Which Korean Wave Trends Are Most Popular Among Global Audiences?

[Financial News] The Korean Wave has diversified beyond music into literature, film, drama, and food, and has now emerged as a strategic asset that drives the national brand and industrial competitiveness.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced on the 25th that, together with the Korea Culture Information Service Agency (KCISA), it analyzed about 1.5 million items from foreign media reports and social media in 30 countries and published the "2025 Global Korean Wave Trend Analysis Report Based on Foreign Media and Social Data" containing these findings.
Looking at major content cases, the Netflix animated film "K-pop Demon Hunters" surpassed 300 million views on Netflix, while its theme song "Golden" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
According to the report, the natural blending of traditional cultural motifs such as grim reapers and goblins with Korean food like gimbap and ramen in the content was also cited as a key factor behind its success. The impact has spread to tourism and consumption, as seen in the increase in foreign visitors to the National Museum of Korea and the surge in bookings for "K-culture" experience products.
By sector, the global boom in "K-food" stood out. Core keywords included Korean dishes such as kimchi, soju, ramen, and bibimbap, and new related terms like "chef" and "Squid Game" also gained prominence. MCST interpreted this as the effect of Korean cuisine being naturally featured and rediscovered through the cooking reality show "Culinary Class Wars" on over-the-top (OTT) platforms and the drama "Squid Game."
The drama "When Life Gives You Tangerines," set on Jeju Island, built international resonance through a localization strategy that adapted its title to local sensibilities in each country and through its family-centered narrative. "Squid Game" maintained its influence by ranking No. 1 in 93 countries after the release of Season 3. Although critics' scores declined somewhat with each season, public interest remained high.
After writer Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the share of coverage devoted to "K-literature" jumped by more than 30 percentage points from the previous quarter, with works such as "The Vegetarian" and "Human Acts" receiving focused attention. Foreign media highlighted the symbolism of her being the first Asian woman to win the prize and assessed that Korean literature has opened a new chapter in the history of world literature.
In 2025, the regional distribution of foreign media coverage related to the Korean Wave was 44% in Asia, followed by 20.8% in Europe and 16.9% in North America. While K-pop accounted for the largest share in most regions, K-literature had the highest share in Africa and K-films led in Oceania, indicating that interest in the Korean Wave is diversifying beyond music into literature, film, and drama.
By country, the volume of coverage was highest in the United States, followed by India, Argentina, and Vietnam. MCST noted that Japan showed a relatively high share of "K-literature," Vietnam of "K-drama," and Brazil of "K-films," reflecting differing areas of interest by country.
The analysis covered 5,608 reports from more than 460 overseas media outlets and about 1.49 million Korean Wave-related items collected from platforms such as YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). After data refinement, 3,708 foreign media reports and roughly 1.06 million social media posts were included in the final analysis.
MCST explained that it secured the data in cooperation with 35 Korean Cultural Centers worldwide and Cultural Promotion Centers in seven countries. The report set consists of six publications in total: one annual integrated report, four quarterly reports, and one in-depth analysis report focusing on Japan and Thailand.
MCST stated, "This report is a case study that comprehensively analyzes international big data by integrating foreign media articles and social media materials to examine coverage volume and shifts in key terms by continent, country, and content type, as well as sentiment analysis and network mapping."
rsunjun@fnnews.com Yoo Sun-jun Reporter