Two weeks ago I reported on how hallyu — Korean wave —has changed people's perception of Korean culture. But on the other side of the coin is the influence of American programming in Korea.

The three major networks, KBS, MBC and SBS, are the ABC, CBS and NBC of Korea. Until recently, the networks controlled the airwaves and content.

Cable has been around since the late 1980s in Korea but hadn't had much success primarily because of programming production costs. Most channels are in the red and the few that thrive are home-shopping channels, which have low production costs. With the other 40 or so channels facing financial hardship and replaying network programming nearly a decade old, the government changed regulations to allow stations to schedule up to 20 percent foreign programming.

That is almost five hours of foreign shows a day for a cable channel. It is much cheaper to buy American programming, which has a high production value, than to produce one domestically. So U.S. shows flowed into the cable market. And they're gaining viewers.

Foreign shows are either dubbed or subtitled in Korean. In Korea, it's not unusual to see top U.S. programming in prime time going up against top local network productions. Can you imagine U.S. shows such as "Friends," "Lost," "CSI," and "My Name Is Earl" up against "Lovers in Prague," "Rebirth," "Emperor of the Sea" and "Secret Lovers?"

Aside from the entertainment value, I am more curious to see how U.S. programming is affecting viewers in South Korea. Compared to U.S. shows, Korean productions are very conservative, with minimal sex, drugs and violence.

So how do U.S. shows influence Korean pop culture? It seems there is less scrutiny over the content restrictions for foreign programming. This is a recent development in the Korean cable broadcasting landscape and its influence will not be seen for a few years. It could be countercultural, or the natural answer to hallyu. We may even see an American version of hallyu.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, which televises all the K-dramas. If you have a K-drama question or comment, call KBFD at 521-8066 or reach Chung at jeffchung@kbfd.com.

SECRETS REVEALED IN FINAL EPISODE OF ‘REBIRTH’

'A FAREWELL TO TEARS'

EPISODES 25 AND 26

Tonight at 7: Hae-sun confesses her past mistakes to Sung-jae and his family. She begs them for forgiveness and offers to help them set up a noodle factory. Suffering from symptoms of Alzheimer's, Geum-sil reveals Il-ho's secrets. Seo-young and Tae-bok find out Yeon-shim's done a background check on Jung-woo.

Tonight at 8: Sung-jae decides to send Jung-woo to Hae-sun, but she refuses, saying she doesn't want to be a mother who abandoned her son. Yeon-shim grounds Seo-young when she continues to see Jung-woo against her wishes. Yeo-jin urges Il-ho to apologize to Sung-jae's family, but he refuses.

'SECRET LOVERS'

EPISODES 15 AND 16

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Ah-mi, Joon-woo and his parents go golfing. They drop by Ah-mi's place for tea when Young-jee comes by to pick up her things. Joon-woo's parents find out that Young-jee is the girl Joon-woo's been interested in. They discourage him from seeing her, and he eventually agrees.

Tuesday at 7:50p.m.: Joon-woo finally decides that Young-jee is the one he wants to be with and confesses his love to her. Do-kyung is excited that this might lead to a relationship between him and Ah-mi. On a weekend, when Joon-woo's parents go out with Ah-mi, he invites Young-jee to his house.

'REBIRTH'

EPISODES 23 AND 24

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Hee-soo learns Min Soo-yeon was his birth mother. Ha-eun and Mr. Chun tell him to leave the country but he asks for more time to find his mother. Gang-ju finds out Steven Lee was actually Hee-soo, and confronts her father. Ha-eun receives Yim Dae-shik's letter from a priest.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m. (last episode): Ha-eun finally confronts the killers of his father and brother. One by one, the enemies' secrets are revealed. E-hwa learns the truth about her husband and Hee-soo learns Assemblyman Lee Tae-joon is his father.

'LOVERS IN PRAGUE'

EPISODES 11 AND 12

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Jae-hee asks Sang-hyun to see her as a woman in love, not the president's daughter, but he announces a breakup. Jae-hee decides to move out of Cheongwadae and goes to Sang-hyun's house. Young-woo asks his father to get rid of Sang-hyun. Young-woo tells Jae-hee that Sang-hyun will get hurt if she doesn't leave him.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: When Jae-hee refuses to go back home, Sang-hyun says he'll move out of his house. Young-woo confronts Jae-hee when he finds out she's moved into Sang-hyun's place, but Jae-hee tells him she doesn't even want to remain friends with him any longer. Young-woo tells Hae-joo why he couldn't go back to Jae-hee for five years.