(Yonhap Feature) K-pop idol groups set off new Korean Wave in Asia

When South Korean girl group Kara debuted in Japan in May, its members expected the usual fans -- young men and the middle-aged well familiar with Korean dramas that started the "Korean Wave" across the Asian continent.

   But when the curtains went down, the fans screaming and jumping were mostly young women and teenagers, some in school uniforms.

   "We never had middle school students in our fandom," Koo Ha-ra, 19, of the five-member idol group, said in a recent joint interview with several other K-pop idols. "They came to our fan meetings in school uniforms and screamed, 'Sister, I love you!' Suddenly, we had a lot of little sisters in Japan."