Park Min-young reigns as Vietnam’s most popular Korean actor, powered by ‘K-makjang’ drama

In Vietnam, the epicenter of the “Korean Wave” in Southeast Asia, actor Park Min-young is the most popular Korean wave star, surpassing even stars such as Han So-hee and Cha Eun-woo in popularity. Park, who debuted in the 2000s, was chosen as the most popular Korean actress in Vietnam. This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Korea Creative Content Agency’s Vietnam office on 1,070 residents from April to May this year to understand the current trends of the Korean wave in Vietnam.

According to the recently released “2024 Vietnam Korean Wave Trend Change Survey,” 47.3% of respondents named Park Min-young as their favorite Korean actor.

The TV series “Marry My Husband,” in which she starred, is said to be the main driving force behind her popularity. In the drama, which aired earlier this year, her character discovers her husband has been cheating, dies and then travels back in time 10 years in her own body to get revenge.

The sensational and provocative combination of melodrama and fantasy in this “K-makjang” (exaggerated, extreme and often unrealistic soap opera) storyline has not only captivated viewers but also made Park a Korean Wave star in Vietnam.

Na In-woo, who co-starred with Park in the drama, also rose to fourth place (28.1%) among the most popular Korean male actors in Vietnam. This marks a new trend, given that previous Hallyu stars such as Kim Soo-hyun from “My Love from the Star” (2013) and Lee Min-ho from “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) rose to fame in romantic youth dramas.

“Marry Me” ranked as the third most popular Korean drama in Vietnam, after Netflix’s “Squid Game” (2021).

However, an unexpected fact was revealed. “Marry My Husband” was never officially broadcast on Vietnamese television or online streaming services available in Vietnam.

This suggests that many Vietnamese viewers watched the drama through unofficial channels, confirming the strong appeal of the “Makchang” story that led viewers to use pirated sites to watch the drama.

Rebirth of ‘archived dramas’

The evolving dynamics of the Korean Wave overseas are evident in cases like Park and Na.

Recently, a new type of Korean Wave actor has emerged, garnering widespread attention overseas and belatedly being “re-imported” to Korea. One example is Choi Jung-hyup.

In June, he held four fan meetings in Japan, including at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, with a total of about 30,000 participants.

This was his first domestic and international fan meeting since he began his acting career in the drama “Stove League” in 2019.

It is extremely unusual for an actor who is neither a well-known K-pop idol nor well-respected in Korea to hold such a large-scale event in Japan. Chae’s popularity in Japan soared after the drama “I Love You,” in which she plays the lead role, aired on Japan’s TBS in March. Following its release in Japan, Chae’s Instagram followers increased from around 1 million to more than 2.6 million.

Chae’s sudden emergence as a Hallyu star in Japan also led to changes in broadcast schedules in Korea. tvN aired the drama “Serendipity’s Embrace,” starring Chae, in July and August this year.

According to sources, filming for the drama was completed early last year, but it was shelved and overlooked, and was never shown on TV or OTT platforms until early this year. An official from a drama production company familiar with the broadcast plans said, “After Choi Jung-hyub became a new star in Japan with ‘I Love You,’ tvN suddenly decided to broadcast ‘Serendipity’s Embrace.'”

Korea in Indonesian religious film

As the Korean Wave evolves organically in overseas markets, the content itself also changes. A religion-themed film set in Korea is set to be released in Indonesia in October.

The story revolves around a woman who goes to study in Korea. The film’s trailer, recently released on YouTube, shows the hijab-wearing protagonist walking through a Korean subway station and the streets of Seoul’s Myeongdong shopping district.

“The change reflects how the Korean Wave is even seeping into Indonesia’s religious life,” said Bae Dong-seon, Indonesia correspondent for the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.

In this way, the Korean Wave has become an increasingly local phenomenon, influencing everything from pop culture to religious narratives in different countries.

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