History of KPOP

1992- Debut of Seo-Taiji and Boys

*The first group to incorporate western and Korean music together. Companies started
to take notice of their immense popularity with the new genre, so more groups emerged, making
the same music as incorporating both music type.
1997- The start of emerging second generation groups: H.O.T and Sechs Kies.
S.M Entertainment- First largest Korean entertainment company to be established, by Lee Soo
Man.
-Trained and created numerous artists such as H.O.T, TVXQ and Super
Junior.
-said to be the company that started the Kpop Wave.
KPOP in the Philippines
Emergence of Korean Dramas in the Philippine televisions
Key persons that greatly influenced the Kpop scene in the Philippines:

Rain- through his popular Korean Drama, Full House, a lot of younger generations took
notice of his attractive features and personality. This is also the time when people are
starting to prominently use the internet in the country. So, people watching Full House
started to look for information about Rain on the internet. They soon then found out that
he is also a performer who can sing and dance. As a result, they started to like Kpop and
eventually appreciated and loved more Korean artists.
Sandara Park- her popularity for joining ABS-CBNs Star Circle Quest, created a lot of
buzz from the audience. As a Korean residing in the Philippines, she was well-loved by
many Filipinos for her quirky personality. She was even dubbed as the Pambansang
Krung-Krung.
- In 2004, she was scouted by YG Entertainment (one of the biggest
entertainment company in Korea). She then left the Philippines to train in
Korea to become an artist.
- In 2009, she debuted as one of the members of the girls group, 2ne1. Her
fame spread all worldwide. Sandara, despite her fame, never forgot to look
back from where she started. Whenever she had interviews, she would
always mention the Philippines as her second home and how she thanked
the people who mentored her while she was still in the country. Because of
this, the Filipinos earned a sense of pride and more became fans of Sandara
Park because of her humility.
-

Global and Filipino Influence

Korean pop musics immense popularity is still quite a mystery especially since there are
various factors at hand like the language barrier, cultural differences and just the entirety of this
phenomenon seems so unprecedented and unstable. However one cant deny this seemingly

addictive appeal of K-pop when it comes to overcoming these barriers thereby acquiring not only
asian Hallyu fans but also in opposite parts of the globe.
i.

Influencing the Cultures

If your go to food is the spicy ddukboki or the stomach-filling samgyupsal, then you mustve at
least watched a Korean drama or two. Korean food or K-food has been influencing the Filipino
food industry in terms the increased use of spices, using fancy ways in preparing barbeque or
simply having food prepared with tons of side dishes to choose from. From eating Korean food
once in a while, ones spice tolerance might have increased without knowing it. The increased
number of restaurants in the Philippines can also be attributed to the number of Korean students
coming over to study English in the country. As a result, the Filipino palate has become more
varied and Asian cuisine is not just traditional anymore but a fusion of a lot of cultures.
Filipinos are already fond of their telenovelas as favorite after-dinner past time. Its no wonder that
Korean dramas or K-dramas are such a big hit here; even being coined as koreanovelas. One
reason for the success might be the need for the audience to have a more expanded taste in their
leading men or the need for story plot variety. Some might prefer the chink-eyed, fair complexion
and tall stature of Korean actors than our local ones. One study also noted that the basis for a
successful actor in a Korean drama is his/her attractiveness, connection with the audience and
credibility in terms of how he has fared in terms of the Korean critics. Even Korean variety shows
are spreading over the student population of the country since these shows are sometimes only
accessed through the internet. Shows like Running Man, Return of Superman and others are
slowly teaching us a different kind of value system that Korea has, like valuing respect. It also
portrays a different kind of humor which is slowly changing our perception on what we find funny.
Then again, most of these shows and dramas are English-subtitled- this hinders a great part of
the audience who cannot be so committed on investing their time to the language adjustment.
Ever heard of the word daebak? How about hwaiting? Surely you must have overheard an ad
or two say, annyeonghasaeyo? These are just some of the famous Korean language or Klingos which is often heard in Korean dramas or from that classmate of yours who is addicted to
K-pop. The extent of this aspect is not as great as prior two, however, it still has its influences to
the ones who take initiative in learning the Korean culture. That person may influence a friend,
the friend may influence another and the cycle goes on. The point is, as long as a person has the
power to influence, and as long as there is a person who finds Korean culture interesting- the
possibility of the cultures influence is sustained.
How many Filipino beauty products nowadays has a BB cream line? Theres even a CC cream
and thats only the third letter of the alphabet. People might think that the Koreans pioneered this
product however they did not. They were just great marketers. BB cream was first created in
Germany but it was the Koreans who infused this product into their daily routines. It becomes a
norm in their culture that it is not considered a makeup product. In dramas one would ask Do you
have make-up on? It looks so natural and the latter would reply No, just BB cream and then
both would enthusiastically engage in a beauty regime dialogue. Korean products or Kproducts are affecting Filipinos in terms of the amount of beauty products used, fashion and even
deeper issues like beauty standards. Filipino women would use to only wash their face then put

powder on but lately their beauty regime has become lengthier. Did you know that Koreans have
a 10-step regime before they sleep? As for fashion, Koreans are fond of layering because of their
cold weather. However the weather here is not stopping k-pop enthusiasts to sport the same
fashion. Although the previous facts contribute to the standards of Korean beauty, it is a wellknown fact that most of them already have porcelain white skin which may be through historical
evolution. Nonetheless, more Filipino women are wanting to have the same skin color because
of that influence. This results to an increased number of beauty supplement intake, high demand
for kojic soap or even as adverse as glutathione injections.

Global and Filipino Influence

Korean pop musics immense popularity is still quite a mystery especially since there are various
factors at hand like the language barrier, cultural differences and just the entirety of this
phenomenon seems so unprecedented and unstable. However one cant deny this seemingly
addictive appeal of K-pop when it comes to overcoming these barriers thereby acquiring not only
asian Hallyu fans but also in opposite parts of the globe.
ii.

Influencing the Cultures

If your go to food is the spicy ddukboki or the stomach-filling samgyupsal, then you mustve at
least watched a Korean drama or two. Korean food or K-food has been influencing the Filipino
food industry in terms the increased use of spices, using fancy ways in preparing barbeque or
simply having food prepared with tons of side dishes to choose from. From eating Korean food
once in a while, ones spice tolerance might have increased without knowing it. The increased
number of restaurants in the Philippines can also be attributed to the number of Korean students
coming over to study English in the country. As a result, the Filipino palate has become more
varied and Asian cuisine is not just traditional anymore but a fusion of a lot of cultures.
Filipinos are already fond of their telenovelas as favorite after-dinner past time. Its no wonder that
Korean dramas or K-dramas are such a big hit here; even being coined as koreanovelas. One
reason for the success might be the need for the audience to have a more expanded taste in their
leading men or the need for story plot variety. Some might prefer the chink-eyed, fair complexion
and tall stature of Korean actors than our local ones. One study also noted that the basis for a
successful actor in a Korean drama is his/her attractiveness, connection with the audience and
credibility in terms of how he has fared in terms of the Korean critics. Even Korean variety shows
are spreading over the student population of the country since these shows are sometimes only
accessed through the internet. Shows like Running Man, Return of Superman and others are
slowly teaching us a different kind of value system that Korea has, like valuing respect. It also
portrays a different kind of humor which is slowly changing our perception on what we find funny.
Then again, most of these shows and dramas are English-subtitled- this hinders a great part of
the audience who cannot be so committed on investing their time to the language adjustment.
Ever heard of the word daebak? How about hwaiting? Surely you must have overheard an ad
or two say, annyeonghasaeyo? These are just some of the famous Korean language or Klingos which is often heard in Korean dramas or from that classmate of yours who is addicted to
K-pop. The extent of this aspect is not as great as prior two, however, it still has its influences to

the ones who take initiative in learning the Korean culture. That person may influence a friend,
the friend may influence another and the cycle goes on. The point is, as long as a person has the
power to influence, and as long as there is a person who finds Korean culture interesting- the
possibility of the cultures influence is sustained.
How many Filipino beauty products nowadays has a BB cream line? Theres even a CC cream
and thats only the third letter of the alphabet. People might think that the Koreans pioneered this
product however they did not. They were just great marketers. BB cream was first created in
Germany but it was the Koreans who infused this product into their daily routines. It becomes a
norm in their culture that it is not considered a makeup product. In dramas one would ask Do you
have make-up on? It looks so natural and the latter would reply No, just BB cream and then
both would enthusiastically engage in a beauty regime dialogue. Korean products or Kproducts are affecting Filipinos in terms of the amount of beauty products used, fashion and even
deeper issues like beauty standards. Filipino women would use to only wash their face then put
powder on but lately their beauty regime has become lengthier. Did you know that Koreans have
a 10-step regime before they sleep? As for fashion, Koreans are fond of layering because of their
cold weather. However the weather here is not stopping k-pop enthusiasts to sport the same
fashion. Although the previous facts contribute to the standards of Korean beauty, it is a wellknown fact that most of them already have porcelain white skin which may be through historical
evolution. Nonetheless, more Filipino women are wanting to have the same skin color because
of that influence. This results to an increased number of beauty supplement intake, high demand
for kojic soap or even as adverse as glutathione injections.

Marketing Insights Obtained from the Hallyu Wave and Competitive Scope of Popular
Hallyu Agencies
Big agencies in Korea also use competitive strategies on their different marketing campaigns.
1. Customer-centric approach: market offering is being tailored and adjusted according
to the target markets demand and needs. Companies use this approach when they
organize survival shows upon the selection of their groups members.
2. Pre-emptive/ Proactive Approach: Some of the agencies have pre-release covers of
their artists songs. Those who make covers for the songs were sometimes even more
popular than the promoting group.
3. Artist (Consumer) Promotions: Companies invest a lot on their artists up to the extent
of providing their artists surgical enhancements just to suit the Korean fans. They are
also fond of global promotions, providing their fans with photo cards, posters, and other
memorabilia.
4. Differentiation: Each entertainment agency has their own flagship genre which most
of their artists incorporate on their songs and albums. Ex. Pop, hiphop, ballad, R&B
5. Global Sourcing: It is when companies obtain and provide auditions for new idols to
from other countries.
6. Collaboration: To have greater impact and attract more fan attention, artists from
different agencies collaborate with other artists from other entertainment companies.

7. Centralization: Centralization in this sense means having the agencys CEO write for
the artists songs and decide for how will the promotions will go.
*Culture Technology: cultural contents technology is a concept popularized by Lee Soo-man,
founder of the South Korean music label and talent agency S. M. Entertainment. It is a 3-step
process of exporting K-pop overseas as part of the Korean Wave. It is when a certain countrys
technology is being marketed to other cultures through entertainment.
3 Steps in Culture Technology
A. Training Process: It involves training of the potential entertainment artists. And the
training provided includes dancing workshops, vocal lessons, and acting workshops.
B. International Collaboration: Step two involves expanding the presence of K-Pop
musicians in overseas music markets by teaming up with local entertainment companies
and organizing virtual concerts outside South Korea.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_technology)
C. Joint Ventures (with local agencies)