Korean dramas — part of the pop-culture phenomenon known as hallyu, or Korean wave — aren't just television shows. They have had a social, economic and cultural impact on Hawai'i and all over Asia.

Local travel agencies have been selling out tours to South Korea that focus on visiting drama location sites and network studios. "Dae Jang Geum," a dynasty-period Korean TV series, was the most popular program in Hong Kong — its final episode drew a 52 percent rating. In Hong Kong and China, people bought hanbok, the traditional Korean outfit, and chic Korean restaurants are popping up all over China. People around the world are starting to learn Korean to better understand the imported dramas.

Hawai'i is following the same trend — Korean eateries, whether take-out joints or fancier sit-down affairs, are increasingly attracting non-Koreans. Non-Korean adults are going back to school to take adult-education Korean classes at Leeward Community College, 'Aiea High School and Farrington High School. Korean courses at the University of Hawai'i are also seeing a rise in enrollment. More of my non-Korean friends now greet me with "annyeong haseyo," a term that can be used for good morning, good afternoon and good evening.

Local media — including The Honolulu Advertiser — are doing more stories on Korean dramas and hallyu. Tour companies approach me to do more events with Korean celebrities here and sell packages to Asia.

But K-dramas' most profound impact locally is social. With Koreans making up 5 percent of the state's population, I don't think people had much perception about who we are, even though Koreans have been in Hawai'i for more than 100 years and have made it into the Legislature and other government offices. That has changed.

Post-hallyu, non-Koreans are eager to meet and talk with Koreans to gain insight to the dramas or to simply let them know that they enjoy watching KBFD. The topic of Korean drama has become an effective ice breaker when talking or meeting new people. The irony of all this is that local non-Korean fans are more knowledgeable about Korean dramas than local Koreans. If you want to find out more about your favorite series, you might be better off talking to friendly K-drama club members, who are eager to share their experiences. You can find them on the www.kbfd.com message board.

I have heard of fans naming their pets after their favorite Korean drama characters. One of the most popular Mother's Day and Christmas gifts is a Korean drama DVD set.

A Korean woman told a story with tears in her eyes — she complained that her neighbors were unfriendly to her. This apparently went on for years until recently — when the hostile neighbors were touched by K-dramas. Thanks to the TV shows, people have a better understanding of Koreans and their culture.

Hallyu also has seen a change in Koreans — for example, they are now proud to announce that they are of Korean ancestry. I have never been ashamed of being Korean, but hearing stories made me realize that for some people, being Korean was not something they crowed about. Many of my Korean-American friends on the Mainland tell me stories about people asking them, "Are you Japanese?" No. "Chinese?" No. Then they looked perplexed as if there are no other Asian ethnicities. Hallyu has changed this.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, which televises all the K-dramas. Questions and comments can be sent to KBFD at 521-8066.

SAGAS CONTINUE WITH STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS

‘A Farewell to Tears’ Episodes 19 and 20

Tonight at 7: Seo-young happily prepares for Jung-woo’s birthday party. Il-ho finds out Hae-sun has been buying out Ilho Food’s stocks. After a talk with Yeon-shin, Jung-woo asks Seo-young to break up. Dong-ha gets into an accident while following Yeo-jin.

Tonight at 8: Hee-sook is outraged when she sees Sung-
min and Yeo-jin together at Dong-ha’s hospital. Jung-woo never shows up for his birthday party that Seo-young prepared, and Seo-young consoles her sadness with alcohol. Hae-sun throws Jung-woo a little birthday party.

‘Secret Lovers’ Episodes 9 and 10

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Young-jee loses her cell phone and Joon-woo visits her house since he can’t get in touch with her. Her father is rude and crass to Joon-woo in hopes that he will leave Young-jee and save her the heartache that usually comes with dating someone outside one’s class.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: Do-kyung meets Joon-woo while visiting Ah-mi and finds out that Joon-woo is the object of Young-jee’s desire. He suggests to Young-jee that they should join forces, but this just infuriates her. Young-jee sells her handcrafted jewelry on the streets, but loses everything when she leaves to use the restroom.

‘Rebirth’ Episodes 17 and 18

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Ehwa collapses from shock when she sees Ha-eun’s picture in Detective Kyung’s hospital room. Ehwa goes to the police station to find Ha-eun only to learn he was killed. Shin-hyeok (Ha-eun) and Eun-ha take Ehwa to Ha-eun’s grave. Gang-ju finds out her father was in charge of internal investigation for a corruptions case 20 years ago.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: Tae-joon tries to stop Gang-ju from investigating the story. Ha-eun asks Su-cheol to put extra security around Detective Kyung when he wakes up from a coma. Jin-woo tells Eun-ha not to look for Ha-eun in Shin-hyeok, but Eun-ha rejects him firmly.

‘Lovers in Prague’ Episodes 5 and 6

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Sang-hyun tells Jae-hee he’s sick of unfaithful women. Jae-hee tells him not to take out his anger toward Hae-joo on her. Young-woo is overjoyed when Jae-hee asks him out to lunch but is disappointed when Jae-hee leaves him abruptly upon seeing Sang-hyun.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Upset after a meeting with Chairman Ji, Jae-hee goes to Young-woo and yells at him for lying to
her about his father. Young-woo yells back, saying he’d wait for Jae-hee’s father steps down from the presidency, but Jae-hee asks him to forget her.