Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HERALD INTERVIEW]Korean TV drama makes notable debut in Africa

Africa seems ready to be the next destination for Hallyu or Korean Wave as SBS drama "All In" (2003) made an impressive debut in Botswana, an African country famous for its diamonds.

The SBS primetime drama "All In" has received unexpected attention from the local audience in Botswana and allows viewers to understand a little more about Korea, said Bapasi Magola Mphusu, director of Botswana Television and Radio.

"Africans seem to think that Asians, such as Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, are all the same. But that drama has offered better understanding of the country and its culture", Mphusu said.

Mphusu is the head of four state-run media organizations including a TV station, two radio stations and a daily newspaper.

Invited by the Korea Foundation, the 54-year-old former journalist was visiting Seoul last week to seek increased cooperation and partnerships with Korea involving the technological development of Botswana's media. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Mphusu said following the success of "All In" his six-year-old broadcasting station will be looking for another Korean TV drama.

Set in the burgeoning casino industry in Jeju Island, "All In" is a romantic gang action drama surrounding a man whose uncanny luck at the casino table far exceeds his luck in real life. The drama features Korean heartthrob actors Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo, the heroine of the hugely popular KBS drama "Autumn in my Heart".

Asked what is the most interesting thing that he has seen so far in Korea, Mphusu said the country's information technology in everyday life is impressive.

Mphusu said he is looking forward to sending engineers here to learn Korea's IT expertise.

By Cho Chung-un

Advertisement

❎ Try Ad-free