The 2017 report from the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) released on Wednesday looked into the international domination of South Korean pop culture, and discovered global consumer sentiment towards South Korean pop culture has improved. (Image: South Korean Embassy in Turkey)
SEOUL, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) — A new report has revealed that both positive and negative global consumer sentiment is growing towards South Korean pop culture, signaling signs of a love and hate relationship.
The 2017 report from the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) released on Wednesday looked into the international domination of South Korean pop culture, and discovered global consumer sentiment towards South Korean pop culture has improved.
Nearly 38 percent of the respondents based outside Korea agreed the consumption of South Korean cultural products will increase within a year, up 7 percentage points from 2016.
The rosy outlook comes following 2016 when the figure dropped from 41.3 percent to 30.6 percent.
When broken down by country, consumer sentiment was relatively strong in India, Brazil, Thailand and China.
Negative sentiment towards Korean pop culture is also on the rise, according to the report.
The number of people holding a negative view on the Korean Wave, which refers to the spread of South Korean pop culture, jumped by nearly 10 percent on average, reaching a total of 31 percent.
The figure has been growing steadily since 2015, especially in countries like China, India and Thailand, which are some of the biggest importers of Korean pop culture.
When asked why, many said reports of international security threats from North Korea and the divide between the two Koreas was among the major factors negatively affecting the brand of Korean pop culture, while others said the content is excessively commercialized.
Some of the most popular South Korean content and products include K-pop, Korean food, the IT industry, Korean celebrities, and Korean TV dramas.
Artists Psy and BTS, and actors Lee Min-ho and Song Joong-ki were among the celebrities that fans of Korean pop culture wanted to meet the most, while Pucca, Pororo, and Larva were among the top three most famous South Korean animation characters.
The report was conducted with a sample of 7,800 consumers in 16 countries including the U.S., China, Japan, and the U.K. between last October and December.
The annual report has been released by the KOFICE each year since 2011, marking the 7th year last year.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
I’m curious about the negative aspects that were analyzed!