A scene from the U.S. movie “Sex and the City,” which depicts the urban life of a group of women in their mid-thirties. / Korea Times



By Jane Han
Staff Reporter

Never mind fancy cuisine, a casual weekend brunch of pancakes and omelets with a group of girlfriends, has become a popular way of socializing, relaxing and dining in style ― just the way Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda do in ``Sex and the City.''

Now, over 250 restaurants in Seoul alone offer a place to enjoy some downtime for those craving a Western-style breakfast, and others who simply want to indulge in the mood.

``It's not just good food, but an easygoing lifestyle that many people are looking for,'' said Sin Min-jung, a spokeswoman for CJ Foodville, a local restaurant operator, which recently opened a new brunch eatery fronting a ``New York style'' modern interior design.

She says the hit HBO series, along with other trendy American shows that have aired in Korea, introduced local consumers to new ways of spending money and enjoying life.

The fashion business is one of the biggest winners of the latest American show boom here.

The number of online shopping malls, which work as purchase agents buying foreign-branded clothes and accessories unavailable in domestic stores, has soared from less than 10 in 2004 to almost 500 this year, according to market figures.

A spokeswoman for Wizwid, one of the largest buying agents, says a significant number of their sales are to 20-something female shoppers who try to copy the fashions of Hollywood stars.

Every year, an industry wide total of some 800 billion won worth of fashion items are purchased overseas and sold to local fashionistas, she added.

Luxury shoe brands, such as Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, which were once unfamiliar to Korean shoppers, also got a good sales push from television exposure.

``It's not rare to find a customer asking for shoes that Carrie wore in `Sex and the City','' said Kim Hyun-ah, a sales agent at the Galleria Department Store in southern Seoul.

She said high-end shoe sales go up a steady 10 percent annually, suggesting that the idea that ``girls=shoes'' is heavily influenced by Western pop culture.

Aside from the trendy show, Wentworth Miller starring in Fox's hit series ``Prison Break'' also demonstrated the business impact of American shows. Namyang Dairy Products says its sales of bottled French Cafe went up 20 to 30 percent following a Miller-led commercial campaign.

``Hollywood power is still going strong here,'' said Kim Lim-hae of the Samsung Economic Research Institute's Trend Institute. ``Just compare it to the boom of Korean fashion and food throughout Asia following `hallyu' (Korean wave).''

jhan@koreatimes.co.kr