The Star in a Shrinking World : Kim Hyun Joong

I find this article really great too, but hesitated at first to post since it wasn't made for my blog..However, since GUEST(which I really hope, you'll give me your name,I beg..^^) recommends it a lot, then here it is!

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Written by Aprilstar for hyunniespexers.wordpress.com

Seattle,Washington

Posted 08 November 2010

Once upon a time, in Beijing, a group of Journalists amazed at the surge of Korean dramas and music outside of the country of origin started calling it the Hallyu phenomenon. Hallyu signify the  crossborder cultural spread   of popular culture from South Korea to neighboring countries. It has now spread to the entire world. The spread has been quick, in real time and on demand due to the technology and programs that allowed instant access to almost any event, show, news and many others .

Somebody said the world is now flat-I think it means the world is now at your finger tips in your flat screens. The flat  screen of computer  is fast replacing television as the medium to know the world. The world is shrinking as we viewed together, tweeted together – we have become a community.  Mass culture is never the same again.

There was a time the entertainment mecca in Asia was Hongkong . Hongkong was Asia’s Las Vegas. Performers  needed to go there to show what they’ve got  and to be names etched in entertainment land . Next came Japan . When Japan opened its doors to foreign entertainers and more so to Asia’s television programs , stars who were in them were made . It has been said, the next market and the   biggest one is China. Korean stars and their management companies have increasingly turned their  attention to China .

While stars are still being made in the traditional way – live performance and audience driven, entertainment in popular  culture today is fueled by access to it -shrinking our distance and  dispelling the notion we are still geographically challenged . The internet and everything else that we can do through it has  turned  old habits upside down.

Kim Hyun Joong came at the right time.  Though like the others before him , used the traditional way to ascend the firmament of entertainment. He, too, after initial activities in his homeland went to Japan with his band ,the SS501 . Then he guested in variety and reality shows , tried his hands in mini dramas and finally landed a drama that can be considered a turning point in his career. Without missing a beat he resumed with his band mates, concert tours of several Asian countries giving him further exposure . Of course those who cannot be there to watch him live  saw what transpired in the event to our heart’s content thousand times via YouTube provided by his enthusiastic fans. The world followed his development . We practically saw him grow before our very eyes .

Kim Hyun Joong  did his part. He was armed to the teeth so to speak with many talents genetically endowed and honed by nurture, good looks, the work ethic, the never-say-die attitude . He did not come empty handed. He did his homework and many times to the extent of sacrificing his health . He took the  risks but he was at the same time prepared to give his all.  He has sowed fertile seeds and took good care of them .  It is now time to harvest –a bountiful harvest .

The internet brought Kim Hyun Joong within our reach.  He talked to us, wrote to us , showed us what talents he got and we in turn responded back . We searched for him in Yahoo , Googled him 24/7, we patronized his activities , bought products  and merchandise with his pictures and endorsements.  We organized groups to support him in any way we can. We in turn develop  astounding relationships  though we lived far away from  each other. We learned skills we have not even dreamt of learning before and shared them like making fa narts, writing essays and poems, opening and maintaining  blogs and forums, organizing across the oceans, giving to the less fortunate inspired by his generosity . Kim Hyun Joong brought out the best in us.

We emotionally connected with Kim Hyun Joong . We shared his pains ,laughed with his funny moments, cried with him when we saw his tears , we cheered him on and were proud when he received his well deserved awards .

We are one community and we have embraced Kim Hyun Joong . He is our world star, but he is also our friend , our son, our brother . In a way ,Kim Hyun Joong redefined what it meant to be a star even though he was propelled by the hallyu wave . He is also the cultural bearer of Asian culture , for a time swept to   the backburner by western mass  culture. Now that Asian culture is reinvigorated among us as we see common threads, similar values and aspirations .

Today , he is riding the crest of that wave with more and more of the world giants recognizing him.      YouTube  of Google was first to notice  Kim hyun Joong’s  international popularity. The potential that perhaps they saw is now evidence based with the record million views and thousands international comments of the seven episode extensions  of his most recent work, Playful Kiss .  Kim Hyun Joong has already left his mark in the annals of internet history. CNN was not to be left behind in this, as it wants to investigate this phenomenon by interviewing him, Youtube  and the drama production executives . The Asian Games Committee in China this year also understood  Kim Hyun Joong’s appeal by inviting him to share in the honor of singing the theme song  of the event .

If only Emperor  Jumong  and the other dynastic leaders  after him can see  Kim Hyun Joong now  they would have seen him conquer the world without sword  and without blood .

That’s it for now!