The Philippines and South Korea has a long tradition of alliance, tracing back from during the Cold War era both countries were staunch supporters of the United States. Philippines has been among the first to send troops to the support South Korea’s defense against the invasion of the communist North. Currently, there are about 36, 000 overseas Filipino workers in South Korea, and according to official statistics 370.000 Koreans visited the Philippines in 2004 (Meinardus, 2005). Even more than this exchange of country visits and migration between the two countries, there is talk of the Koreanovela wave in the Philippines. The Philippines is, in fact, the fourth largest Koreanovela buyer in Asia, next to Japan, China and Taiwan. (Ranoa-Bismark, 2006)
A few years back, Latinovelas or Mexican telenovelas made successful runs on Philippine television. These soap operas provided viewers with a good break from the usual local soaps and canned TV programs from the United States. Viewers then claimed that foreign soaps had better elements than locally produced soaps. The same claims are made now, with addition that Koreanovelas are relatable- reflecting Asian culture and consisting of Asian-looking actors and actresses. Is the Koreanovela just another fad, or will it become part of the Philippine television programming for good? On the part of TV networks, Koreanovelas make good profit and serve as exemplars of what the Filipino audience is looking for in a good TV soap.
In comparison to the influx of Latinovelas then, Filipinos exposure to both Koreanovelas and Koreans increased within the last four years. Hence, it can be inferred that discovery and reinforcement of information about Korean culture is greater than that compared to Latin culture.
Of significance to this research is the question- Do Koreanovelas change the Filipinos’ perception of Koreans? Particularly, has it affected the attitude of Filipina women towards Koreans?
This review seeks to understand how Koreanovelas serve as means by which Koreans are understood by Filipino viewers. Given that women are the primary consumers of soap operas, they shall be the particular focus of this exploration.
Studies on mass media effects have largely focused on aggression and violence. The review focuses on the potential effects of mass media (Koreanovelas) to the Filipino women’s formation of positive attitudes towards a cultural grouping (Koreans).
A few years back, Latinovelas or Mexican telenovelas made successful runs on Philippine television. These soap operas provided viewers with a good break from the usual local soaps and canned TV programs from the United States. Viewers then claimed that foreign soaps had better elements than locally produced soaps. The same claims are made now, with addition that Koreanovelas are relatable- reflecting Asian culture and consisting of Asian-looking actors and actresses. Is the Koreanovela just another fad, or will it become part of the Philippine television programming for good? On the part of TV networks, Koreanovelas make good profit and serve as exemplars of what the Filipino audience is looking for in a good TV soap.
In comparison to the influx of Latinovelas then, Filipinos exposure to both Koreanovelas and Koreans increased within the last four years. Hence, it can be inferred that discovery and reinforcement of information about Korean culture is greater than that compared to Latin culture.
Of significance to this research is the question- Do Koreanovelas change the Filipinos’ perception of Koreans? Particularly, has it affected the attitude of Filipina women towards Koreans?
This review seeks to understand how Koreanovelas serve as means by which Koreans are understood by Filipino viewers. Given that women are the primary consumers of soap operas, they shall be the particular focus of this exploration.
Studies on mass media effects have largely focused on aggression and violence. The review focuses on the potential effects of mass media (Koreanovelas) to the Filipino women’s formation of positive attitudes towards a cultural grouping (Koreans).
