Hallyu: Korea's Global Culture Wave Power
The Korean Wave (Hallyu) shows how cultural exports like K-pop and K-dramas boost South Korea's global image and soft power.
Topics: arts, media, politics
Example
In December 2018, the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that K-pop group BTS generated about 4.1 trillion won (about US$3.6 billion) of economic activity in South Korea each year, and that it drew about one in every 13 foreign tourists to the country. The estimate shows how the Korean Wave (Hallyu) of music, dramas and films has become both a business and a source of soft power for South Korea.
Key facts
- In December 2018 the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that BTS generated about 4.1 trillion won (about US$3.6 billion) of economic activity in South Korea each year.
- The institute estimated that about one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea because of BTS.
Limitations
- The figure is a think tank's model estimate from 2018, not measured output, and BTS took a break for military service from 2022 to 2025, so it describes one period.
Evaluations
arts evaluation
Support
Korean music and dramas reached global audiences, including Squid Game and Parasite, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2020, showing non-English art can lead world culture.
Counterargument
Critics point to the strict training system behind K-pop, with long contracts and intense pressure on young performers.
Rebuttal
The industry's success and its human costs are both real; Hallyu shows how cultural exports can be built, and what that can demand of artists.
Additional support
Global fans learning Korean through songs and shows show how art can spread language and curiosity about a culture.
media evaluation
Support
YouTube and streaming let Korean content bypass Western gatekeepers, reaching fans directly worldwide.
Counterargument
Global platforms also shape what succeeds, so Korean firms adapt content to algorithms and international tastes.
Rebuttal
Adapting to platforms is how any modern media industry competes; Korean firms have done it unusually well.
Additional support
Fan communities organise online to stream and promote songs, showing audiences acting as part of the media system.
politics evaluation
Support
South Korea's government has long funded its cultural industries, showing soft power pursued as deliberate policy.
Counterargument
Popular culture does not settle hard political disputes; South Korea's security still depends on alliances and its military.
Rebuttal
Soft power works on attitudes over time rather than in crises, so it complements rather than replaces hard power.
Additional support
BTS spoke at the UN General Assembly in 2018 and 2021, showing pop stars used as cultural ambassadors.
Sources
- The Jakarta Post (AFP) (2018-12-19): K-pop's BTS worth $3.6 billion a year to South Korea