Customers look at items inside the K-Pop Garden shop in Kuala Lumpur October 21, 2013. From rapper Psy to overseas financial aid, an economically and culturally confident South Korea appears to be taking on bigger neighbours Japan and China for the hearts and minds of the rest of Asia and beyond. Soft culture is just as important as hard politics and cash to Seoul. K-Pop, the carefully choreographed dance music showcased by bands like "Girls' Generation" had sales worth $3.4 billion, according to U.S. show business magazine Billboard. It is especially popular in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where stars fly in almost every month to sold out concerts and Malaysian buyers line up for days for the latest Samsung smartphones. REUTERS/Samsul Said (MALAYSIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY)