Laneige Lipstick (Photo : YouTube)
Some South Korea exports are enjoying a surge, and manufacturers have “Descendants of the Sun” actor Song Joong-ki and the other cast of the 16-episode Korean drama about to end on Thursday to thank.
Although overall exports is down by 13 percent, several exports enjoyed a surge. Leading the sector is cosmetics which logged a 22 percent increase in sales for the first quarter of 2016, Bloomberg reported. Also enjoying brisk sales overseas are fashion items and food which is why the South Korean government tapped Song to be its ambassador of tourism to promote Korean cuisine.
Even domestically, sales of cosmetics were enjoying a boom with the biggest beneficiary the lipstick brand Laneige which registered a 360 percent hike in sales domestically compared to a year ago. AmorePacific, the beauty group behind the brand, attributed it to “Descendants of the Sun” actresses using Laneige lipstick which were sold out in stores in the Myeongdong retail district. Some of the buyers, besides Korean women, were Chinese tourists, said AmorePacific.
Besides fashion accessories, the drama itself is being exported by the producers which is now being exported to 32 countries. Before “Descendants of the Sun,” another Korean drama aired in 2014, “My Love From the Star” created a similar effect with sales from the TV show and products featured on it is estimated at 530 billion won ($460 million).
However, if its multiplier effect is also considered, the economic impact of the drama has gone up to 1 trillion won, estimated the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute. It is equivalent to manufacturing 21,495 Hyundai Motor Sonata sedans, the institute said.
“Descendants of the Sun” has also made investing in South Korean companies more attractive to Chinese firms, noted Choi Sang Mok, vice finance minister of South Korea. Actually, New Entertainment World, the producer of “Descendants of the Sun,” has Zhejiang Huace Film & TV, a Chinese company, as an investor when it acquired a stake in 2014 which explains why the drama was aired simultaneously in KBS 2TV and Chinese video platform iQiyi.
When the drama ends this week, millions of viewers are expected to watch the final episode on April 14., according to The South China Morning Post. The challenge for producers of the drama, who are considering making a movie version, is how to keep the female fans of Song from not losing their “Song Joong-ki sickness” until the movie hits screens in China, South Korea and other countries.
