SEOUL (AFP) - SOUTH Korea will offer a hit TV series free to 81 countries as part of efforts to spread the 'Korean Wave' of popular culture, a state agency said on Thursday.

'Brilliant Legacy,' a domestic sensation last year, will be available free in Europe, Central Asia, Africa, America and Oceania, said the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange.

'This TV series is both high quality and fun. It also showcases the new trend of Korea's TV soap operas,' it said in a statement.

The series features two young couples entwined in a family inheritance dispute and drew a nearly 50 per cent viewer rating at home.

It also received positive reviews for what was seen as a moving and morally inspiring plot, in contrast to other popular soap operas.

Last year the foundation bought the licence for another TV series, 'The Painter of Winds,' which was provided free to some 30 countries.

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