Lesson 2.

3: Hallyu Culture

Lesson Summary
Netflix is an online platform that shows and produces television dramas and movies. It is
a platform that allows people from different countries to be able to watch movies and series from
all over the world. In the Philippines, foreign content is popular especially the ones from the US
and South Korea. Erik Matti, a Filipino director, has aired his concerns of the excessive
consumption of Filipinos to South Korea’s dramas on April 14, 2020, on a social media site,
Twitter. It received lash back from netizens and a lot have defended K-drama against the words
of Matti. You be the judge if his concerns are valid or he was just barking at the wrong tree.

Learning Outcomes
In this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Understand how Hallyu culture affect the Filipino popular culture; and
2. To know more about the negative effects of consuming Hallyu culture to Filipinos.

Motivation Questions
Have you ever been to Korea? Now, who among you here are fond of watching K-dramas
or listening to some Korean songs?
Figure 8. A Palace in Seoul, South Korea. (Image by Author)

Discussion
Read the news article below about Hallyu culture.

Filipinos attracted to Korean culture, K-pop, Koreanovelas

By: DJ Yap – Reporter

Beyond kimchi, K-pop and Koreanovelas, Koreans are becoming a ubiquitous presence in
the Philippines with tourist arrivals estimated to reach the one million mark by yearend, up by 30
percent from 2010.
 Based on the data gathered by Inquirer Research, the figure would make them the largest
group of foreign citizens to ever have landed on Philippine soil in a single year.

ADVERTISEMENT
In addition, according to Korean Ambassador to Manila Hye Min Lee, Koreans studying or
working in the country now number more than 100,000.
“This is a sign of the strong and growing people-to-people relations between Korea and
the Philippines which help promote mutual understanding between us,” he said at the 2nd
Philippines-Korea Partnership Forum held at the Intercontinental Manila last week.
“More than 740,000 Koreans visited the Philippines in 2010, ranking Korea as the top
tourist arrivals. This year, a million Koreans will be visiting the Philippines, an increase of 30
percent compared to last year,” Lee added.
According to him, some 115,000 Koreans are residing in the Philippines, drawn by
practical living in the country, English-speaking locals and a shared history and values.
More flights
Airline linkage has also been on an upswing with 150 flights between the Philippines and
South Korea on a weekly basis, or more than 20 flights every day, Lee said.
Since 2006, Koreans have been the top visitors to the Philippines, followed by Americans
who previously dominated the ranking, and the Japanese, government figures showed.
But more than people-to-people exchange, Lee said he was cheered by the ever deepening
“heart-to-heart” relations between the two countries and the Filipinos’ growing fondness for
Korean popular culture under the so-called Korean wave, or “hallyu.”
“Since my assumption in July 2010, I have seen growing interest by Filipinos toward
Korean telenovelas and K-pop,” he told an audience of diplomats and academics in the forum
jointly organized by the University of the Philippines Asian Center and Ateneo Center for Asian
Studies.
Lee cited the creation of the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines “in order to sustain
the growing cultural affinity” between the two countries and to further promote cultural exchange
and enhance cooperation.

A study by the market research firm, TNS Global, titled “Filipino Perception of Korea and
the Koreans” found that Korean culture was among the top three cultures Filipinos were attracted
to, along with that of the United States and Japan.

In her presentation, Marie Lee of TNS Global said the most popular Korean cultural
activities among Filipinos were pop concerts, food festivals and Korean telenovelas (or
Koreanovelas).

The most recalled Korean celebrities, according to the study, were the Korean girl group
“Wonder Girls,” which popularized the song “Nobody,” pop star Rain, girl band 2NE1, whose
members include Sandara Park who started her career in the Philippines and boy band Super
Junior.

“Baker King” topped the list of popular Korean dramas, followed by “Jewel in the Palace,”
“Temptation of Wife” and “Boys over Flowers.”

Filipinos also showed awareness of Korean food and drinks such as kimchi, ginseng and
soju, Korean brands such as Samsung, Kia and LG and most knew of Taekwondo’s Korean origins.
‘Still largely unfamiliar’
But the study found that “traditional Korean culture and language are still largely
unfamiliar to Filipinos.”
“Nearly everybody knows there is a North and a South Korea, but only about half of those
who have seen the South Korean flag know that it is South Korea’s,” it added.
The study, conducted from April 6 to 11, used a random sample of 300 Metro Manila
respondents between 15 and 45 years old, from all economic classes, and who must be aware of
Korean culture and who do not reject Korean culture in general.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura Del Rosario, speaking at the same forum, said the
affinity between South Korea and the Philippines could be traced back to the Korean war when
the Philippines sent some 7,500 expeditionary forces to help defend Seoul from the invading
communist North. (Former President Fidel V. Ramos was among the Filipino Korean War
veterans, while martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. covered the war as a correspondent
for the Manila Times.) “I would like to believe that the reason they [Koreans] are here is because
we were there,” Del Rosario said.
But the presence of more Koreans has also increased the potential of cross-cultural conflict.
Another study presented at the forum by the International Organization for Migration
(IOM), “Korean Community in the Philippines: Existing and Emerging Challenges,” discussed
language and other barriers between the two cultures based on interviews with Koreans living in
the Philippines. In a presentation, Wansoo Lee of the IOM Migration Research and Training Center
said the study found that some Koreans had exhibited “self-centered perception, attitude,
behavior” and “disregard of Filipino, rules, legal process,” as well as “reckless behavior, less effort
to acculturate.”

Lacking in basic social skills

The attitude of Koreans toward Filipinos also showed the former’s “lack of basic social
skills,” according to the study, which found that only 14 percent of the respondents answered yes
when asked whether they trust Filipinos while 42.9 percent replied no.
More than a third, or 38.3 percent, agreed with a statement that “Filipinos take advantage of
others,” and only 22.1 percent did not. But almost half, or 42.7 percent, did not agree that “Filipinos
complain a lot.”
 Two-thirds of the respondents, or 64.7 percent, answered no when asked if “Filipinos
follow the rules” while a scant 6.8 percent said yes, the study found. About an equal number of
the Korean respondents said yes and no when asked whether they had Filipino friends, with 26.4
percent saying yes, and 26.9 percent saying no. But more of the respondents, 26.9 percent,
answered in the affirmative when asked if there were “Filipinos who like me” than those who said
no, at 19.3 percent. An overwhelming majority, or 86 percent, of the respondents disagreed that
there are “Filipinos who bother/threaten me.”
The same study also found that more than half of the respondents answered yes when
asked if crimes were increasing against Koreans in the Philippines while only 11.7 percent
disagreed. Another 36.1 percent agreed that crimes committed by Koreans were increasing
against nine percent who did not. “But most respondents consider that their living area (61.5
percent) and working place (49.7 percent) are safe,” according to the study which used
quantitative surveys for 592 respondents and in-depth interviews with 21 participants.
The respondents considered the most serious crimes committed against Koreans as
robbery at 50.8 percent, theft at 48 percent, fraud at 45.6 percent, kidnapping at 37.3 percent,
murder at 19.9 percent and gambling at 17.9 percent. By contrast, crimes by Koreans that were
considered most serious were gambling at 62.2 percent, fraud at 57.9 percent, sexual exploitation
at 22.6 percent, violence at 22.1 percent, drugs at 20.4 percent and bribery at 16 percent.
The study found that the respondents admitted they did not feel safe with Filipinos and
strangers, with 45.8 percent afraid of a crime committed by Filipinos and 42.2 percent of a crime
carried out by strangers. Some 26.5 percent said they feared crime by their compatriots.

Show respect for Filipinos

Under the section “Way Forward,” the study recommended that Koreans living in the
Philippines “learn English and Tagalog asap, understand [the] culture, ways of life and history of
the Philippines, and show respect [for] and trust [in] Filipinos, behave properly.”
Koreans were also advised to “smile more, speak peacefully and listen carefully,” as well
as to try to find a Filipino mentor, the study said.
In response to the growing Korean community, the Philippine National Police created in July a
“Korean desk” in offices of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group nationwide, which was
aimed at catering to Koreans involved in crimes, either as a victim or a suspect.

Source: Yap, D. (December 12, 2011). Filipinos attracted to Korean culture, K-pop, Koreanovelas.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/109439/filipinos-
attracted-to-korean-culture-k-pop-koreanovelas

Explanation
Understanding Hallyu culture and how K-dramas have impacted the Philippines is quite
easy since it is a phenomenon at the moment. Filipinos, especially in our quarantine days, in any
age group, but mostly women, are crazy over K-dramas. By watching, Filipinos are enticed to visit
South Korea (where K-dramas are from), and learn more about its culture.
 Primarily, Hallyu culture constitutes many parts of Korean culture, not only its
entertainment. It is a combination of Korea‟s ancient culture and modern ideas. In this lesson,
we shall focus more on the negative effects or disadvantages of consuming Hallyu culture to
Filipinos.
In the news article published by Inquirer (Yap, 2011), South Korea has brought a lot to the
Philippines. Their citizens visit the country yearly in increasing number. They also invest in the
Philippines through their academy set up, employing Filipino teachers. They build Korean
restaurants and still employ Filipino workers. Moreover, South Korean K-pop idols hold their
concerts in the Philippines.
But who really gains from these investments? Surely, Filipinos who consume parts of
Hallyu culture are entertained. Aside from that, what else? Workers from the restaurants and
academies get to have jobs, but at what cost? The answer is low. For example, in Korean
academies, teachers are usually paid minimum wage compared to Japanese academies. I can
attest to this because I worked in a Korean academy before and a Japanese academy. My friends,
who have also worked in both, also say the same thing. Furthermore, when K-pop idols hold their
concerts in the Philippines, who gets more money? When Filipinos emulate Korean stars and buy
Korean products, who gets more money?
Many might say that enjoying Hallyu culture is a part of the Philippines’ globalization
efforts. Also, an exchange of culture happens. But, does it really happen? In the same news article
mentioned above, many Koreans who visit the Philippines do not trust Filipinos. Many of them
visit and study in the Philippines because it is cheap here. Many of them also disregard Filipino
values, considering themselves as a higher race.
This foreign influence in the popular culture of Filipinos is a warning enough that
consumption of any pop culture should be walked with caution. Are we losing our identity when
we follow the trends of other countries? Are we making our country lose money? Are we doing
our country a disservice? Are we valuing more the culture of others than our own? These might
be trivial things to you, but if everyone does ask these questions before blindly consuming any
popular culture, it might help the country more as a whole.
In the lesson summary, Erik Matti was mentioned. He posted on his Twitter account that
K-dramas are “faux Cinderalla stories” and that the Philippine film industry is doomed. Many have
pointed out that Filipinos watch K-dramas because they are not generic. They tackle societal
issues, unlike Pinoy’s works in which a third-party plot is mostly the content. Do you agree with
this? To this question, the answer is up to you.

Learning Tasks/Activities
In an essay form, identify two things in which an average Filipino citizen can help promote
Philippine entertainment to the world. Allot one paragraph for each solution. The paragraph
should have at least 5 sentences. Below is the format for your guidance.