SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — A Korean drama dubbed in Spanish aired on Argentine TV for the first time from January 10, said the Korean Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Coreano) in Argentina.
“Secret Garden,” a Korean hit drama, was broadcast on Magazine TV, a cable channel operated by Grupo Clarin, Argentina’s biggest media company. Argentina has long been a fan of K-pop, but Korean dramas have never before made it to the small screen.
Grupo Clarin owns Clarin, Argentine’s number one daily newspaper in terms of circulation, and the largest private broadcasting channel Canal 13. Magazine TV broadcasts a wide variety of programs and can be seen not only in Argentina but also in Uruguay and Paraguay.
The Korean Cultural Center in Argentina played a central role in the first ever airing of a Korean drama in Argentina. The center has held annual K-pop competitions since 2010 and recently started the Buenos Aires Korean Film Festival, which was met with success. The center has also been in close contact with other Argentine broadcasters in order to sell Korean made content.
The center had been leading an SNS petition with Argentine fan clubs of Korean content to persuade Argentine TV to show ‘Secret Garden.’ Over 13,000 people signed the petition since its inception. The center is also planning to invite the stars of Secret Garden and other Korean stars such as Hyun Bin, Ha Ji-won and Lee Jong-suk to the next Buenos Aires Korean Film Festival in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Korean immigrants in Argentina.
By J. W. Choi (summerchoi@koreabizwire.com)