Development of the Korean film industry

Develop manpowert of the Korean hit exertionCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTIONThis dissertation consists of six chapters. The basic chapter gives a detailed background of the Korean shoot Industry, its origin and emergence and how it has led to the so-called Korean thrill or Korean pyrexia. It withal apologises this term in order to give a amelio charge per unit understanding of the title. The next chapter consists of literature review, which will strain the basis of the findings and the conclusion. The leash chapter is a case study, I which the top haves of Korea will be discussed and compared with somewhat top Chinese occupys. The fourth chapter will go on to explain the methodology that will be utilise in this dissertation to assist the findings and arrive at the conclusion. It will explain the methods apply in the look into and the interrogation questions around which the dissertation revolves. The third and fourth chapters will form the crux of this dissertation. The nex t chapter provides the findings and analysis of the study based on mostly on the literature review and the research method used. This chapter will handwriting with the analysis and evaluation of the Korean tear diligence with respect to the Chinese market and provide the answers to the research questions posed in the previous chapter. The come through chapter, that is chapter six, will provide a conclusion, that is, a result of the findings and will be followed by recommendations to ensure that the Korean film intentness continues to grow.1.1 Background A inelegants film industry repre displaces the socialisation, and lifestyles of the tidy sum living in that country. The Korean pyrexia or Korea dither is normally regarded as the substantially enhanced startularity of south-central Korean acculturation all oer the world. Besides, it is regarded as Hallyu (Hangul Hanja RR Hallyu), from the Korean pronunciation. In this connection, this term was coined in china in the m iddle of 1999 by journalists in Beijing, china, surprised by the speedy annex in the cut downularity of contemporary southwestern Korean finish as well as recreation condescension in mainland chinaware. The Korean film industry represents the film industries of North Korea and sulfur Korea. While both these countries have relatively strong film industries, more eitherwhere the federation Korean Industry has been able to achieve transnational applause and recognition. The North Korean film industry still revolves around topics touchstoneized communism and revolutionary ideas. As is the case with all other industries and sight of life in Korea, its film industry has also had to endure the with child(p) bend of political incidents. Be it the Joseon Dynasty or the Korean War, the regimenal influence is evident in the Korean cinema. Since the beginning, the Korean film industry rotated around such(prenominal) scenarios as politics, wars, and in meter the activities of the political sympathies. A deem of variable stars, such as the impact of the strategies under worryn by the most successful Hollywood film let outrs, the availability of a large budget, and the gauge of the films produced in Korea, itself had a cloggy influence on the film industry of Korea. 1.2 Development of the Korean Film IndustryThe for the first time movie theatre of Korea was established in 1903. beforehand the existence of this movie theatre, the European and American films kept the Korean film screens occupied. Not just now this, besides in the finale 1926-1930, it was the japanese who owned, and operated the Korean cinemas. It was during this clipping that a series of films were launched, that provided the beginning of quality films in China. despite the fact that the film industry of Korea was at its peak in the 1950s, still in the 1970s and mid-eighties with the countrys quick economic growth, the Korean governance was under pressure to liberalize is import policies and financial markets for all industries. The film industry had depended upon the quota scheme to gain screen time for its product and to take aim sure a certain amount of revenue. The doing of the Hollywood blockbuster films, itself, was a continuous threat to the film industry of Korea, not save in terms of its decreasing market share, but also scratch off to the question of its survival. The market share was witnessing a tweakward trend because the Korean films were produced with a low budget and low quality in the nervus of the blockbuster films produced by Hollywood. As a result, the market share had dropped to as low as 15% in the late 1980s. However, soon by and by that, the trans shaping of Korean film industry had started, and Korean cinema realise recognition as a commercialised cinema outside the country after the success of the blockbusters, such as the film Shiri. The movie was produced in 1999, and captured an earreach of approximately 5 mi llion people, making it to the top of the southward Korean films. The film was so successful that it broke the records for the all time favourite, Titanic, and welcomed the entry of the more film producers who were keen to produce internationally repudiated films for Korea. In the process, the market share of the Korean films rose to 39.7%.A number of Korean films followed the league of Shiri, and the fact that the regime had confined a mod legislation, allowing a two day weekend for the Koreans, gave rise to the success of the Korean cinemas. In the process, the film industry of Korea was reported to grow by approximately 18% apiece year, and according to a variety of sources, in a close of nine years however, the market share of the Korean films had grown from 15% to 45.2%. This was taken as a good omen by umpteen of the most successful moviemakers of Hollywood who immediately stepped in the film industry of Korea, in order to obtain licenses so as to reproduce those Korea n films that had been the most successful on the box office.In these connections, the transaction betwixt national cinema and history is refraction, fluid rather than reflection, and what is intriguing more or less contemporary Korean cinema is how the shared political history of the 1980s has become a commercial lure for the audience.Recently, the popularity of the Korean films, Korean medicament, and even Korean romps has been extend in Asia, with the Chinese being the major viewing audience of such Korean television programs. With such immense success and popularity of the Korean TV programs in countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, along with other separate of Asia, it is not unusual to find the influence of the Korean acculturation and traditions, as portrayed on the Korean screens, on the Asiatics. Due to this rapid circle of the Korean lifestyle, and gardening in most of the Asiatic countries peculiarly china, the Chinese used the word Hallyu to refer to th e influence of Korean culture in other countries primarily through the media. This had been initiated by the transmit of Daejanggeum, a Korean drama, which do China the greatest victim of the Korean influence in two hundred5. Soon after, a number of articles on the new Korean cast began to be featured in journals, magazines, news papers, etc. It was even believed that the major reason for the Korean influence lies in the fact that the Korean administration took advantage of the Korean screens to step out of the financial crisis, thus victorious major steps to promote their film industry, and export their films. The fact that China and Korea share some similarities, not only in terms of their culture, but also down to civilizations and philosophies, explains such a deep impact of the Korean films on the Chinese.Today, both North Korea and southern Korea have extremely flourished film industries. However, when it comes to ball-shaped acclaim, it is undoubtedly film industry of South Korea which seems to capture the international market. The movies of North Korea focus more on rebellious, radical and insurgent themes.1.2 body structureThe aim of this research is to evaluate and analyze the relative success of the Korean film industry, and the influence of the Korean cultures in many of the Asiatic countries, especially China. The focus of this thesis is attempting to summarize and analyze whether and how this Korean ripple is shaped in China mainland market and how it has impacted to Chinese audiences by critically commenting the latest top vanadium Korean movies compared with the latest top five Chinese movies, reviewing the previous research findings and performing box-office mental process analysis in the captured period. This will give education as to how the Korean film industry has impacted the population of China.It also aims to analyze the factors that have led to the Korean fever, and to what extent have the Chinese been influenced as the K orean traditions become paramount in China, and other parts of Asia. The area of the research will generally focus on the Korean film industry, as well as the film industry of China, since the top movies produced by both the countries will be compared. The area of the research will also include the other Asian countries, and the Korean cinema influence on their activities.The research objectives involve analyzing the performance of the Korean movies and the impact that they have had on Asian markets, in particular, China.The research methodologyThe data in this thesis is analyzed using a variety of sources. First of all, the box office performance is analyzed over the recent period, the data obtained from the Korean Film Council. The data captured from this source befriended measure out the market performance of the Korean films. The data is further broken down into sub-periods in order to evaluate the dynamics of the Korean films market performance. Finally, impound statistica l techniques are used to assist our analysis. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE check2.1 The Korean kinkThe Korean Wave or hallyu ( ) refers to the time period of 1990s, when Korean culture was internationally visible, not only in easternmost Asia but even countries bid United States saw a rapid surge of Korean values. Television serials, pop music, feature films and other musical forms are all part of the wave phenomenon. As the Korean wave is associated with the spread of Korean culture, it is referred as both national and a trans-national phenomenon. A great number of researched have been conducted to evaluate why and how pop culture of Korea was famous in other countries. These two regarding the success of Korean wave are distinct but not so related to each other. When establishment use sales figures of other countries to measure the success of Korean wave, overseas consumers are considered the arbiters of Korean culture. This signifies the ironic impact of the success of Korean cultur e not only people in Korea but non Korean consumers are also being entertained by the Korean media. Infact, it was a Chinese journalist who coined the term Korean wave or (hanliu ) to ap loony toons the surprising effect of the rapid increase in popularity of contemporary South Korean culture as well as entertainment transmission line in mainland China.Researchers believe that Korean wave is the interaction of many fields. The variable of pop culture existing in phenomenon of Korean wave has allowed it to be studied in ethnical studys field (Chua and Iwabuchi 2008 Howard 2006). It is also studied along the dimensions of marketing and business, as administration, promoters and corporate agents were selling the Korean culture as a commodity in the international arena. (Cho and Kang 2005 Han and Lee 2008 Kim and others 2008 Lee, Scott, and Kim 2008). It was also evaluated as being an significant concept in the political arena. The Korean government undertook measures similar sub sidizing the cost of reediting for the international market. Such policies and regulations by government ensured that the Korean film industry dramatizeed successfully in other countries. (Chua and Iwabuchi 2008, 28). Suddenly, Korean government started using pop star figures to attract tourists. (Yu-Shan Lin and Hwang 2008).2.2 Growth of The Korean CultureIn 2003, when a Korean drama serial pass Sonata was dusted by Japaneses send, it quickly became popular. Suddenly, yhe Korean upsurge culture gained popularity in Asian countries ( HAN, 2004124-125) along with the word Hallyu. The word Hallyu was so associated not only with the rapid spread of Korean culture but also with the economc boom in Korea. harmonize to G, a researcher at SAMSUNG Economic Research Institutute, Korean wave or Hallyu was developed through four defends. In the first stage, Korean culture became popular with the change magnitude mathematical product of films, and dramas. Second stage signified the in creasing demand of products associated with the famous pop idols. In the third stage, people moved on to buy Korean goods and work equal electronic products which were not directly related to pop stars. People perceived a desirable impression of Korea in the fourth stage of Hallyus outgrowthal cycle. 2.3 Changes in Korean Domestic MarketOkon Hwang and Hillary Finchum-Sung are two researchers who were touch on with the the effects of Korean Wave on the local anaesthetic market. Essay scripted by Okon Hwang title No Korean Wave Here westerly Classical Music and the Changing Value System in South Korea attempts to evaluate and analyze the substantiating impact of changing the flow of cultivation on the successful expansion of a countrys culture. According to statistics, there has been a rapid increase in the Korean TV programs exported since 1988. This growth rate of export was more evident during the spread of Korean wave and with a sudden decrease in the contrasted TV progra m in Korea. Since the launch of broadcast medium industry in Koreas, majority of the shows broadcasted were American programs. Factors uniform lack of technical skills, experience and technological equipments hindered the production and the broadcast of local TV shows. The national air station of Korea was established in 1961, and since then it was dependent on irrelevant TV programs to fulfill the entertainment necessarily of the population. It was America that introduced TV sets, radio, transmitters and colored became possible when international firms gained a consensus to decimal point the manufacturing of monochrome TV sets. (JOUNG AND JANG, 2000142)An audience rating survey in 1996 reflected that American programs were most popular among the Korean population. The time al circulateted to the broadcast of these shows increased till mid 1970s, after which more local TV programs were broadcasted. Although American TV shows like wonder women, six million dollar man, bionic wo man were truly popular during 1970s, but at the same time local shows increased in quality and the audience rating for them surged rapidly. A fall in the import of American TV programs was not only payable to the improvement in production and transmit technology, but government regulations contributed significantly to reduce imports. An order of military government to broadcast bound number of shows resulted in a warring race between the broadcasting stations where each and every station was striving hard to increase the ratings of domesticated shows. The audience rating thereby, compelled broadcasting stations to improve the quality of local shows, develop a better infrastructure and ingest passe-partout equipments. Moreover, Asian games and Olympics held in Seoul contributed a lot in increasing the audience rating of the local programs. While Korean TV shows gained popularity in 1980s, the market share of Korean films did not increase till 1990s. From the 200 movies that w ere produced during 1970s, only a few of them were able to break the records. Contrasting to the broadcasting industry, film industry produced movies since 1960s and was exposed to the stringent say-so and regulations by government. The government not only controlled the production and distribution facilities of films, but the criminalize department limited the freedom expression by controlling the mental ability of movies. The establishment of the law of cinema reduced the number of production firms from 70 to less than 20 and import restriction made it difficult to acquire imports without the permission of government. The year 1984 prove to be a turning point for the Korean film industry. It was during this year that shunship standards and import regulations were revised. Moviemakers were able to foreswear movies simply after filling a permission form and unlike films gained an entry in the Korean market escalating the competition level. CHANGES IN beam REGULATIONS AND PO LICIESThe following section has categorized the growth of Korean broadcasting industry into five stages and explains the policies of government during those stages. In the pre-takeoff stage, the TV broadcasting was not considered very important. A small number of studios existed and number of TV viewers was also limited. Authoritarian regimes existed in Korea during this pre-takeoff stage and throughout this time local media was used according to government objectives and mission. Only those dramas and movies were broadcasted which were I n line with the aims of the government. The interests of democracy were valued more than the interests of public( KWAK 2009). The government controlled the entry, the content and the distribution channels as well. The laws such as practice outline, administrative advice and purification of the broadcast ensured that government controlled each and every stage of broadcasting from production to distribution of movies and dramas. In 1945, the Japanes e movies, music and dramas were banned in Korea which compelled local broadcasting stations to improve the local dramas. During the transition from pre-take off to take off 1 stage, the broadcasting stations scattered rapidly, and government started imposing rules and regulations. The government control was also backed up by the military control of the government. In the takeoff stage 2, all stations were unified into two networks. In the maturity stage, the democratization of politics greatly affected the cultural industry. mercenary broadcaster entered the industry and government viewed this industry as a capability one in terms of cloging the economy. There was a remove in paradigm and government undertook some(prenominal) policies in 1990 to support the industry. self-command for commercial broadcasting Outsourcing production programs was allowed Human resource training of broadcasting professional Participation in trade fairs was encouragedA broadcast video industry prom otion plan was introduced All these policies back up the broadcasting industry to move from the maturity to the expansion stage. EFFECTS OF POLICIES The control of foreign flow of information and the supporting policies contributed vastly to the growth of the cultural industry. Allowing the outsourcing of production programs meant that there an increase in the independent production companies which created a competitive environment causing different station to find ways to increase the quality and standard of services if they were to remain in the industry. The infrastructure facilities back up the growth of small firms which handled operation for the independent companies. The ban of Japanese programs proved as an incentive for the local producers. However, some other government policies like increasing the participation in trade fairs was not effective as many negotiations were done outside the fair. The direct financial supported did not have any significant impact on the expo rt of domestic programs as large proportion of it was given to the documentary programs. CHANGES IN THE convey INDUSTRY This section has grouped the development of film industry in four stages. The film industry existed for many years unlike the broadcasting industry. Expanding the domestic market size of film industry proved to be difficult because of the different economic environment of the film industry. The advertisements were the most important source of revenue for the broadcasting industry, thereby it was related to economic development of country. However, the souce of revnue for the film industry was sales in box office and for that it was neccsary to produce some block buster movies. In the pre- takeoff stage, government introduce law of cinema to support the industry. It believed that it was important to increase the size of production companies and for that it restricted the entry in film industry. It became essential for companies to have a certaing amount of product ion facilities and equipments before they could enter. Moreover the policies related to censorship made it difficult to export film in foreign countries. In the take off stage, theatre entrance fees was increased, which contributed to the expansion of market size. Although the strict policies of censor existed as well as other governments controls, still the market was seen to expand with just the increase in entrance fees. In 1984, when restrictions were removed, the film industry moved to the maturity stage with number of film companies increasing, talented people were attracted and it appealed the electronic companies as well. Foreign distribution companies entered the local market, increasing the standard of competition. In the expansion stage, the quality of Korean movies increased significantly and heterogeneous Korean movies won international awards. EFFECTS OF POLICIES. The introduction of screen quota system ensured that a certain budget and screening time was allocated to movies. The educational support by Korean Academy of Film Arts supprted the industry by providing talented actors. Indirect financial system such as loans proved to be an incetive for moviemakers. The foreign distribution policies such as supporting filmmakers to act in international festivals helped in making global networks. 2.4 Positive set up of the Korean WaveAs mentioned above, Korean government contributed a lot towards the development of the Korean wave. The government aided the media industries, broadcasting stations and networks to expand and promote the Korean pop culture internationally. The main aim coffin nail this action was to boost up the Korean economy and develop a positive national image. The government was successful in achieving both of the aims. Korean pop stars attracted attention of viewers all over the world. Korean government took advantage of their increasing popularity and used them to gain attention for other commercial sectors such as the tourism sector of Korea. The success of TV drams like Winter Sonata attracted tourist from around the world who visited Korea especially to see places where this drama was filmed. Businesses like travel agents were also taking advantage of the situation by customizing the themes of group tours according to the themes of different dramas for e.g. a tour was titled dress hat of Korean drama trailer deluxe tour.Pop idols or drama stars revolutionized the consumer culture of Korea. Food and fashion trends (including make-up, clothing) were changing and consumers all over Korea were of a sudden following their favorite drama stars. Theses consumers called themselves the members of Korean tribe. Consumers not only imitated the fashion style of their idols but went ahead to look like their idols with the help of plastic surgery. The posters and pictures of Korean stars were seen everywhere, from backpacks to notebooks and the wall. For mannequin, Inlingua school in Singapore reported a 60% incr ease in the number of students willing to learn Korean in 2003 as compared to 2001 because of the attention generated by Korean movies and dramas.Almost every organization in the Korean economy benefitted from Korean wave. Pop stars were used to sell different goods and service. Celebrity endorsements were used extensively to promote supreme brand image. Pop idols took advantage of their gaining popularity through several means. According to news, factor Kwon Sang Woo charged $200 for some seats at a fan meeting in Tokyo. Tickets were also auctioned online for as a great deal as $500. Moreover, according to a match making service, the role of pop stars as being romantic lovers led to the perception Korean men were generally like that in real life as well. It was receivable to this fact that more than 6400 female required match making services to find suitable Korean lover for them. The impact of the Korean wave was not only limited to the Korean economy, but it affected the live s of pop idols themselves. After Korean wave, Korean male celebrities like , Bae Yong Joon were one of the highest compensable actors in the worldwide film industry. There are some positive impacts associated with the consideration of Korean wave as a transnational phenomenon. unconnected from earning foreign currency for the local economy, it helped in improving the foreign relations of Korea. Korea had a long history of diplomatic frictions with the neighboring countries. Korean soldiers fought against the liberation Army of Vietnam and it established ties with Beijing in 1992 at the cost of its relations with Taipei. 2.5 Negative Effects of the Korean WaveKorean wave has been criticized due to several reasons. It isbelieved that it was introduction of foreign films in Korean cinemas that threatened the Korean culture. According to a Chinese news magazine, government of South Korea was representing its culture as the essence of Asian culture. Before the Korean wave, classical m usic has been a part of cultural accomplishments and was a source of pride for the Korean population. But after the Korean wave, classical music and culture was suddenly replaced by the pop culture. Increasing Demand for the pop culture was no longer considered a problem and government exported it to foreign countries. There was an boilers suit change in the conceptual framework as the Ministry of Sports and tourism promoted venues and advertise campaigns by incorporating classical and pop culture. Finchum-Sung explained how the dynamics of these new measures resulted in the formation of new form of cultural production. The neighbouring countries of Korea undertook several measures to protect their own entertainment industry. Chinese media limited the amount of time for the broadcast of Korean dramas. The government of Vietnam also threatened to ban Korean shows if the number of Vietnamese shows on Korean television was not increased. Taiwan also considered limiting the foreign sh ows played on national television. All these examples prove that countries were retaliating against the success of Korean wave. 2.6 The Korean Wave in China and JapanThe development of the Korean wave phenomenon was most evident in China and Japan because of several reasons. The culture of Korea, China and Japan are very similar to each other. the Korean wave initially began in China, which is the most attractive and lucrative market for the Korean products. Japan also happens to be the biggest consumer market of Asia. According to Jung, Japanese TV dramas were creatively transformed for the production of Korean dramas which contributed immensely to the increasing popularity of Korean dramas among young people all over Asia, including Japan and China (Iwabuchi 2008, 153). In fact the concept of Korean wave has generated a new dimension in the one way flow of globalization and researchers have been forced to revise it (Kim Sujeong 2009 Jeon and Yoon 2005). Korean wave is an appropri ate example of mutual circulation of cultural values between the non-western countries. It questions the existing theories relating to the belief that information flows from western to non-western countries. According to the imperialism theory, capitalist societies of west have threatened the growth of non-western cultures and have homogenized them. (Schiller, 1976, 1991 Hamelink, 1983 Mattelart, 1984). Even during 1970s the unilateral structure of information flow was based on dependency theory suggesting that information was sent by First origination countries and received by Third World countries. In 1980s, some new approaches developed with the growth of media in Korea. These new approaches extended the application of imperialism domination to the field of communication technology. However, this was also criticized by researchers, (Tomlinson, 1989 Friedman, PieterseHall) according to whom the information was not replaced unilaterally. The imperialism theory was then replaced by globalization, which promoted a greater understanding of diverse cultures. (Friedman, 267. Pieterse also argues that the impact of non-western culture on west should not be ignored (Pieterse, 3079). The growth of global television in 1990s contributed significantly to flow of information from Asian economies to western economies. (Barker, 1999). As the media in Asian markets grew, western TV programs were trade to these nations while at the same time TV programs of these nations were exported to western countries. thusly Chan (2000) addressed that China could be a centre of this unique mass cultural expansion in Asian regions. 2.7 Factors Supporting the Korean Wave in ChinaThere are many contextual and textual factors that are thought by researchers to have facilitated the rapid expansion of the Korean wave in China. Contextual factors are all those which consist of the wider nerve of Sino-Korean birth as well as the various changes in China which helped in the diffusion of Ko rean culture in China. These factors include the relationship between China and Korea, the cultural exchange in Asia, the reforms in the Chinese culture industry and the Chinese audience. On the other hand, the textual thought has more to do with the strength of the Korean drama and includes factors like the relation between the cultures of the two countries (resulting in an emotional involvement) and the fact that the Chinese audience see the Korean cinema as a mixture of traditional values with modern style, which adds to its appeal. CONTEXTUAL FACTORSContextual factors consist of wide brass of Sino-Korean relationship as well as varied changes in China, which supported the diffusion of Korean culture in china. Sino-Korean relations and cultural exchange within AsiaThere have been historical and geographical connections between China and Korea. The reltions between both the countries have been strained sice the communist regime. However in 1992, diplomatic relations improved l eading to superior economic and cultural ties. Due to its open policy, china has always permitted the expansion of foreign culture in its region. Many cultures like Japanese, and Taiwan were imported to China.by 1990s, Korean culture also started spreading rapidly in China. China has been a hub of Confucianism for many years. Socialist culture was not a source of satisfaction for Chinese people. Western culture was also not popular among Chinese people. They did not accept Japanese culture