korean waveinfluences the way of living and global trades, as well as music trends. Thus,

Koreanwave is no a small phenomenon as it has a tremendous impact on the world society. If it is to be kept striking, for sure Korea has already claimed their place as an icon infuture entertainment industry. The Korean wave has fundamentally changed the perception and overall national image of South Korea. Initially, the Korean wave was merely a cultural phenomenon to a specific region; however, the growth and impact far exceeded expectations by influencing the whole of Asia. Stemming from a deep-rooted ancient heritage and a powerful cultural grip on its people, Korea blossomed by developing in prosperity, democracy and liberalism. Today, Korea is arguably one of the greatest national success stories of the 20th century. This paper sought to analyze the Korean wave and its implications of cultural influence on neighboring countries. Furthermore, this study attempted to look at the Korean wave not just as a phenomenon in its own right, but also considered the impact of this phenomenon on perceptions of culture and identity by comparatively