South Korea's love for Wallace and Gromit

They are much loved in the UK, but Aardman characters Wallace & Gromit now also have a huge following on the other side of the world.

Gromit, in particular, has become a huge phenomenon in South Korea.

Because Wallace's sidekick and faithful helper is able to communicate through his facial expressions, Gromit has become a useful tool in schools to teach English to children.

And he's also a merchandise moneymaker - pens, keyrings and soft toys of him can be found in the capital Seoul and other large cities in the country.

Students Sunwoo Chung (L) and Sangweon Han have grown up with Wallace and Gromit in South Korea

Susan Bolsover, Aardman's Senior Licence Manager, said about 20 to 25% of the commercial revenue from Wallace & Gromit currently comes from South Korea.

She said the Bristol-based company "loves" that the pair have travelled across the world.

"I think that's one of the great things about Wallace and Gromit - because Gromit communicates everything through his face, he travels around the world because there's no language barrier," Ms Bolsover said.

"They're [Wallace and Gromit] very loyal to each other and I think that's something they really love and embrace about them as well."

South Korean student Sunwoo Chung, who is studying in Bristol, first encountered the Aardman characters in primary school.

She told the BBC's Andy Howard that she couldn't believe it when she saw a statue of Gromit on her first visit to Bristol.

She said: "In elementary school we started learning English from year three.

"Because we were young, the teacher had to use some animation and one of those materials was clay animation - Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run or Wallace and Gromit for sure."

Gromit has gained particular popularity in South Korea

The student said people in South Korea "love dogs" and thinks that was a trigger for the Gromit craze.

She said: "I think because we also have animation - there's a dinosaur that doesn't talk - so I think we were all quite familiar with non-talking characters.

"But who would have known it came from here! The first time I came here, it [Gromit statue] was around the BRI [Bristol Royal Infirmary] and I was like - why is this thing here?

"It's embedded in our childhood memory," she added. "Korea loves Wallace and Gromit."

The human-dog partnership has featured in several Aardman films

Lewis Hooper, a Bristolian now living in South Korea, said he was "quite surprised" to see Wallace & Gromit figures in some many shops when he arrived five years ago.

He said: "You have Gromit pretending to be a pilot, with the goggles, and a few different outfits to cater or upsell more of the key chains.

"I think a lot of products have been tailored to the Korean market to upsell and gain interest that way.

"Coming from Bristol, you can be quite proud that some local animation made its way to South Korea"