And now it's time for our arts and culture segment.
Yim Yoonhee joins us live in the studio for that.
Good afternoon.
Hallyu really took the world by storm... but it's no secret that the driving factors were
K-pop idols and Korean actors and actresses.
So many people are beginning to wonder where the next wave of Hallyu will come from.
And that's where musicals come into the picture right?
Exactly.
Korean original musicals have really been growing in popularity and some even suspect
it'll be the next wave of Hallyu.
Let's take a look.
[VIDEO START] There's been a noticeable increase in popularity
in the Korean musical community.
Over the past five years, attendance among young adults has grown 10 percent.
Korean musicals have for years been adapted from foreign musicals.
But more and more orignal musicals have been emerging.
[KOREAN - ] "Over a period of time, we have learned from
already established foreign musicals, and now you're seeing very well-made original,
Korean musicals."
Some musicals have even been made translated into various languages and are being performed
with subtitles, targeting the global audience.
Riding on the already established K-pop Korean Wave..., Korean original musicals have become
of interest to many foreigners.
[CHINESE - woman] "I really like Seong-min from Super Junior,
so I came to see a Korean musical for the first time and I really enjoyed it."
The demographics of the audience has widely grown, to include a more global audience.
That is partly due to the content of the musicals.
[KOREAN - ] "If we use globally applicable material, we
can put a twist on it, and then the Korean musicals have an advantage when they enter
the global market."
Two examples tell the stories of two very famous characters, and bring them to the musical
stage.
"Frankenstein" is a tale known worldwide.
But this version is being told with a Korean spin.
So far, it's been a hit with the audiences, and setting, what many believe, are the necessary
tracks for the next generation of Korea's Hallyu.
"I'm grateful for the audience's warm response.
And I'm excited to say that people are already calling in for the licensing rights to use
this musical."
Another musical that has entered the spotlight to Korea is "Sherlock Holmes: The Bloody Games."
It's the second installment in the Korean original musical series, and has captured
the attention of local and global audiences.
"There's been tremendous growth in China's market, in fact in the Asian market, where
efforts are showing results in the Hallyu wave.
We want to win the favor of the musical market and grow."
There's room to grow in the global musical market, and there are definitely people eager
to take Korean musicals in that direction.
[STUDIO] The report mentioned that other countries
were interested in purchasing the licensing rights for a few of these musicals.
"Frankenstein" seems to be really popular with foreign audience members.
In particular, Asia has been calling in to purchase the rights to produce this musical.
And that's exactly what we need to push the Korean musical network onto the global market.
I know musicals often cast not just musical actors, but famous singers as well.
That definitely contributes to the popularity of musicals.
It brings in many fans.
But you know, it also shows how talented these artists are.
They're able to perform in so many different types of roles.
You've brought in musicals before and I've noticed that the Daehangno area here in Seoul
is a hot spot for musicals.
You're absolutely right.
Daehangno has many small theaters scattered throughout, most of which show original Korean
musicals.
But these productions like "Frankenstein" and "Sherlock Holmes" we saw earlier are much
bigger
in terms of scale.
And they're being pushed on the global market.