SOUTH Korean telenovelas, K-pop music and films have taken the world by storm. 'Extraordinary Atty. Woo' rules on Netflix, BTS tops worldwide music charts, and 'Parasite' won the plum prize at the Cannes Film Festival. These cultural forms are called the 'Hallyu.'Hallyu is a Chinese term that is translated as 'Korean Wave.
Unlike in the Philippines where young people with mestizo features who sound like wolves baying when they sing are allowed to perform, the South Korean talent scouts have the eyes of eagles and the ears of owls. They do not allow mediocre talent to perform. They now have such a huge stake in the global cultural industry that they cannot export just average talents.Moreover, interest in South Korean contemporary writing with English translations sparked after the South Korean cultural invasion.