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    Korea
     Nov 12, 2005
South Korea in trade flap with neighbors

SEOUL - The growing boom of South Korean soaps, films and pop songs in neighboring Asian states has had an unexpected and adverse effect on trade, government officials said Friday.

A high-level Vietnamese government official recently threatened to stop broadcasting South Korean television dramas unless the South's TV networks introduce Vietnamese shows on a more equal basis, according to officials at the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"South Korean soaps are aired on Vietnamese TV channels on a daily basis but Vietnamese TV programs have a scant chance to



be seen by South Koreans," the unnamed Vietnamese official was quoted as saying.

"We may stop airing Korean programs in Vietnam if the current imbalance is not alleviated."

The official even implied his country's intention to impose trade sanctions on other South Korean products citing the imbalance of cultural exchanges, the sources said.

South Korea's trade with Vietnam posted a surplus of 2.5 billion won (US$2.3 million) last year as the South's exports grew to 3.2 billion won. If Vietnam retaliates, South Korea would suffer losses of a similar margin, a ministry official here said.

"We need to work out proper measures before this problem gets more serious," he said on condition of anonymity.

Vietnam's rigid stance appears linked to China's views on the surging "Korean Wave", known locally as "hallyu".

A campaign for opposing hallyu and supporting China's entertainment industry is reportedly under way in mainland China and Hong Kong under the initiative of international superstar Jackie Chan and movie actor Zhang Guo Li. The two stars' influence in China is diminishing due to the popularity of rising South Korean stars.

In efforts to alleviate complaints from Vietnam, the broadcasting regulator KBC and the foreign ministry have recently given a "Vietnamese cultural week" to introduce a range of Vietnam's cultural products to Koreans.

KBC officials said they are considering recommending cable and satellite TV channels to launch programs designed to introduce Vietnamese dramas.

"But the problem is that we cannot force broadcasters to air Vietnamese programs, which struggle to draw good ratings," one of the officials said.

(Asia Pulse/Yonhap)

 

 
 



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