How Korean culture stormed the world

With his slicked back hair, powder blue suit and goofy horse dance, South Korean rapper Psy, who is in Hong Kong today, turned into one of the musical hits of the year.

With over 800 million views on YouTube has become a cultural sensation, but K-Pop has been around longer than Psy and its influence has lent a hand in elevating South Korea in the consciousness of Asia and the world, with effects that go well beyond the entertainment industry. Culture is helping to bolster the country's "soft power" and build its influence. It's a success story that may offer important clues for China as it seeks to use culture to bolster its own soft power and a reminder of the halcyon days when Hong Kong's Canto-pop stars seemed destined for global fame.

Psy has topped the charts in Britain and been welcomed in New York by his fellow countryman, UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who conceded with a grin that he was no longer the world's most famous Korean. Korean films are becoming more and more popular among the mainstream - Park Chan-wook's hit is getting a US remake next year - while television shows are winning fans in unlikely corners of the world.

" , a Korean epic historical drama is one of the most watched shows in Iraq," says Peter Kim Eyungpyo of the marketing department of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Korean dramas, he says, are proving popular in the Middle East.

But arguably the biggest influence of the Korean Wave, or as it is called in Korean, has been in Asia.

In Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, a television station that only broadcasts the latest in Korean music is one of the most popular entertainment channels. Korean celebrities such as Rain sell cosmetic products while companies such as Samsung have been on the ground for years selling their wares to the Cambodians, including phones marketed using K-pop stars.

Korean dramas beam into the homes of Cambodians, becoming a hot topic of conversation.