South Korean actor Song Joong Ki plays the lead character of Captain Yoo Si Jin aka Big Boss in KBS' 'Descendants of the Sun.' (Photo : Song-Joongki Blogspot)
Apart from the military-themed romantic drama, "Descendants of the Sun," drawing attention to the South Korean culture, the show is helping improve the market globally.
Latest reports indicate that "Descendants of the Sun" will hit the Japanese airwaves in June. The show will debut in Japan on Japanese satellite TV channel Eisei Gekijo. The broadcasting rights for the show featuring Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo was sold for more than AU$120,000 per episode, in a deal that was sealed in March.
The sale marks a positive development for the South Korean drama series in Japan. Broadcasting companies from the region have been reluctant to spend money on Korean shows in the past three years.
The drop of Korean dramas began in 2012 when "Love Rain" by Jang Geun-suk failed to meet expectations after it was bought for more than AU$380,000 per episode, according to Soompi. Ever since, export costs for dramas from Korea dropped below the AU$120,000 mark.
Speaking to the publication, an industry representative said, "Because it stars Hallyu actress Song Hye-Kyo and recently discharged Song Joong-Ki, as well as having a positive response that it is entertaining, the drama had an increasingly expensive price tag, and the competition among buyers became fiercer."
The hit military-themed romance story from KBS 2TV drama series, "Descendants of the Sun," has attracted a horde of loyal viewers globally. Currently, the show is being broadcast in Hong Kong via Viu TV.
As if the drama's popularity is not enough, Hyundai Motor Co. as well unveiled that it has gotten many inquiries from China concerning its Genesis Sedan, which was featured in one of Song Dae Young (Jin Goo) and Yoon Myeong-Joo's (Kim Ji-won) kissing scenes. The self-driving capabilities of the Hyundai Genesis surfaced in that specific scene, and it has triggered customers' interest.
In an interview with The Strait Times, 23-year-old Grace Wang said, "I would like to have a car that can go by itself like I saw in the show. It is so cool."
"Descendants of the Sun" garnered more than 2.6 billion views in China via video streaming site iqiyi.com. Watch the sneak peek below for details on "Descendants of the Sun."
