YouTube, the video-sharing website owned by Google, will create a special section
YouTube, the video-sharing website owned by Google, will create a special section dedicated to K-pop for the first time, a move the government hopes can further promote Korean popular culture around the world and help boost the nation’s branding overseas.
Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman, met with President Lee Myung-bak in Cheong Wa Dae today. He said the company is pursuing several avenues to help spread Korean cultural content, of which a dedicated K-pop channel is one.
Schmidt said Google is also considering using YouTube’s live streaming capabilities to transmit Korean Wave concerts in real time. Another idea being mulled is the creation of a film production studio for small and mid-sized content developers in Korea.
More than 5 million K-pop videos have already been uploaded on YouTube by fans, including 400,000 featuring boy band TVXQ, 400,000 of all-girl dance group Kara, 340,000 for Girls’ Generation, 270,000 by Super Junior and 260,000 by the Wonder Girls.