Extracts from the article:

Be it politics or pop, country wants to play a bigger role in the region.

South Korea is looking to boost its prescence in the region and exploring more ways to strengthen relations with ASEAN, whether is it in bond markets, trade - or pop stars.

At the ground level, it is called the 'Korean wave' - an incoming tide of Korean drama, Korean pop and Korean culture that has swept into the region.

Yesterday, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak related the account of a Cambodian minister who had visited him.
"They (Cambodians) don't know me," The minister told Mr Lee, "But they know the names of all the Korean actors."

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