K-Pop, K-Dramas, and the Rise of Korean Soft Power
“[South Korea’s] cultural dominance might seem sudden, but it represents decades of careful planning and strategic investment by the South Korean government.”
Photo by Salma Mourad
From the Academy Awards to Saturday Night Live Korean culture has become a recurring part of U.S. mainstream media—whether it's a K-pop group performing their latest hit or celebrities discussing the newest Netflix K-drama sensation. This cultural dominance might seem sudden, but it represents decades of careful planning and strategic investment by the South Korean government. Milestones such as PSY's "Gangnam Style" reaching 1 billion views in 159 days; BTS charting over two dozen songs on the Billboard Hot 100 (with six reaching #1); and Squid Game amassing 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first month, becoming Netflix's most-watched series across 94 countries, are all a result of one of the most successful soft power strategies ever established on the global stage and might transform diplomacy for years to come.
The "Korean Wave"—or Hallyu (한류), a term coined by China's Beijing Youth Daily in 1999—marks South Korea's transformation from a manufacturing powerhouse to a global cultural influencer. It's one of the most successful examples of cultural diplomacy and soft power in recent history.
Political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. coined "soft power" to describe a country's ability to influence others through attraction rather than coercion. A classic example of this approach is America's Cold War strategy, where the U.S. deployed jazz legends like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie to regions deemed as susceptible to communism, using their musical diplomacy to improve America's image abroad.
South Korea’s shift began with a pivotal realization: a presidential advisory board discovered that Spielberg's Jurassic Park generated revenue equivalent to 1.5 million Hyundai cars, sparking a reimagining of the country's economic strategy. Under President Kim Dae-jung, the cultural industry budget surged from USD 14 million in 1998 to USD 84 million by 2001. This investment has grown exponentially, with contemporary budgets reaching billions. The returns have been staggering: The Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange reported that South Korean cultural exports exceeded $10 billion in 2020, a nearly 9% increase from 2019. Additionally, Netflix's South Korean content contributed $1.9 billion to the economy in 2021. While these figures are smaller than major industries like semiconductors, cultural exports now outperform sectors such as cosmetics and home appliances.
This cultural offensive evolved through three distinct phases. Hallyu 1.0 (1995-2005) focused on television dramas and basic cultural exports primarily to the rest of the Asian continent, laying the groundwork for what was to come. Hallyu 2.0 (2006-2015) saw K-pop’s global expansion through social media, supported by heavy government investment and the establishment of 24 Korean Cultural Centers worldwide. The current Hallyu 3.0 (2016-present) represents full cultural investments paying off with genre-diversification and its spread all over the world, with BTS alone contributing $4.9 billion to the South Korean economy in what some have been calling the “BTS Effect.”
Including the impact they’ve made on the economy, BTS also has found a new role as more than K-pop idols but also diplomatic actors. Their appearances at the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, 2020, and 2021 were not just musical performances. In 2021, BTS delivered a speech on climate change and COVID-19 vaccination, watched by over 1 million people on the UN’s YouTube channel. Appointed by President Moon Jae-in as "Special Presidential Envoys for Future Generations and Culture," BTS shows how K-pop is strategically deployed for diplomacy, engaging global youth on critical issues.
BTS's political influence has been significant. Their UN speeches garnered more social media engagement than any prior UN event, and their participation in diplomatic events has facilitated dialogues between South Korea and nations, particularly in Southeast Asia. Their advocacy in UNICEF’s "Love Myself" campaign raised over $3.6 million for violence prevention, while Korean cultural centers worldwide have become de facto diplomatic outposts.
The Korean Wave has also sparked global interest in travel to South Korea. Korean language learning 76% in the UK and a 40% rise in the United States on Duolingo within two weeks of Squid Game's release. South Korea's tourism industry saw a transformation: In 2023, the country welcomed 11 million tourists, with nearly 32% of younger visitors motivated primarily by Hallyu content; these "Hallyu tourists" spent an average of $1,007 per person in 2019. Tourism spending also reached $17.5 billion in 2023, driven by the increasing global popularity of Korean pop culture. Projections for 2024 estimate a further boost, with the travel and tourism sector contributing $69.5 billion to the national economy and employment in the industry exceeding 1.4 million jobs.
The education sector has seen similar growth, with international student numbers rising from 85,923 in 2013 to 181,842 in 2023. This is also nearly ten times higher than the 16,832 students in 2004 when the Education Ministry first started compiling such statistics. To support this interest, the Korean government has established 234 King Sejong Institutes across 82 countries to promote Korean language and culture.
Behind this cultural juggernaut is a well-oiled machine: The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism operates a dedicated Hallyu department, managing everything from K-pop concert permissions to drama export licenses. Cultural attachés at Korean embassies organize events, while organizations like the Korea Foundation promote language and cultural education globally.
However, this success has a darker side. South Korea’s polished cultural exports often obscure entrenched social hierarchies within the country. Conglomerates like Samsung dominate not only the economy but also societal structures, contrasting with the progressive image presented through K-pop and K-dramas. The rapid modernization and global appeal of Korean culture frequently overshadow pressing domestic issues, such as rigid class divisions and rising income inequality. Moreover, the high-pressure environment of the Korean entertainment industry has led to troubling trends, including exploitative contracts, a rise in mental health issues, and the promotion of unrealistic beauty standards.
The Korean Wave is a masterclass in cultural diplomacy, transforming soft power from smaller initiatives into a tool for reshaping a nation’s global image. This calculated use of soft power has changed how the world sees South Korea and revolutionized how nations approach cultural diplomacy. Yet, questions remain about the sustainability of this model and the human cost in an industry known for its relentless pursuit of perfection.