Just what does the country of Kimchi aka South Korea had an impact to Singapore?
Everyone goes gaga after Lee Young Aae when she arrives in S'pore. (even though she looks like Bridgette Lin Chin Hsia in her younger days.)
Travel package to MBC Studio (the studio where the Korean drama Dae Jeum Geum aka Jewel In The Palace was filmed) are selling like hotcakes.
5 Korean drama series playing on Ch U every week, without fail.
Korean drama series always remained on the Top 10 Best Selling Drama Series Charts in your home video store.
At least 2 Korean movies make it to theatres every month. And yes, silly romantic comedy, dumb and ridiculous horror and not forgetting the cheap and good X-rated for the ah peks.
Jang Don Gun, Bae Yong Jun, Lee Young Ae, Soo Yi Jin, Kwan Sang Woo...worshipped like gods and goddess among every teens, working adults and ah sohs.
Theatres are always packed whenever a Korean film reaches our shores (be it Park Chan Woo, the sick and psychotic man behind the Revenge Trilogy or Kim Ki Duk, the man behind tonnes of arthouse porn, crowds are seen without fail at Cineleisure Orchard or Golden or Yangtze. And it is something for everyone, be it older teens or ah peks with one leg in their coffin. But no kids will be entertained. =P)
The Chinese abandoned their cheongsam over traditional Korean hanbok during CNY, and girls make themselves look like clones of Jeum Geum who travelled to Singapore through Time Machine (or even worst, they fell into jars of sauces by Lady Choi and the sauces took them to modern Singapore. =P)
More Chinese sign up for Korean classes to learn Korean, and how happy those language school operators are.
But we do not see more Korean restaurants mushrooming around us. Instead, it invaded the food courts in your friendly neighbourhood shopping mall.
We do not see Kimchis snapping up on our shelves in the supermart. People opt for the convenient stuff: Kimchi noodles instead.
Me, as a hardcore resistant to Korean culture, has somehow, fall into their trap and absord Korean culture somehow.
I eat Kimchi noodles (good for you if you have a flu, cos you will sweat a lot and you will feel shiok after eating Kimchi mee. But no Kimchi please. I almost spit up the Kimchi sample right in front of a Korean lady who was down for Korean food fare at Ngee Ann City 2 years back.) and Korean BBQ (and that only limits to Seoul Garden. Now i am craving for it...)
I watched Dae Jeum Geum in Mandarin (sorry but trying to listen to Lee Young Aae's sweet voice is a mission impossible in my house, unless you are watching the DVD.)
I watch Korean films, but i only opt for the best. (I watch Park Chan Woo's Chinjeolhan Geumjassi aka Sympathy for Lady Vengence, which also stars Lee as the heroine seeking for revenge on a crime she shouldered for her lover. Kim Ki Duk? How i wish i could watch his Nabbeun Namja, aka Bad Guy. It's sick and pervertic for my liking.)
Two days ago, accompained my mum to The Cathay for a real crappy Korean comedy: Jakeob-ui jeongshik aka The Art of Seduction. Son Ye Jing and Sung Yik Guk plays a seductress and seducer who seduce one another with real dumb and silly ending. 2 hours of my time wasted...
And it comes with a price: my 1/2 hr episode of Ever Wondered About Food????