Korean Wave in Taiwan: Implications for Coping Strategies

Abstract

The current definition of Korean Wave refers to any products characterized with particular Korean fashion or flavor. It includes products of cultural creative industries such as Korean dramas, songs, films as well as tangible commodities such as hand phones, electronic products and so on. Few people know that Korean Wave initially was used in Taiwan to describe the negative (the Mandarin pronunciation of chilling is the same as Korea but different Chinese words) impact of cheap imported Korean commodities on its domestic economy.The current definition of Korean Wave can be dated back to July 2000 when Instant Reaction Enterprise Co., Ltd. imported a Korean TV drama Fireworks from Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and first broadcasted in Taiwan by GTV (Gala Television). Since then, Korean dramas have caught Taiwan viewers` attention. However, Korean Wave did not become popular until GTV introduced another Korean TV drama Autumn in my heart in March 2001. The drama received the highest rated percentage of viewers on cable network.With the aim to promote understanding and interactions between Taiwan and South Korea, this paper attempts to first explore the influence of Korean Wave on Taiwan in the past decade and then provide policy recommendations for both Taiwan and South Korean Governments.