겨울연가가 아랍영혼 울렸다 / Winter Sonata in Egypt.

Korean wave brings drama to the Nile Delta

เมื่อละครเกาหลีบุกถึงลุ่มแม่น้ำไนล์

By Amr Emam
Investigative reporter, The Egyptian Gazette
Thai Translation by Ladymoon

Egyptian students perform samulnori during Korea culture week in Cairo.
นักเรียนอียิปต์แสดง samulnori ในสัปดาห์วัฒนธรรมเกาหลีที่กรุงไคโร

Mohamed Abdel Baki sticks to the radio for two hours every evening like glue to listen to a language his family members and friends fail to identify.
โมฮัมเหม็ด อับเดล บากิ ติดวิทยุหนึบหนับทุกเย็นเพื่อคอยฟังภาษาที่ครอบครัวของเขาและเพื่อนๆ ฟังไม่เข้าใจ

When he tells them that the thing that keeps him entranced for hours is the Korean Program, they snigger at the "bizarre" interest he has developed over the last few years.
"Some of these people are narrow-minded," Mohamed, a 44-year-old civil servant from Cairo, the capital of Egypt, said. "They just don't know that in a few years' time, Korean could be one of the leading languages in the world."
เมื่อเขาบอกว่าไอ้ที่เขาตั้งใจฟังนักหนานั่นก็คือรายการวิทยุเกาหลี ทุกคนต่างเบ้หน้ากับความสนใจ “อันพิสดาร” ของเขา “คนพวกนี้บางคนก็ใจแคบ” โมฮัมเหม็ด ข้าราชการวัย 44 ปีกล่าว “พวกเขาไม่รู้หรอกว่าในอีกไม่กี่ปี ภาษาเกาหลีจะเป็นหนึ่งในภาษาที่เป็นที่รู้จักทั่วโลก”

"Korea is a model for Third World countries that can be accepted by everybody here simply because it doesn't threaten us," said Emad Aisha, an assistant professor of international studies at the American University in Cairo. "It's a self-made country that was able to advance towards industrial-technological excellence without losing its cultural authenticity: without Westernizing," Aisha added.
”เกาหลีเป็นแบบอย่างของประเทศโลกที่ 3 ที่ได้รับการยอมรับจากทุกคนที่นี่ เพราะเขาไม่ได้คุกคามเรา” อีหมัด ไอชา ผู้ช่วยศาสตราจารย์แห่งมหาวิทยาลัยอเมริกันในกรุงไคโรกล่าว “เป็นประเทศที่สร้างตัวเอง สามารถก้าวสู่อุตสาหกรรมเทคโนโลยีชั้นเลิศ โดยไม่สูญเสียวัฒนธรรมดั้งเดิมของตัวเอง ไม่ถูกวัฒนธรรมตะวันตกกลืนกิน” ไอชากล่าวเสริม

Why the surprise then, when a TV series, "Winter Sonata" was broadcast here two years ago, produced a groundswell of acclaim by viewers in this country, which is often referred to as the "Hollywood of the East"?
ไม่ใช่เรื่องน่าแปลกใจเมื่อละคร “Winter Love Song” ถูกนำมาออกอากาศที่นี่เมื่อ 2 ปีก่อน ก่อให้เกิดกระแสฮือฮาขึ้นในหมู่ผู้ชม จนเกาหลีถูกขนานนามให้เป็น “ฮอลีวู้ดแห่งโลกตะวันออก”

Bae Yong-joon, extremely smart and handsome, has many fans in Egypt. Some of his admirers have even formed a group and called it the "Bae Yong-joon Bond."
"Korean dramatists are so creative," says Sarah Maged, another Korean Language Department student. "They take a piece of real life and put it into their work, and that is why they never fail to mesmerize everybody."
เบยองจุน ทั้งฉลาดและหล่อเหลา เขามีแฟนๆ มากมายในอียิปต์ กลุ่มผู้ที่ชื่นชอบเขาถึงขนาดตั้งกลุ่มขึ้นมาและเรียกตัวเองว่า "Bae Yong-joon Bond."
“ละครเกาหลีรู้จักสร้างสรรค์” ซาร่า มาเก็ดกล่าว “เขาจับเอาชีวิตจริงมาใส่ในละคร นั่นคือเหตุผลที่ทำให้คนติดกันงอมแงม”



But the thing that Sarah, 19 years old, likes the most about Korean series, apart from the wonderful scenery, the romantic themes they discuss and the fine language they use, is that they "can be watched by all family members."
แต่สิ่งที่ซาร่าชอบที่สุดเกี่ยวกับละครเกาหลี นอกจากวิวอันสวยงาม เรื่องราวอันแสนโรแมนติก และภาษางดงามที่ใช้ แต่มันยัง “เป็นละครที่ดูได้ทั้งครอบครัว” อีกด้วย

"When there is a Korean series, I don't hesitate to invite my wife and children to watch it with me, knowing that their morality wouldn't be damaged by what they see," Abdel Baki, the 44-year-old Korean Radio fan, explains. "But what we see in the series is a reflection of the nature of the Korean people, which is very peaceful, and this is what makes them very appealing to us Egyptians."
”เวลาที่มีละครเกาหลี ผมไม่รอช้าที่จะชวนภรรยากับลูกๆ มานั่งดูด้วยกัน เพราะรู้ว่าสิ่งที่พวกเขาดูไม่กระทบต่อศีลธรรมอันดีงาม” อับเดล บากิกล่าว “สิ่งที่เราเห็นในละครสะท้อนธรรมชาติของคนเกาหลี ซึ่งรักสงบ สิ่งนี้ทำให้ชาวอียิปต์อย่างเราชื่นชม”

"The Korean success story could wash off onto all Korean cultural products - language, cuisine, clothing, etc," Aisha said. "Unlike China, Korea doesn't threaten us economically because there are no cheap Korean goods pricing out domestic competition and no Korean labor (undercutting us either)."
”ความสำเร็จของละครเกาหลีต่อยอดไปถึงสินค้าทางวัฒนธรรม อย่างเช่น ภาษา อาหาร เสื้อผ้า” ไอชากล่าว “ไม่เหมือนประเทศจีน เกาหลีไม่ได้คุกคามทางเศรษฐกิจ เพราะไม่มีสินค้าเกาหลีราคาถูกมาตีตลาดแข่งกับสินค้าพื้นเมือง และไม่มีการค้าแรงงานเกาหลี”

Source: Korea Policy Review May 2008
Special thanks to Joon’s family


"겨울연가가 아랍영혼 울렸다"
"배용준·최지우·윤도현… 한국이 좋아
드라마 방영되는 날 남편들도 일찍 퇴근"

▲ 이집트 카이로 아인 심스 대학 한국어학과 학생들이 9일 택극기가 걸린 교실에서 겨울연가에 나오는 배용준 최지우 사진을 들고즐거워하고 있다. 이 학과 32명 중 8명의 학생들은 겨울 연가를 보고 난 뒤 한국어를 전공하기로 결정했다. /카이로=정우상기자 imagine@chosun.com

- 태동하는 이슬람

지난 11월 26일 서울에선 한·이슬람 교류 50주년 기념행사가 열렸다. 1955년 터키 이맘(이슬람 목회자)이 우리나라에서 이슬람 선교를 시작한 지 50년이다. 그러나 ‘한·이슬람 50년’을 아는 사람은 거의 없었다. 이슬람에서 한국 대접은 정반대다. 중동권에서도 일본·동남아와 같은 한류(韓流) 바람이 일고, 한국 상품들이 시장을 휩쓸다시피 하고 있다. 한국에 대한 이미지는 ‘IT강국’ ‘경제성공’ 등 압도적으로 우호적이다. 이슬람은 경제·정치·문화적으로 우리나라의 전략적 요충이 될 수밖에 없다. 그러나 우리가 이슬람에서 먼저 떠올리는 것은 ‘테러’ 정도다. 이슬람에 대한 국가전략도 무시에 가깝다. 이슬람에서 ‘한국’ 브랜드가 올라갈수록 추락 우려 역시 높아지고 있다. 본지는 이슬람의 중심인 중동에 불고 있는 한국 바람과 우리의 문제점을 4회에 걸쳐 연재한다.
“배용준씨 전화번호나 홈피 주소 좀 알려주세요.” “윤도현의 ‘사랑했나봐’를 듣고 싶어요.” “이수영씨 노래 틀어주세요.”

KBS 국제방송국(RKI) 아랍어방송팀의 배정옥 PD는 한 달에 이런 이메일과 편지를 1000통 이상 받는다. 발신지는 이집트, 알제리, 예멘, 시리아, 모로코 등 아랍 국가들이다. 3~4년 전 한 달 20~30통, 작년에 한 달 100통 안팎이던 아랍권 시청자의 편지가 올해 들어 크게 늘어났다. 배 PD는 “아직 시작이지만 중동의 한류(韓流)라고 해도 과언은 아니다”라고 했다.



이집트는 한국 문화의 완전한 불모지였다. 그곳에 작년 말 ‘겨울연가’가 방영됐다. 반응은 폭발적이었다. 회원 수 300명이 넘는 ‘겨울연가’ 동호회가 생겨 자체 인터넷 사이트도 만들었다. 동호회 회장 마나르 사물르(여)씨는 “한국 드라마가 이집트 사람들의 영혼을 울렸다”고 말했다.

이슬람 전문가인 한양대 문화인류학과 이희수 교수는 “겨울연가가 방영되는 밤 9시30분이면 부인들 성화에 남편들도 함께 일찍 퇴근했다”며 “겨울연가가 이집트의 가정문화를 바꿨다고들 했다”고 말했다.

지금은 겨울연가 재방송 요구가 빗발치고 있다. 카이로에서 만난 암제드(24)씨는 “겨울연가 이후 후속 한국 드라마가 없다. 정말 보고 싶어 미치겠다”고 했다. 동호회 회원들은 인터넷으로 겨울연가CD를 서로 주고 받는다.

마나르씨는 휴대전화 벨 소리에 겨울연가 배경음악을 넣었고, 휴대전화에 배용준씨와 최지우씨 사진을 넣고 다닌다. 이집트 시청자들의 성화로 KBS는 아랍어로 된 겨울연가 홈페이지를 만들었다. KBS 김신일 PD는 “아랍문화권에 한국 드라마가 통한다는 것이 입증됐다”고 말했다.



이집트뿐만이 아니다. KBS 드라마 ‘해신(海神)’은 지난 10월 9일부터 매주 일요일 밤 9시에 터키 국영방송(TRT)을 통해 1시간씩 방영되고 있다. 터키 시청률 조사에서 해신은 1000개의 프로그램 중 32위를 차지했다. 구매력이 높은 고소득 고학력층을 상대로 한 시청률 조사에선 10위였다. KBS는 요르단과도 ‘해신’에 대한 방영 계약을 체결했다. KBS는 튀니지, 이라크 등에도 겨울연가의 방영을 추진하고 있다.

MBC 드라마 ‘대장금’과 ‘좋은 사람’도 내년 초에 이란 국영방송(IRIB)을 통해 이란 전역에 방영될 예정이다.

MBC는 다른 중동국가에 ‘대장금’을 무료로 배포하는 방안도 검토하고 있다. MBC 프로덕션 정해용 차장은 “중동은 언어와 문화적 일체성이 강하기 때문에 한류가 급속히 퍼질 가능성이 크다”며 “또 중동은 한류가 유럽으로 진출할 수 있는 징검다리 역할을 할 것”이라고 말했다.

카이로=정우상기자 imagine@chosun.com