Korean dramas have reached the communist nation Cuba.
According to KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), the Korean drama "Queen of Housewives" (MBC) is becoming incredibly popular in Cuba. It is the first time a Korean drama is being broadcasted in Cuba while Korean movies have never been officially released in Cuba.
Beginning from February 26, Cuba's state-operated TV station "Canal Habana" began broadcasting 4 episodes of "Queen of Housewives" each week.
Pablo Ramos (44), an employee of "Canal Habana" stated, "It's better than anything else and it is very different from other dramas. It's nice because we can learn about Korea's culture. It's interesting to see the strong power of the women have in the drama."
KOTRA Habana played a crucial role in bringing a Korean drama into Cuba. KOTRA achieved this through communicating with the representatives at the Jose Marti Cultural Center, who have shown a lot of continued interest in the Korean culture in the past. After several months of deliberation by the government, "Queen of Housewives" began to be broadcasted.
Seo Jung Hyuk (37), the director of commerce stated, "After the drama began airing, people in the street ask me if I am Korean and show a lot of interest. People in Cuba are learning about the Korean culture through watching the drama and seem to be enjoying it."
A representative from MBC revealed, "We haven't received any official viewing rates but we were told that the drama is receiving a lot of positive response in Cuba. We believe that the tight composition and the comedic aspects of the drama captured their attention."
The MBC drama "Queen of Housewives" from 2009 features a comedic story about the daily life of a married couple. The main characters are played by actors Oh Ji Ho and Kim Nam Joo.
Depending on the success of "Queen of Housewives" in Cuba, more dramas will be dubbed in order to be broadcasted. It has been reported that after "Queen of Housewives" ends, the KBS drama "My Fair Lady" will begin to air.
