Ko-razy-ean Wave

Kate Macapagal

In bewildering news, the Philippines ranked third in a list of countries with the most K-pop fans,
surpassing South Korea. According to Twitter’s K-pop data from 2021, the Philippines trailed
Indonesia in first place and Japan in second place. As the Korean wave gained popularity in the
Philippines, Filipinos embraced its culture and practices, which led to crazy behavior.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Social Science and Humanity,
Hallyu or “Koreanovelas” arrived in the Philippines in the early 2000s via Korean dramas. Hallyu
was only the beginning of how Filipinos embraced South Korean culture and products.

More than half of the population of Filipinos knows exactly the K-pop things. From music to
dances, foods to culture. Even beggar kids know how to dance K-pop music and have their
bias. This led to the downfall of our own culture. Stores in some sectors of the Philippines chose
to sell Korean products rather than Philippine products. Before we embrace others’ dances, why
don’t we teach ourselves to perform Tinikling and Cariñosa?

Some K-Pop fans are crazy addicted to buying merchandise and albums of their favorite K-Pop
Star even if it means lying and stealing some money from their parents pocket. A recent case
was reported when “Bea” revealed how much money she stole from her grandmother. Isn’t it
quite alarming?

In my opinion, it’s not necessary to buy their merchs like light bombs, photo cards and albums.
Because in the end, we don’t need those things in our life. Aren't we starting to neglect our own
legacy if we continue to welcome other’s practices?

Fan’s obsession with their idols was now intense. Some fans do get carried away with their
strong passion and intense emotions towards the artist, causing bouts of jealousy whenever
their favorite artists interact with the opposite gender or are caught in a dating scandal. It often
leads to unhealthy obsessions, such as fans disregarding their health and personal priorities for
the sake of keeping up with everything and anything their favorite idol does.

Globalization is a bigger wave than Hallyu that is coming to our shores, even though Kpop is
huge internationally. One aspect of it is the hallyu wave. Our country still craves its own identity.
International trends continue to arrive on our shores, and while we welcome them, we also need
to identify our own edge and nurture it in order to make an effect of our own. If we can use the
richness of ability and expertise that exists in the Philippines, perhaps one day we will not only
have admirers, but also be the object of their admiration and craze.