A rainbow-colored Hallyu experience in Manila

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines held its opening celebration last July 30 with the colorful Hallyu Experience, an exclusive Korean wave event for Kpop fans and Korean drama fan clubs in the Philippines. Although the people were friendly enough, the exclusivity was painfully obvious to outsiders like myself. It was a red carpet event, and the visitors arrived in outfits similar to those worn by the Kpop stars featured in the Hallyu Experience.

To help the clueless, KCC set up a Hallyu Wave Wall Exhibit, outlining the history of the Hallyu craze in the Philippines. From the exhibit, I learned that Hallyu or "Hollywood of the East" was first coined in China in the late 1990s, with the emergence of hit TV dramas from Korea. In 2002, Yoon Seok-Ho's Winter Sonata was first aired in Korea. Its enthusiastic reception in Japan led to a "Yon-sama" syndrome focused on the show's star Bae Yong-joon. In the same year, BoA's debut Japanese album "Listen to My Heart" became the first Korean album to top the Oricon charts. In 2004, director Park Chan-wook's Old Boy became the first Koran film to win the Jury Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, "Daejanggeum" or Jewel in the Palace became a hit in over 60 nations worldwide. In 2008, Korean pop music experienced a boom in popularity, surpassing previous internationally-recognized artists like BoA and Rain, who won the MTV Asia Grand Slam, and were included in TIME's 100 Most Influential People. Today, Kpop releases top music charts, and concert tours by Kpop acts are very well-received. This was quite evident last Saturday, as representatives from various local Kpop and Korean drama organizations eagerly showed their support for the genre. It was a bit difficult to understand the level of excitement. Groups of giggling girls would rush towards framed photos of their favorite Kpop stars, squealing and gushing. During the program, Kpop acts greeted the Philippines via video, and the fans screamed and swooned as if the stars were actually in the room. Unable to relate, I wondered if I had been missing out. Perhaps it had something to do with the language barrier. Hallyu has made its way to the Philippines via remade television dramas like Endless Love and Autumn In My Heart, which was aired on prime time in 2004 and 2006 on GMA 7. But some fans go the extra mile and actually study the Korean language to be able to enjoy their favorite K-pop music and K-dramas without having to depend on subtitles or translations. A representative from Girls' Generation Philippines says he plans to enroll in the language classes offered at the KCC, but for now, he learns through self-study. "Yung language kasi, parang cute siya pakinggan," he says. He also thinks that K-pop groups possess a quality that other artists don't have. "Maganda pakinggan talaga yung songs nila. Mayroon silang projection talaga na nakakaaliw," he explains. KCC director Counsellor Seong Un Hwang says the Hallyu Experience is also meant to show Hallyu fans a different side of Korean culture. "We want all the members of fan clubs to experience Hallyu. At the same time, we show a bit of a different aspect of Korean culture. We display the tradition of music, show them Korean clothes, and food," he says. "Korean culture is not just about K-pop and K- drama. It has more diverse aspects," says the director. This was good news for me, because the idea of synchronized dance moves and upbeat songs I couldn't understand didn't appeal to me. I was, however, looking forward to tasting the rainbow-colored snacks laid out in the kitchen. An assortment of rice cakes and crackers was arranged on the table, protected with cling-wrap from hungry guests like myself. To keep myself away from the food, I walked down the corridor which was lined with pictures of the Hanbok (Korean traditional clothing), Hanguk Eumak (Korean traditional music), Hanji (Korean traditional paper), Hanok (Korean traditional house), Hangeul (Korean alphabet), and Hansik (Korean traditional cuisine). Aside from Korean language classes, KCC also offers cooking classes, traditional dance classes, Kpop dance and Kpop singing workshops, traditional flute lessons, and Taekwondo. The director tells me that the language classes are especially popular with the college crowd. "When we opened the class, in just two days, all the classes filled up," says the director. To accommodate more students, the KCC management is thinking of adding more classes come September. "It's very popular, a lot of students are waiting for this," says Hwang. He says that the Korean government is trying to open more Korean cultural centers around the globe. "This is the 20th in the world and the third in East Asia. We established this here because Korea and the Philippines have had a good relationship for a long time. We love Filipino people, and Filipino people love Korean culture. That's the main reason we opened it here," he says. Hwang says they are also planning to invite Filipino artists to exhibit at KCC. At the Hallyu Experience, guests danced to KPop at the Disco Hall, had their pictures taken at the Korean Celebrities Photo Exhibit by Gina Huang, tried on original Korean Hanbok, and tasted Korean food like kimbap. I can't say I've become a Hallyu fan, but I could really appreciate the other aspects of Korean culture. After all, it's not difficult to like a traditional drum performance where all the drummers are smiling like they're doing their favorite thing in the world. And who wouldn't like food that's a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and every bit delicious? At the KCC welcoming area, copies of a Filipino-Korean magazine called Rainbow are stacked on the front desk. The magazine has everything from articles to famous quotes, to comic strips. Everything appears in both Korean and Filipino, making it fun, friendly and informative. Unfortunately, not that many people were able to attend the Hallyu Experience. But the KCC has several events lined up for the rest of the year, including a film screening of Jeon Woo Chi (The Taoist Wizard) on August 18. - YA, GMA News For more information, visit the Korean Cultural Center website.