Korean TV idols set tone among Chinese fashion consumers

By Andrea Fenn

SHANGHAI — “There are tens of million people watching them, they have become more popular than the evening news”.

Lin Yu walks down the aisles of Korea Museum with the two hands encumbered with shopping bags. The logos on the bags read “Korean dream”, “Korean movie star” and have writings in both Chinese and Korean characters.

Like many young Chinese consumers, she is enthusiastic about Korean fashion. And like most of them, the source of this enthusiasm is chiefly one: Korean television series.

The popularity of TV series from South Korea has grown so big to influence a whole generation of young Chinese in their lifestyle and consumption choices. As a consequence, Korean style is increasingly in vogue among youngsters, and clothes from Korea are extremely well received among Chinese consumers.

S&S Fashion Plaza is a department store in Shanghai. Among those who work and shop there, it is better known as ‘Korea Museum’, as it is one of the fashion malls catering to Korea enthusiasts and selling chiefly Korean produced and designed clothes, which now operate virtually in every big city in China.




With more than 100 shops, roughly 60% exclusively selling Korean fashion, assistant manager Hou Yibin argues S&S Fashion Plaza is one of the biggest Korean department stores in East China.

“There is a great demand for Korean-design clothes, and we serve customers and shops in most of the Yangtze Delta region”, says Mr. Hou.

Visiting the shops in S&S Fashion Plaza, it is almost immediately clear why Korean clothes stand out compared to the local garments.

Owner of one of the shops Liu Jianxu is sitting at the counter sporting one of his flagship items: a shocking blue fur jacket that would not go unnoticed on a fashion runway in Seoul.

Despite being nationally Chinese, Mr. Liu belongs to the North Korean ethnic minority of Heilongjiang and he is very proud of his roots, as well as of the designs he sells.

"Korean clothes have deeper colors, a better fit on the body and more pioneering cuts", he explains.

However, more than the sophisticated materials and design, the main reason for the success of Korean clothes seems to be the huge influence of Korean TV series among young Chinese.

“All my friends love them”, customer Lin Yu, 25, explains.

"Please Look After Mother" finds success in Europe @ HanCinema ...

Shin Kyung-sook meets with local fans at a reception celebrating the release of the French translation of "Please Look After Mom" at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris on June 7. (Photo: Yonhap News)

Korean author Shin Kyung-sook's novel "Please Look After Mom" continues to captivate global audiences following its successful U.S. debut in April. With the arrival of multiple translations for her best-selling novel in local languages on the shelves of European bookstores, Shin's novel about motherhood now reaches a wider audience.

Shin has been on the road in Europe since May 17 for a month-long book tour. She has conducted numerous interviews with European press organizations, and held several book signings and release celebration events in eight countries across Europe: Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, France and Poland.

"Please Look After Mom" has quickly become popular in Europe. A third edition has already been printed in Spain, and the book rose to the top of Italy's bestseller lists just a week after the official release. The French publisher decided to issue 20,000 copies for the first run, far more than the industry first run standard of 5,000 volumes.

Shin's book is a new milestone for Korean literature, released in 27 different countries across the globe. The success of "Please Look After Mom" has lead to more of Shin's books being translated and prepared for publication internationally.

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