MANILA, Philippines - A few years ago, after joining a Mexican cruise with my family and learning that a sleepy Mexican town (Puerto Vallarta) became an instant blazing tourism destination when a Hollywood movie starring Richard Burton, then married to Elizabeth Taylor, was shot there, I wrote an article strongly urging our government to look into how we could attract foreign filmmakers to shoot their movies in the Philippines. In South Korea, the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) offers fantastic special deals for filmmakers who want to shoot in Korea, especially showcasing tourist attractions. For this reason, South Korea has become a favorite for international filmmakers like Vishesh Films of India (this country has the largest film industry in the world in terms of number of films produced and released each year) and consequently saw the upsurge of visitors to Korea.
I conducted my own research and tried to find out why Korean telenovelas have become so popular worldwide (so much so that viewers dream of going to Korea) that they even overtake, in terms of ratings, the local drama series. And here is what I have gathered:
1. Korean telenovelas, most of the time, focus on good values.
2. Korean telenovelas show the country’s culture, traditions and very interesting history such as in Princess Hours.
3. Korean telenovelas are lovely to watch because they are usually shot in breathtaking scenic spots promoting the beauty and magnificence of Korea.
4. Korean telenovelas have interesting plots and are fast-paced and well-scripted.
5. Korean telenovelas dwell on positive universal themes of endless love, quiet sacrifice, love at first sight and romance with a touch of comedy like in Sungkyuwan Scandal. These make the viewer feel good and light. Contrast this with the sickening kidnappings, murders, evil schemes and other vengeful acts in some of our current Filipino teleserye.
6. And most importantly, for the young viewers, the actors are all very good-looking.
