KBS 2TV’s ‘”Music Bank” successfully hosted their show at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
KBS’s 9 o’clock News spotlighted “K-POP Festival Music Bank in Tokyo” which took place on July 13th.
For this specific “Music Bank” concert, TVXQ, KARA, SNSD, 2PM, B2ST, 4minute, U-KISS, IU, Baek Ji Young, SECRET, Rainbow, INFINITE, Park Hyun Bin, Rania, X-5, and other artists put on their amazing performances.
The Music Bank concert was hosted by KBS and supervised by KBS Japan. The producer of “Music Bank” commented, “This concert is expected to be the biggest international concert to date”.
The concert met expectations and was successful as expected. Despite the temperature nearing 95 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 45,000 fans in Japan gathered at the Tokyo Dome, a landmark for concerts in Japan, to enjoy K-Pop.
Fans commented, “The dances are on a different level compared to Japan. The amount of practice is different”, “They’re so cool. I’m from Osaka”, as the reactions hit home in recognizing the Hallyu boom.
Before the concert, a meeting was set for Hallyu stars to meet Japanese cultural figures, as well. The meeting was to allow for the Hallyu boom’s consistent growth through cultural exchanges with people of influence.
The Tokyo Dome concert allowed the opportunity to recognize the heat of the Hallyu Wave and to continue its wave on forth.
On the other hand, KBS’s 9 o’clock news analyzed that through the idol groups’ popularity, the age range of Japanese consumers buying Korean products broadened from middle-age to youth in their teens.
A Japanese fan commented, “I first watched Korean dramas and listened to Korean music, but now my interest grew to the point where I have come to enjoy and love Korean food, as well”. Another fan stated, “I feel if I use Korean products, I might evenutally become as pretty as SNSD, so I like it”. Particularly, despite the great earthquake that tragically hit Japan earlier in the year, Korean cosmetic companies have reported their sales increasing in double digit numbers.
Likewise of the “Winter Sonata” boom causing Korean exports into Japan increase in substantial amounts, K-Pop’s popularity is shown as its rate of export has grown annually by more than 10% each year. Korean culture’s exporting power has already matured into the Japanese market.
KBS’s 9 o’clock news criticized that they should stop relying on stars to create ‘One-Hit Wonder’ effects, but rather strategize movements to bring up the image of Korea and its corporations. A Hallyu specialist in Japan stated, “The moment that the people of Japan accept Korean culture without realizing its in the Korean language, is when I believe the people of Japan will truly accept Korea”, suggesting a strategy for Hallyu to take off in Japan.
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