Park Min-young reigns as Vietnam's most popular Korean actor, powered by 'K-makjang' drama

Actor Park Min-young / Courtesy of Hook Entertainment

In Vietnam, a key hub of the "hallyu" or the Korean wave in Southeast Asia, actor Park Min-young stands out as the most beloved Korean celebrity, surpassing even stars like Han So-hee and Cha Eun-woo in popularity.

Park, who debuted in the 2000s, has been voted the most popular woman Korean actor in Vietnam. This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Vietnam office of the Korea Creative Content Agency, which surveyed 1,070 local residents between April and May this year to gauge the current trends of the Korean wave in Vietnam.

According to the 2024 Vietnam Hallyu Trend Change Survey, published recently, 47.3 percent of respondents selected Park Min-young as their favorite Korean actor.

The TV series "Marry My Husband," in which she starred, has been identified as the main driver of her popularity. In the drama, which aired earlier this year, her character discovers her husband's affair, dies and then travels back to her own body 10 years earlier, seeking revenge.

The sensational and provocative mix of melodrama and fantasy in this "K-makjang" (over-the-top, extreme and often unrealistic soap opera) storyline has not only enthralled viewers but has also made Park a hallyu star in Vietnam.

Park Min-young, left, and Na In-woo in the drama "Marry My Husband" / Courtesy of tvN

Na In-woo, who co-starred with Park in the drama, has also risen to fourth place (28.1 percent) among popular Korean male actors in Vietnam. This marks a new trend, considering that previous hallyu stars like Kim Soo-hyun from "My Love from the Star" (2013) and Lee Min-ho from "Boys Over Flowers" (2009) rose to fame through romantic youth dramas.

"Marry My Husband" was ranked as the third most popular Korean drama in Vietnam, following "Squid Game" (2021) on Netflix.

However, an unexpected fact has come to light: "Marry My Husband" has never been officially broadcast on Vietnamese TV or any online streaming services available in Vietnam.

This suggests that many viewers in Vietnam watched the drama through unofficial channels, highlighting the powerful appeal of "K-makjang" stories, which have compelled audiences to use pirate websites to watch the show.

Actor Chae Jong-hyeop / Courtesy of IOK Company

Rebirth of 'archived dramas'

The evolving dynamics of hallyu overseas are evident in cases like Park and Na.

Recently, a new kind of hallyu actor has emerged, gaining major attention abroad before being belatedly "re-imported" back to Korea. One such example is Chae Jong-hyeop.

In June, he held four fan meetings in Japan, including at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, attracting a total of around 30,000 attendees.

This marked his first fan meeting both domestically and internationally since he began his acting career with the drama "Stove League" in 2019.

It is quite unusual for an actor who is not a prominent K-pop idol or highly recognized in Korea to hold an event of this scale in Japan.

His popularity in Japan soared following the March broadcast of the drama "I Love You," in which he starred, on Japan's TBS network. Following its release in Japan, Chae's Instagram followers skyrocketed from around 1 million to over 2.6 million.

The sudden rise of Chae as a hallyu star in Japan also led to a change in the Korean broadcasting schedule. TvN aired the drama "Serendipity's Embrace" starring Chae in July and August this year.

According to sources, this drama had completed filming early last year but had been shelved and overlooked, unable to find a spot on TV or OTT platforms until earlier this year.

An official from a drama production company, familiar with broadcast scheduling, said, "After Chae Jong-hyeop emerged as a new star in Japan with 'I Love You,' tvN suddenly decided to air 'Serendipity's Embrace.'"

Chae Jong-hyeop performs at a fan meeting held in Japan last June / Courtesy of IOK Company

Korea in Indonesian religious film

As hallyu continues to evolve organically in overseas markets, it is also reshaping content itself. In Indonesia, a religious-themed movie set in Korea is set to premiere in October.

The storyline involves a woman who goes to Korea for her studies. The movie's trailer, recently released on YouTube, shows the protagonist in a hijab walking through Korean subway stations and the streets of Seoul's Myeongdong shopping area.

Bae Dong-sun, an Indonesian correspondent for the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, said, "This shift reflects how hallyu has penetrated even religious life in Indonesia."

As such, the Korean Wave is increasingly becoming a local phenomenon, influencing everything from popular culture to religious narratives in different countries.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.