Surf's (still) up!

Once the Korean series is over, the next thing Warakorn Panithanarak does is Google a cute and compact powder case she has just seen one of the characters take out from her purse.

''[The package] was so cute and attractive,'' said the 21-year-old Thammasat University student. That cute little compact case led her into a world of pretty little things from Etude and Skin Food, two of the most popular Korean cosmetic brands among young Thais today.

Even better, these cosmetics turn out to be affordable enough to allow youths to wear light make-up similar to the beautiful females portrayed in the dramas.

Korean drama _ a part of the ''Korean Wave'' _ now works as an inter-Asia advertising medium, says Assoc Prof Ubonrat Siriyuvasak, an expert on media and culture.

Instead of airing it for only 15 seconds like before, says Ubonrat, Korean products are now packaged in three-minute music videos or 15-episode series.

Subtly hidden in each frame, viewers gradually absorb the fashion, affordable and cute cosmetics, as well as the beauty of tourist destinations. Unsurprisingly, the quiet Gwangyoek-si area of Incheon in Seoul has become crowded after the Korean drama Full House was broadcasted. So, too, did Namiseom Island in Winter Sonata and the coffee shop in Hongdae in The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.

Prof Kim Eun-shil, of Ewha Women's University in Seoul, explains the alluring image of beautiful people and places are especially created for the trendy dramas _ a creative exporting product by Korea.

''It's made especially for middle-class people craving for modernity,'' said Eun-shil, who was recently in town to present her research done on the ''Korean Wave'' and ''Globalising Asia'' trends.

Mainstream dramas talk about middle-class people, urban lifestyle, young people working in new business sectors such as advertising and single families.

To be more exact, trendy dramas create a strong crave for Korean modernity among the middle-class _ and not just domestically, but throughout Southeast Asia.

It all started in the early 1990's with Hallyu (Korean Wave), which was all about drama, movie, music and fashion; pop culture had never been so strong until after the IMF crisis in 1997, when Korea began to speed itself up and meet world standards. Hitting East and Southeast Asia for years, the term ''Korean Wave'' _ sometimes referred to as ''soft power'' for a better image, was only first coined in Beijing in 1999, and was realised by its people only after 2001.

Every nation shared the plight of the economic crisis, but Korea was the only one to successfully express it artistically and emerge on the international stage through such a wave,'' said Assoc Prof Suwanna Satha-anant of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts, who also shared her views at the recent seminar.

What do Choi Han-gyeol from Coffee Prince, Lee Min-hyeong from Winter Sonata, Seol Gong-chan from My Girl, Han Gi-ju from Lovers in Paris and most other male protagonists in Korean series have in common?

They are not just another good-looking Korean male protagonist. They all share an image of flawlessness, young men who are either educated in the West, well-heeled, successful CEOs who travel around the world, or are heirs to an international multi-million business conglomerate. Even more desirable, some of them have it all.

By watching a few Korean series, anyone will be able to figure out how these protagonists are so adorable.

Not only did the wave grow into a tsunami of advertisement, the target was also met.

Take a look around Bangkok and you'll see an increasing number of Korean restaurants. The youths sport spiky haircuts like those worn by K-pop singers, and the girls put on light make-up to further enhance the size of their ''Big Eye Circle'' contact lenses.

Warakorn and her friends enjoy the affordable cute Korean cosmetics while her family has become big fans of Samsung and LG products since the 10-year-long economic crisis has made such electronic devices very affordable; even cheaper than items imported from Japan.

Another K-pop fan is 20-year-old Unchisa Charoensawadsiri. Although she's still loyal to Thai cosmetic brands, the Chulalongkorn University student agrees that the fine quality of K-pop songs have slightly changed her perspective on Korean products. That is, if the songs and singers meet these high standards, then products born from Korea, including electrical appliances, should be on the same par, she says.

''Now we are beginning to perceive that Samsung is better than Sony,'' said Ubonrat.

The observation is quite accurate, but not entirely.

Pornjira Kanjana, 22, is another target. She's learned a lot about destinations while characters are travelling around the dozens of so-called trendy dramas.

But that depends on how skilful a scriptwriter is, says 22-year-old Pornjira Kanjana, to carefully insert these places without the audience feeling that they are being force-fed.

That's the reason why there are so many protagonists losing their memory so that they can retrieve it by revisiting or repeatedly talking about those places.

''Some of them aren't even attractive,'' said Pornjira, who enjoys almost anything Korean but doesn't buy all the ideas offered in the motion pictures.

The fashions featured in many television series are unique in a way that Pornjira politely puts it as: ''You can't wear it anywhere else but in Korea''. But like many Thai girls, she has fallen in love with the cute, affordable cosmetics.

But whether it's a wave or craze spreading outside the continent, Eun-shil sees it as a great opportunity for Asians to learn and exchange their cultures within the continent.