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South Korea Becomes Asian Trendsetter Move over Tokyo and Hollywood. These days Asians are looking to South Korea for their pop culture icons. From restaurants to movies to beauty tips, the South Koreans are now defining what many Asians find cool, according to a recent CNN.com report. This "Korea fever" has hit everywhere from Japan and Hong Kong to Vietnam and Beijing. As one sociologist was quoted as saying, the fad is part of a region-wide "reassertion of Asian identity. It's kind of a pan-Asianism . . . not necessarily European or American. In the streets, the fashion-conscious Asian women are no longer looking to New York, Hong Kong or Tokyo for their styles. Now many are adopting the Seoul fashion statement of darker makeup, thinly shaved eyebrows, body-hugging clothes and square-toed shoes. More and more Asians are pouring into South Korean malls too, despite Hong Kong's established reputation as a shopper's paradise. South Korean TV shows, films and pop stars are hotter than ever. The TV series "The Autumn Story" was so popular in Taiwan that many fans traveled to Sok Cho, a Korean city featured in the show. The series ended when the female star tragically died of cancer, causing an outpouring of grief amongst millions of East Asia's "Telerati." South Korea's love story "Swiri" beat all Korea's movie box office records with six million tickets. That's more tickets in Korea than the American hit "Titanic." One critic believes the films are becoming more popular in Korea and abroad, because they're getting better. As director of the Singapore International Film Festival, Philip Cheah sits on film festival juries around the world. One of the best films is "Joint Security Area," according to Cheah. The movie depicts the lives of South and North Korean soldiers at Panmunjom, a town straddling the world's most heavily armed border. About the film, Cheah said, "It's very polished and very entertaining." Korea is currently the world's fourth leading source of foreign students to US colleges and universities. Enrollment increased 11 percent last year alone. Learn more about IEF's American Education Fairs in this rising nation, home to the world's twelfth largest economy.
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