Popularity of Hallyu wave increases sales and exports of Korea's creative content

Thanks to the popularity of the Hallyu wave, the contents production industry has seen a sharp increase in sales and exports this year. On September 22nd, the Ministry of Culture and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) released an overview for the second half of 2011 and found that the total sales made by the entire contents industry amounted to around $27.5 billion USD, a 15.6% (or around $4 billion USD) increase compared to last year's record. Exports have also seen a 27.2% increase compared to last year, recording a total of around $2 billion USD. Such results were seen across the board, as business profits increased by 18.2%, broadcasting by 95.9%, and advertising by 104.3%. Broadcasting saw an especially sharp increase due to the popularity of dramas like 'Daemul', 'Giant', and 'Secret Garden'. Many popular Hallyu dramas were exported, adding to the total sales. The first half of 2011 saw a 379.3% increase in sales. International sales for SBS Content Hubs came out on top, totaling around $38.2 million USD. The ministry stated, "With the widespread popularity of the new Hallyu wave, the exportation of Korean contents has been on the rise. We hope to continue this momentum by increasing our efforts in creating high quality products." Source + Photos: Newsis via Naver