S. Korean soap operas sold in Latin America

By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean soup operas are making inroads into the
Latin American and Arab markets as their popularity turns ever more global, a
subsidiary of the Korea's biggest network broadcaster here said Tuesday.
Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) Media, an affiliate of the state-run broadcasting
network KBS, said it has signed a contract with Peruvian broadcaster Panamericana
Television to export two popular South Korean TV series titled "Autumn in my
heart (broadcast in 2000)" and "Winter Sonata (2002)".
"Autumn...", which tells the story of the love between two siblings who later
turned out to be unrelated by blood, and "Winter...", which depicts the story of
a woman whose lover suffers from amnesia, have gained huge popularity already in
a number of countries including Japan and other Asian countries, leading the
"Hallyu" wave, a reference to the international popularity of South Korean pop
culture.
"Winter..." and "Autumn..." have so far been exported to 48 and 21 countries,
respectively, with the total sales grossing over 50 million dollars.
KBS Media has also completed the negotiations and is about to sign a contract
with the Latin Media, a distributor in central America, to air three soap operas
of "Full House (2004)", "Mr. Goodbye (2006)" and "Boys over Flowers (2009)" in
Latin Americans countries of Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
"Though we have so far provided TV programs free of charge in a bid to promote
the Hallyu contents to broadcasters in the central and Caribbean nations, we
decided from now on to sell the contents to the broadcasters in the region," said
a company official.
Meanwhile, KBS Media is in negotiation with the channel owned by Middle East
Broadcasting Centerant, one of major Arab satellite broadcasting companies, to
export a couple of soap operas there. Under negotiation are two dramas titled
"Boys over Flowers" and "My Fair Lady (2009)".
"The local soap operas have been playing a leading role in conveying Korean
culture to the broader world, and have great potential to gain more popularity
from viewers around the world," said Kim Hyo-jong, director of KBS Media's
international business department. "We are striving to enter into further new
markets such as Europe and the U.S."
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)