Foreign college students learn K-pop dance during a summer school program at Pusan National University in Busan, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in this July 16, 2024, file photo. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — K-pop garnered the most attention among globally popular South Korean cultural content in Asia, Europe and Latin America, while people in North America, Africa and Oceania showed greater interest in Korean food, according to a government report released Tuesday.
The annual report was jointly published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.
It was based on an analysis of approximately 680,000 foreign news articles and online posts from 30 countries, all concerning the Korean Wave, known as “hallyu,” from October 2023 to September 2024.
It found that K-pop accounted for the largest share of the news coverage in Asia (35.4 percent), Europe (25.1 percent) and Latin America (34.9 percent) during the one-year period.
In Asia, K-pop groups BTS and BLACKPINK were the primary focus of hallyu-related news. In Europe, media coverage mainly revolved around K-pop artists’ performances on music charts, while in Latin America, reports largely focused on visits by Korean idol groups and their world tours.
In contrast, Korean food accounted for 26.7 percent of hallyu-related reports in North America, surpassing K-pop’s 23.5 percent by 3.2 percentage points. In the United States and Canada, online searches and social media discussions about Korean food — particularly kimchi and the spicy chicken ramen brand “buldak-bokkeum-myeon” — surged in popularity.
Africa and Oceania also showed a strong interest in Korean cuisine, with Korean food comprising 38 percent and 30 percent of hallyu-related reports in each region, respectively. In comparison, K-pop coverage accounted for 22.6 percent in Africa and 26.7 percent in Oceania. Many reports in these regions focused on the opening of Korean restaurants.
By country, India recorded the highest number of hallyu-related news reports with 905 articles, followed by the U.S. with 769, Thailand with 461, Turkey with 301 and the Philippines with 273. K-pop was the dominant hallyu topic in India with 41 percent, Thailand with 37.5 percent and the Philippines with 32.6 percent. In contrast, Korean food was the most covered topic in the U.S at 27 percent, while Turkish media showed the greatest interest in Korean dramas with 29.6 percent.
Korean films and dramas also attracted attention across various countries. Movies such as “Exhuma,” “Veteran 2,” “The Roundup: Punishment” and “Concrete Utopia” were frequently mentioned, along with hit dramas including “Squid Game Season 2,” “Queen of Tears” and “Lovely Runners.”
(Yonhap)
