In many Asian countries, you can turn on a TV at night or in the afternoon and catch a Korean soap playing. Frequently dubbed in the local vernacular, shows like Princess Hours, Stairway to Heaven and Jewel in the Palace manage to capture audiences and attract fans despite the cultural and language differences. This "Korean Wave" of pop culture - often referred to as Hallyu - hasn't stopped at television dramas either. Korea is steadily becoming a well-rounded source of entertainment in Asia, from their movies to their music to their stars.

Is the country now Asia's new entertainment source?

It is no longer uncommon to hear Korean singers over the radio in Beijing, Tokyo and elsewhere in the region. Singers like BoA (backronymed Beat of Angel) are taking the Asian audience by storm, releasing top-selling local versions of her albums in Japan, Taiwan and China. K-pop message boards are filled with fans from everywhere across the continent - boasting members from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China and Indonesia.

Even more telling, Korean actors are now the highest paid in the world outside of Hollywood, with numerous stars commanding multi-million dollars per film.

While television and film exports from the country continue to take on Asia successfully, music sales are another matter. While increasing in clout, illegal downloading has caused serious problems for actual music purchases.

Regardless, the Korean singers continue to make a killing in the region. BoA is now the first artist in over 20 years to debut both an album and a single at number one in Japan's $2.9 billion domestic market. DBSK has won numerous awards in Thailand, apart from topping charts in Japan and Malaysia. Se7en, who's debuting in the U.S. market soon, has seen immense success in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Taiwan. Singer and actor Rain has fan clubs springing from almost every country in the Southeast Asian region, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

Korea's pop machine, much like it's television drama industry, seem to have found the right formula for connecting to audiences in the region. Whether it's crossing the stars over between recordings and soaps to attract more fans, crafting trendy and formulaic pop songs, or building the right image for marketability, the industry is succeeding in an unprecedented manner, more than any local entertainment scene in the region.

With their current momentum and a wealthy industry behind them, Korea's entertainment exports can only grow in volume and will likely take an even bigger slice of the Asian market.