Why K-Pop?

K-pop? sounds familiar right? Even if you are not a supporter of it, you have to hear the the K-pop culture in Hong Kong. But why it would be so popular in Hong Kong? 

From my point of view, K-pop is popular because it can attract different audiences from different backgrounds and ages.

1. Popular Songs

Every time when you go into a restaurant and even a shopping mall, you will hear some K-pop songs there as background music. One main feature about the Korean popular song is all the songs are very catching and easy to remember. For example, PSY's song 'Gangnam Style' became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views because it is catchy. The song's music video has been viewed over 2.41 billion times on YouTube and has been YouTube's most watched video since November 24, 2012.

There are many examples like this. Also. there are many singer groups in Korea and the number of the group almost could be updated every single day. Some entertaining companies, such as YG, SM and JYP will spend a lot of money to provide some training for these singers and produce some very catchy songs to attract fans. Here are some famous popular singer groups and their songs, we can see that many people would like to view their music videos on YouTube.

• BigBang - FANTASTIC BABY M/V (170,404,285 views)

• 2NE1 - I AM THE BEST (내가 제일 잘 나가) M/V (132,600,186 views)

• Girls Generation - Gee (146,290,586 views）

• EXO - EXO_으르렁 (Growl) (78,433,179 views)

2. Dramas

Dramas are another important way to promote the ideas of K-pop since a lot of Korean dramas are extremely popular among young people or even many middle age people. Korean dramas are popular worldwide, partially due to the spread of the Korean wave, with streaming services that offer multiple language subtitles.

• My Love from the Star

• The Heirs

                         

The Heirs, also known as The Inheritors, is a South Korean television series starring Park Shin-hye, Lee Min-ho, and Kim Woo-bin. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the trendy drama is set in a high school populated by the privileged and uber-rich.
This was the first Korean drama co-produced by American digital distribution platform DramaFever and Korean production company Hwa & Dam Pictures.

3. Variety Shows

Unlike dramas or music videos, there are a lot of original variety shows in Korea, which are very innovative and creative. Here are some my personal favourite reality shows. Some of them are very interesting, but meaningful at the same time. You can check them out in your spare time.

• Running Man

Running Man (Korean: 런닝맨) is a South Korean variety show; forming part of SBS's Good Sunday lineup. It first aired on July 11, 2010, and as of 2015, is currently the longest-running program, at five years on Good Sunday, surpassing X-Man's three and a half years. 

Running Man was originally classified as an "urban action variety"; a genre of variety shows in an urban environment. The MCs and guests complete missions at a landmark to win the race. The show has since shifted to a more familiar reality-variety show concept focused on game show games. 

The show has become popular in other parts of Asia as well, and has gained online popularity among Hallyu fans, having been fansubbed into a number of languages by volunteers, such as English, Spanish, French, Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian and Turkish.

• Infinite Challenge

Infinite Challenge is a Korean television entertainment program, distributed and syndicated by MBC. As of January 2013, it still has the largest market share for its timeslot; roughly between 13 to 17 percent of Korean television viewers watch Infinite Challenge at 6:30 PM every Saturday night. 

This makes it the top free-to-air television program on Saturday evening, and it's also the most viewed non-drama program in South Korea every week. Infinite Challenge has been called the nation's variety and Korea's real first variety for having been successful for over ten years.

• We Got Married

We Got Married is a South Korean reality variety show, one segment of the Sunday Sunday Night program. First broadcast in 2008, the show pairs up Korean celebrities to show what life would be like if they were married. Each week, couples have assigned missions to complete, with candid interviews of the participants to reveal their thoughts and feelings.

4. Fashion Trends

Beside these popular songs and TV shows, Korean fashion attracts more and more people in the world. Take clothes as an example, some Korean brands are very famous in all over the world. Even some famous designer would like to cooperate with Korean celebrities to promote their fashion designs. Especially, the cosmetic products from Korea are very hot in Hong Kong because a lot of K-pop will use these products and people will follow the trend due to this kind of celebrity effect.

There is a list about these famous cosmetic products in Hong Kong and I am sure that you can see all these stores everywhere on the streets!

• Innisfree

Innisfree is a South Korean cosmetics brand owned by Amore Pacific.

Innisfree is a naturalism-oriented cosmetics brand created by Amore Pacific in 2000. The brand name originated from W. B. Yeats' poem, 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree'. It is one of the few Korean brands that use organic ingredients certified by France's ECOCERT organization. Innisfree has stores in South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, Singapore and Malaysia. 

• Tony Moly

It’s obvious why girls are obsessing over this brand: the packaging is freaking adorable. But what’s even better is that the products stand up to the hype.

• 3 Concept Eyes

The palette of high-voltage color makes this brand a must-try for girls who want to stay ahead-of-the-curve on makeup trends. Shop here for everything from statement-making cheek stains and beyond bold lip color to the next-big-things in nail art.

• Etude House

With a tagline like “Let Out Your Pink!” it’s safe to say this brand is all about pampering your inner princess. This one-stop shop for the modern girly girl has everything from a sea of red lipsticks to its Beauty Shot Face Blur, a lightweight cream that promises to smooth and even your skin so that you’re selfie ready.