Riding the Korean Wave in Nepal
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Thanks for staying with us.
The Korean wave, or Hallyu, has been hitting all parts of the globe from Southeast Asia to the Middle East to Europe.
And Arirang TV has been delivering the most up-to-date news of Korean stars to overseas fans.
And this Sunday, April 10th that is, marks the 15th anniversary of Arirang TV.
To thank the viewers around the globe, we thought it would be nice to meet up with some of the viewers ourselves.
Reporter Hwang Sung-hee just returned from Nepal after meeting with some of the fans there and she joins us in the studio now.
Hello Sung-hee.
[Reporter : ] Namaste, Sean, Conn-young. How was your trip[Reporter : ] It was great.
I just got back from Nepal only a few hours ago, and I miss it already.
You would think that Nepal would be very different from Korea in terms of its culture and tradition, and while that may be true, I felt at home in Kathmandu because I found so many traces of Korea there.
In even the most rural parts of the city, there were stores selling Korean movies and dramas.
That's very nice to hear.
And we hear that there are also many Arirang viewers in Kathmandu
[Reporter : ] Right.
One of the main reasons behind my trip was to meet up with viewers of Arirang TV in Nepal in celebration of our 15th anniversary.
A majority of Nepal's younger population is crazy about Korea's pop culture, watching almost all Korean dramas and movies and even dressing like Korean celebrities.
And most of them are avid viewers of Arirang TV as they say they can get the latest news on their favorite stars.
But don't get me wrong, because the channel seemed to be enjoyed by all age groups.
Why don't we take a look.
Nepal a country nestled between China and India with more than 80 percent of its population following Hinduism.
Nepal has maintained strong ties with Korea since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974 and in this South Asian country we heard that people were staying connected with Korea through Arirang TV.
To find out, we took to the streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.
[Interview : Sujan Bajracharya, Student] "Yes, for sure, we always look up on Arirang. My favorite channel is Arirang. We love that Arirang".
[Interview : Aneesh, Kathmandu resident] "Of course I know Arirang. It's really good program. It let's us know about the Korean culture and we can know about the music and it's good".
[Interview : Riya, Student] "It gives a wide variety of programs that all ages like, even teenagers and even my mom watches it sometimes and that's what I like about it".
The Korean Wave has been hitting all parts of the globe and it certainly didn't miss Nepal.
A majority of Nepal's younger generation are crazy about Korean pop culture and they say Arirang TV provides them with the most up-to-date news on Korea's entertainment industry.
Binu an avid viewer who lives in the capital city... regularly watches the channel's music program for information on her favorite Korean singers.
[Interview : Binu Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "I watch it a lot, and my favorite program is Show Biz Extra and Pops in Seoul. I get to know about all the entertainment news and new songs and also about culture and traditions of Korea".
Nepal faces a 14-hour daily power cut but when they do have electricity, Binu's family frequently watches Arirang TV suggesting that the channel is being enjoyed by all age groups.
[Interview : Nani Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "By watching Korean television and movies, I am slowly learning Korean and also getting the latest news in Korea".
[Interview : Man Maya Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "I don't watch television often, but the children watch Arirang TV. Today, I saw Arirang TV and thought it was a very nice channel".
Binu is a huge fan of Korean movies and dramas owning a collection of well over one-hundred.
And she is not the only one crazy about Korean dramas and its stars.
Demand for Korean dramas and movies in Nepal spiked over the last few years with stores selling goods from Korea found almost everywhere on the streets of Kathmandu.
And of course, one of the most popular items sold at these stores are pirated copies of Korean movies and dramas.
[Interview : Sapana Tamang, Store owner] "Korean dramas and movies are very popular in Nepal. Especially Boys over Flower, from that drama, Korean movies were very popular in Nepal for the youngsters".
The stores offer DVDs of the latest Korean movies and dramas for 30 to 60 roupees or around 50 cents and are frequently visited by Nepali teenagers.
And those charmed by Korean movies say they like almost everything about the country's stars from their manner to their style.
[Interview : Ann Raj Tamang, Customer] "I like their style, the way they talk, and the style they wear, fashion, hair style, their skin color, it's awesome. Watching Korean movies makes me feel like one of them as well".
And while Korean movies and dramas are playing a pivotal role in promoting the Korean culture in Nepal it's not just limited to the country's entertainment industry.
At a Korean class in Nepal's Tribhuvan University, we met a volunteer from Korea who came to Nepal with the hope of personally introducing the culture of her country.
With nearly half of the Nepalese population without jobs, many are studying the Korean language with the dream of some day working in Korea.
The teacher teaches her students the Korean language and also its culture to help them prepare for a new life in what could be a very foreign country.
[Interview : ] "I am teaching the students Korean and the Korean culture, so when they go to Korea, they will have a better knowledge about Korea and its culture. I feel good knowing that my students will adjust well in Korea".
Singing and learning how to play traditional Korean instruments this may not look like an ordinary language class.
But the students say, their teacher's efforts have helped them to better understand the Korean culture.
[Interview : Akash Limbu, Student] "I am so thankful to my teacher because she came all the way to Nepal to give us lessons on the Korean culture".
And as the Nepali people's love for the Korean culture continues to grow it looks like there could be even more traces of Korea filling up the streets of Nepal in the coming days.
I knew that Arirang TV had many viewers overseas, but actually seeing Binu and her family is very nice.
Sung-hee, do you know of other countries where Arirang TV is watched a lot
[Reporter : ] Yes.
Last year, I went to the Philippines and Indonesia, and found the Korean wave to be very prominent.
And during a summit with President Lee Myeong-bak last year, Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said that Arirang TV is a very popular channel among the young people in Bhutan thanks to the growing popularity of the Korean singers, actors and actresses, and its culture.
Located between India and China, around 40 percent of Bhutan's cable TV users were given access to Arirang TV in 2005.
Well, it's certainly nice to see that Korea stars are under the limelight overseas.
However, I would love to see overseas viewers watch Arirang Today more often.
Thanks for coming in today, Sung-hee.
[Reporter : ] My pleasure.
The Korean wave, or Hallyu, has been hitting all parts of the globe from Southeast Asia to the Middle East to Europe.
And Arirang TV has been delivering the most up-to-date news of Korean stars to overseas fans.
And this Sunday, April 10th that is, marks the 15th anniversary of Arirang TV.
To thank the viewers around the globe, we thought it would be nice to meet up with some of the viewers ourselves.
Reporter Hwang Sung-hee just returned from Nepal after meeting with some of the fans there and she joins us in the studio now.
Hello Sung-hee.
[Reporter : ] Namaste, Sean, Conn-young. How was your trip[Reporter : ] It was great.
I just got back from Nepal only a few hours ago, and I miss it already.
You would think that Nepal would be very different from Korea in terms of its culture and tradition, and while that may be true, I felt at home in Kathmandu because I found so many traces of Korea there.
In even the most rural parts of the city, there were stores selling Korean movies and dramas.
That's very nice to hear.
And we hear that there are also many Arirang viewers in Kathmandu
[Reporter : ] Right.
One of the main reasons behind my trip was to meet up with viewers of Arirang TV in Nepal in celebration of our 15th anniversary.
A majority of Nepal's younger population is crazy about Korea's pop culture, watching almost all Korean dramas and movies and even dressing like Korean celebrities.
And most of them are avid viewers of Arirang TV as they say they can get the latest news on their favorite stars.
But don't get me wrong, because the channel seemed to be enjoyed by all age groups.
Why don't we take a look.
Nepal a country nestled between China and India with more than 80 percent of its population following Hinduism.
Nepal has maintained strong ties with Korea since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974 and in this South Asian country we heard that people were staying connected with Korea through Arirang TV.
To find out, we took to the streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.
[Interview : Sujan Bajracharya, Student] "Yes, for sure, we always look up on Arirang. My favorite channel is Arirang. We love that Arirang".
[Interview : Aneesh, Kathmandu resident] "Of course I know Arirang. It's really good program. It let's us know about the Korean culture and we can know about the music and it's good".
[Interview : Riya, Student] "It gives a wide variety of programs that all ages like, even teenagers and even my mom watches it sometimes and that's what I like about it".
The Korean Wave has been hitting all parts of the globe and it certainly didn't miss Nepal.
A majority of Nepal's younger generation are crazy about Korean pop culture and they say Arirang TV provides them with the most up-to-date news on Korea's entertainment industry.
Binu an avid viewer who lives in the capital city... regularly watches the channel's music program for information on her favorite Korean singers.
[Interview : Binu Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "I watch it a lot, and my favorite program is Show Biz Extra and Pops in Seoul. I get to know about all the entertainment news and new songs and also about culture and traditions of Korea".
Nepal faces a 14-hour daily power cut but when they do have electricity, Binu's family frequently watches Arirang TV suggesting that the channel is being enjoyed by all age groups.
[Interview : Nani Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "By watching Korean television and movies, I am slowly learning Korean and also getting the latest news in Korea".
[Interview : Man Maya Maharjan, Arirang TV viewer] "I don't watch television often, but the children watch Arirang TV. Today, I saw Arirang TV and thought it was a very nice channel".
Binu is a huge fan of Korean movies and dramas owning a collection of well over one-hundred.
And she is not the only one crazy about Korean dramas and its stars.
Demand for Korean dramas and movies in Nepal spiked over the last few years with stores selling goods from Korea found almost everywhere on the streets of Kathmandu.
And of course, one of the most popular items sold at these stores are pirated copies of Korean movies and dramas.
[Interview : Sapana Tamang, Store owner] "Korean dramas and movies are very popular in Nepal. Especially Boys over Flower, from that drama, Korean movies were very popular in Nepal for the youngsters".
The stores offer DVDs of the latest Korean movies and dramas for 30 to 60 roupees or around 50 cents and are frequently visited by Nepali teenagers.
And those charmed by Korean movies say they like almost everything about the country's stars from their manner to their style.
[Interview : Ann Raj Tamang, Customer] "I like their style, the way they talk, and the style they wear, fashion, hair style, their skin color, it's awesome. Watching Korean movies makes me feel like one of them as well".
And while Korean movies and dramas are playing a pivotal role in promoting the Korean culture in Nepal it's not just limited to the country's entertainment industry.
At a Korean class in Nepal's Tribhuvan University, we met a volunteer from Korea who came to Nepal with the hope of personally introducing the culture of her country.
With nearly half of the Nepalese population without jobs, many are studying the Korean language with the dream of some day working in Korea.
The teacher teaches her students the Korean language and also its culture to help them prepare for a new life in what could be a very foreign country.
[Interview : ] "I am teaching the students Korean and the Korean culture, so when they go to Korea, they will have a better knowledge about Korea and its culture. I feel good knowing that my students will adjust well in Korea".
Singing and learning how to play traditional Korean instruments this may not look like an ordinary language class.
But the students say, their teacher's efforts have helped them to better understand the Korean culture.
[Interview : Akash Limbu, Student] "I am so thankful to my teacher because she came all the way to Nepal to give us lessons on the Korean culture".
And as the Nepali people's love for the Korean culture continues to grow it looks like there could be even more traces of Korea filling up the streets of Nepal in the coming days.
I knew that Arirang TV had many viewers overseas, but actually seeing Binu and her family is very nice.
Sung-hee, do you know of other countries where Arirang TV is watched a lot
[Reporter : ] Yes.
Last year, I went to the Philippines and Indonesia, and found the Korean wave to be very prominent.
And during a summit with President Lee Myeong-bak last year, Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said that Arirang TV is a very popular channel among the young people in Bhutan thanks to the growing popularity of the Korean singers, actors and actresses, and its culture.
Located between India and China, around 40 percent of Bhutan's cable TV users were given access to Arirang TV in 2005.
Well, it's certainly nice to see that Korea stars are under the limelight overseas.
However, I would love to see overseas viewers watch Arirang Today more often.
Thanks for coming in today, Sung-hee.
[Reporter : ] My pleasure.
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