Hello Hallyu

I caught Julian swinging by "Wowowee" last Saturday. Julian, in case you don't know him, is Lee Dong Wook's screen name as lead male actor in "My Girl," ABS-CBN's hit comedy series imported from South Korea.

"Wowowee" host Willie Revillame was messing up his English-intentional or otherwise-but I didn't care, I was keeping a close eye to the gestures, reactions and words of this Korean actor as translated by his interpreter. Screaming erupted from all corners in the studio when Julian revealed with a laugh that he is unattached.

I'd be a hypocrite not to admit that I'm guilty of wrapping up late night get-togethers just to watch this actor's dubbed series on weekdays. From the start, I find the story funny, there's a lot of physical comedy involved, the romance is not forced, and a good-looking lead star helps stave off the stress after, ahem, a hard day of work. Well, hello HALLYU! You could say I now join the rising statistics of Filipinos caught up in this South Korean pop culture invasion dubbed Hallyu.

Julian didn't have the grand welcome that met F4 when they came here, but nevertheless, he seemed genuinely surprised to find himself so popular in the country. Even artistas dig this model turned actor. TV cameras captured Mariel Rodriguez, Janelle Jamer, Angelu De Leon, Gladys Reyes, et at taking full advantage of their easy access to the stage, giving the actor a peck on the cheek, before he was whisked off backstage.

A dancer also gyrated in front of him before slipping a garland onto his neck, but he had the grace to cover an embarrassed smile. Perhaps there are no shamelessly suggestive dancers on noontime television in Korea?

I'm not privy to ABS-CBN's reasons for flying in the actor. Though as far as I know there has been an online petition, clamoring for ABS-CBN to bring its two main stars (the other one is Lee Dae-Hae) to the country.

"My Girl" is just one of the Koreanovelas airing on Philippine television, from daytime to primetime. Being held hostage by Koreanovelas is a phenomenon wildly spreading around the globe, according to broadcast journalist Jessica Soho. I teasingly pointed out to her that her interviews with several Korean drama stars seemed to indicate that she is a fan of Korean dramas. She stops short of calling herself a fan, but admits the dramas have certainly piqued her interest. She revealed that there were difficulties in securing interviews such as the language barrier and the whole strict protocol that went along with it. Among the interviews she did, what went well the most was with Jang Geum (portrayed by Lee Young Ae) of the top-rated historical drama "Jewel in the Palace." "She was nice, very pretty and could understand English a bit so the conversation was less strained," said Soho. (When Lee Dong Gun of "Lovers in Paris" and "Sweet 18" visited the country, the media and even network bosses were reportedly kept at bay. I was told that Korean actors hardly comply with picture-taking with fans; their agents fear that photos might be posted over the Internet complete with claims of being their girlfriend/boyfriend, spurring unwarranted scandals. I thought, in my starstruck moments, I've also had myself pictured snuggling to some of the country's onscreen heartthrobs in sojourns to Cebu...so what does that make me?

Despite this seemingly inaccessibility, distance in geography and gap in culture, Korean dramas have broken through these barriers and reached out to us in more ways than one. Yes! magazine columnist Pete Lacaba in an email interview explained: "I haven't really seen a Korean telenovela in full, but I saw a couple of movies, one of them being 'Sassy Girl,' and found them fairly enjoyable and slickly made. I think Filipino viewers can relate to them because there are obvious similarities in the situations that our Asian countries find ourselves in. Also, the dubbing of these movies in Tagalog helps to draw in the mass audience."

Korean dramas also deal with themes that resonate with Filipino sentiments-from filial piety, family ties to love. But I noticed that they are less convoluted in terms of casting and tamer in substance compared to Filipino counterparts, now increasing in Western influence. For example, we see young stars kissing all the time in Pinoy soaps and movies. In Korean dramas, kissing scenes are rare, and if they do come at all, they happen mostly by accident. Even westerners are drawn to Korean dramas, already bored stiff with their soaps' very liberal use of sex.

In "Jewel In The Palace," which tells the story of a strong-willed woman who rose from the ranks in a very patriarchal society, romance was just an add-on, illustrated by a couple of tight embraces. But how come they're able to translate that "kilig" factor? They maximize subtlety-you'll notice a lot of unspoken words and play of facial expressions, as opposed to Pinoy characters, who even as they gasp for their final breath have the energy to make their last words sound like a litany.

The very first Koreanovela I watched nearly from start to finish was "Stairway to Heaven." My mother, who hardly watches television, calls this tragic love story metaphysical in a way, like many other Korean melodramas. Heaven is heavily suggested as well as afterlife. South Korea is not a predominantly Christian nation, and yet their dramas unabashedly touch on spirituality, with churches and even convents as backdrop of many a scene.

Today, Koreanovelas are beginning to influence Pinoy soaps beginning with the episode limit. Warlito Caturay, Jr., an English teacher at Silliman University who has an impressive original DVD collection of Korean series, cites that aside from the "less screaming," their fast-paced storyline is another major attraction. It is reported that no matter how popular the dramas would become, they never extend the running time or try to pull an ending by way of text votes.

Some bits from the usual plots have found their way to Pinoy dramas as well: blind love, literally speaking (Stairway to Heaven, Sad Love Song=Sa Piling Mo), marriage by arrangement (Sweet 18, Full House=I Love NY), among others. So far, the only formulaic element our soaps are not buying is tragedy at the end. Nobody in the world's 17th happiest nation wants his main actor/actress to die.

And there's the overseas filming location. With the influx of Korean tourists plus the high possibility of the series being marketed in other countries, even the Department of Tourism worked on having Cebu figure in an upcoming drama in the tradition of "Memories in Bali" or "Lovers in Paris," wherein part of the location was shot overseas. Cebu won over Palawan, Subic and Manila, among other choices in the Philippines. In a press conference then with the stars and production staff, one of the stars, the leading man in QTV's "Irene," said that he is no stranger to Cebu because he plays golf here and loves the beaches.

In the home front, "I love NY" boasts of an out-of-the-country location, though we really don't have to do it all the time what with so many quixotic destinations within our 7,107 islands lacking in exposure. (Unlike in Koreanovelas, wherein Jeju Island as a set location is overused.)

There's no telling how long Koreanovelas are here to stay. Is this just a passing flirtation like the Thalia rage way back? Of course, I'm glad that our TV networks have innovated and are giving prime attention to local productions. In other Asian nations like Vietnam and Taiwan, the governments are threatening to ban Koreanovelas, alarmed by their sheer dominance of the local TV landscape. But there's a thing or two to learn from Koreanovelas; the production values suggest that they always have foreign audiences in mind when making the series. That's one way of going world-class.