[article] Korean Wave continues to sweep Asia.
Rain performs at the closing ceremony of 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games (Photo: Yonhap News)
Korea.net, Gateway to Korea 12/2/2010 — Hwang Dana, Correspondent
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If the first wave of Hallyu was driven by Korean TV dramas, the new Korean Wave sweeping Asia is full of enthusiasm for Korean pop music and its performers.
Through the internet, the Korean Wave has spread beyond Asia to Latin America and the Middle East, while never losing its edge in nearby countries like Japan, China and Taiwan.
Korean pop star Rain performs at Guangzhou Games
Over 30,000 athletes and spectators gathered at Haixinsha Island to celebrate the closing ceremony of the 16th Asian Games on November 27. Rain, one of Korea’s most popular entertainers, performed three of his hit songs at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Guangzhou Games.Rain gave an impressive performance, showcasing hit songs like “Rainism.” The exclusive solo-performance was part of a promotion for Incheon, Korea, which will host the next Asian Games in 2014. Rain had previously performed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Meanwhile, Korean singer Kim Hyun-joong also performed at the opening ceremony of the Asian games, earlier in November.
BEAST performs in TokyoAlso on Nov. 27, six-member boy band BEAST (Boys of the EAst Standing Tall) was showcased at Tokyo Big Sight, one of the largest exhibition spaces in Tokyo. Ten-thousand Japanese fans attended the show case, and tickets for the event sold out in ten minutes.Although BEAST has yet to officially debut in Japan, 40 reporters from the Asahi News, Sankai News, Nihon TV, NHK, and other news and media organizations were there to report on the event. The audiences were also already familiar with the group’s work, singing along with BEAST as they performed songs from their latest album.
Following the success of Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK), Girl’s Generation, KARA and other K-pop acts in Japan, BEAST is expected to do well.
BEAST first debuted a year ago in Korea and preparing to do so in Japan. Although they won’t officially debut in Japan until next February, they’ve already released a premium edition of their compiled works, including two mini-albums and a DVD, for the Japanese market on Nov. 24. The compilation has already reached the top ten on the Oricon daily album chart.
Mnet Asian Music Awards broadcast live in 14 countriesOn Nov. 28, over 10,000 fans flocked to the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao to see the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), the biggest annual music awards show in Asia.The event, titled “One Asia, One Love,” aired live in 14 countries across Asia, and was also shown in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The show featured many special performances by artists from Korea. The lineup included famous musicians and groups like Japan’s Chemistry and China’s Zhang Jie, along with popular K-pop acts such as 2NE1, 2PM, Wonder Girls, and Big Bang. The “Best International Artist” winners, Far*East Movement, also attended the show and performed their hit song, “Like a G6.”Highlights included dance performances by 2PM and 2NE1. 2NE1 picked up a total of four awards, including “Artist of the Year” and “Album of the Year.” The show took place outside of Korea for the first time ever.By Hwang Dana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Cloud USA 
i was looking for G-Gragon to be mentioned here. i just watched that kid on K-pop he is the cutest thing with a great style.
really different.
and i thought i saw one of Rain’s dancer on his MV (the one with the beard)….gotta watch again to be sure.
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well@Raindasy…. what really irks me is that the US is supposed to be a melting pot of cultures, right? yet all cultures are not represented via the entertainment business. it’s one of the reasons i got turned off, and it started being so repetitious.
the other thing is you would think that having 12mil. Asians that their music (all kinds of it) would be included, but every culture is not represented here unless they establish their own media outlet. Asia had a 24 hour tv channel for several years and all of a sudden it was pulled from the US lineup. then you could see Rain on Malaysia, Taiwan or any of the Asian countries.
i saw him once on different Asian tv stations arriving for a concert or announcing his concerts. and saw his videos on many of those channels and even one program our of LA. that’s where “Far East Movement” is from. they were struggling to get known in the US, but look, they have had to connect with Korea (which i am happy for them) ahhhh, those were the days. i hope they come back.
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why is the U.S always left out???…don’t they know about the fans that are here???…are we just too big for them??? or not enough in numbers??…it irks me because I know the wave is alive and well here but we are not noticed…oh, well, maybe one of these days 😉
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