Korean Wave in Chicago

The Japan America Society of Chicago is sponsoring a panel on the wave of Korean pop culture sweeping Asia Thurs Jan 10 in Chicago. From the announcement:

In recent years, a wave of South Korean pop culture has swept across East and Southeast Asia. In Japan, the wild popularity of a Korean television drama called “Winter Sonata” has led to throngs of Japanese women packing tourist buses to sites in Korea. South Korean movies, dramas, and music fly off the shelves in Singapore, China and the Philippines. This broad phenomenon is referred to as “hallyu” in Korean, meaning Korean Wave. This program will address various aspects of the “hallyu” phenomenon in Korea and the U.S.; the South Korean government’s involvement in the export of Korean cultural products; and the social and economic impact of Korean drama’s in Japan and East Asia.

Here's the flyer.

I'll have more on this event later in the week -- possibly even some audio!

In the meantime I'll pimp this Jeff Yang article again. Great background on the business side of the Korean film Wave.