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Hallyu (Korean Wave): Decoding the Soaring Popularity of South Korean Culture

Received: 24 July 2025     Accepted: 6 August 2025     Published: 17 December 2025
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Abstract

Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared meanings of a social system and it appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding. Culture is very important in the formation of certain group identities and technology becomes a tool in transforming cultural identity. South Korea has become the powerhouse of popular culture, especially in Asia. The Hallyu has huge effects on societies and people. The Korean Wave (Hallyu) refers to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy exporting pop culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas, and movies. Korean pop popularly referred to as K-pop is a term that has been in use since the early years of the 21st century. South Korea is rising not only in the entertainment industry but also in all fields and begins to take a significant place in the world. Over the past few years, it has been observed that more and more Indian youth have been getting into Korean Pop Culture. From K-dramas, and K-pop to K-culture, no phenomenon has ever seen such mass fan participation, liking, and acceptance. Thus, this study aims to decode and understand what causes this undeniable affinity to cultural products of the Korean wave and to find the key reasons behind the popularity of Korean Pop Culture. It also examines the significant factors that entice people to pop culture.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 13, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15
Page(s) 154-159
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

South Korea, Popular Culture, Hallyu, Korean Wave, K-pop

References
[1] Roll, M. (2021). Korean Wave (Hallyu) – Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy & Pop Culture. Martin Roll.
[2] Victoria and Albert Museum. (2022). Hallyu! The Korean Wave – Exhibition at South Kensington.
[3] Cho, B. C., & Sim, H. (1970). Success Factor Analysis of K-Pop and Sustainable Korean Wave. Semantic Scholar.
[4] Ju, H. (2018). The Korean Wave and Korean Dramas. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.
[5] The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. (2020). The Korean Wave.
[6] Yun, S. J. (2022). Digital Transculturalism: The Rise of Korean Pop Culture in the Global Platform Age. Media, Culture & Society, 44(1), 45–63.
[7] Kim, Y., & Ryoo, W. (2023). K-pop, Platform Capitalism, and Global Fan Labor. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(2), 191–207.
[8] Lee, J. H. (2023). K-Dramas and Soft Power: How Streaming Services Expand Korean Cultural Influence. Asian Journal of Communication, 33(3), 223–240.
[9] Oh, D. C. (2022). The Globalization of K-Beauty: Cultural Flows and Soft Power in the Cosmetic Industry. Journal of Consumer Culture, 22(4), 857–873.
[10] Kang, J., & Kim, S. (2024). Hallyu 4.0: The Role of TikTok and Reels in Spreading K-Culture among Gen Z. New Media & Society, 26(5), 1011–1030.
[11] Choi, J. (2023). The Emotional Economy of K-Pop Fandoms: BTS ARMY and Transnational Identities. Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies, 23(2), 134–148.
[12] Park, M. (2022). Parasite to Squid Game: K-Drama’s Global Boom and Cultural Hybridity. Global Media Journal, 20(1), 1–15.
[13] Hwang, Y., & Lee, H. (2023). Korean Cultural Products and National Branding: A Case Study of India’s K-Wave Reception. Asian Cultural Studies, 19(2), 45–62.
[14] Choi, S. Y. (2022). Cosmetic Surgery and the Rise of K-Beauty Ideals in Global Youth Culture. Body & Society, 28(3), 22–40.
[15] Asia Scotland Institute. (2020). The Korean Wave – From Psy to BTS.
[16] Roots, Recipes &. “Hallyu and Its Impact on Korean Food History — Recipes and Roots.” Recipes & Roots, 1 Dec. 2024,
[17] Centre, Korea. “K-Craze in India: How the Hallyu Wave Is Shaking up Language Learning and Inspiring Indian Students.” KOREA CENTRE, 8 Oct. 2023, koreacentre.org/2023/09/20/k-craze-in-india-how-the-hallyu-wave-is-shaking-up-language-learning-and-inspiring-indian-students
[18] Maheswari, R., and A. Chandra Bose. “A Study on the College Teachers Attitude in Teaching Speaking Skill Among Undergraduate Students.”, Apr. 2018,
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  • APA Style

    Madhavan, S., Ramdoss, D. (2025). Hallyu (Korean Wave): Decoding the Soaring Popularity of South Korean Culture. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 13(6), 154-159. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15

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    ACS Style

    Madhavan, S.; Ramdoss, D. Hallyu (Korean Wave): Decoding the Soaring Popularity of South Korean Culture. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2025, 13(6), 154-159. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15

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    AMA Style

    Madhavan S, Ramdoss D. Hallyu (Korean Wave): Decoding the Soaring Popularity of South Korean Culture. Int J Lit Arts. 2025;13(6):154-159. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15,
      author = {Swathi Madhavan and Dhayalakrishnan Ramdoss},
      title = {Hallyu (Korean Wave): Decoding the Soaring Popularity of South Korean Culture},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {13},
      number = {6},
      pages = {154-159},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20251306.15},
      abstract = {Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared meanings of a social system and it appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding. Culture is very important in the formation of certain group identities and technology becomes a tool in transforming cultural identity. South Korea has become the powerhouse of popular culture, especially in Asia. The Hallyu has huge effects on societies and people. The Korean Wave (Hallyu) refers to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy exporting pop culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas, and movies. Korean pop popularly referred to as K-pop is a term that has been in use since the early years of the 21st century. South Korea is rising not only in the entertainment industry but also in all fields and begins to take a significant place in the world. Over the past few years, it has been observed that more and more Indian youth have been getting into Korean Pop Culture. From K-dramas, and K-pop to K-culture, no phenomenon has ever seen such mass fan participation, liking, and acceptance. Thus, this study aims to decode and understand what causes this undeniable affinity to cultural products of the Korean wave and to find the key reasons behind the popularity of Korean Pop Culture. It also examines the significant factors that entice people to pop culture.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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    AB  - Popular culture is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared meanings of a social system and it appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding. Culture is very important in the formation of certain group identities and technology becomes a tool in transforming cultural identity. South Korea has become the powerhouse of popular culture, especially in Asia. The Hallyu has huge effects on societies and people. The Korean Wave (Hallyu) refers to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy exporting pop culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas, and movies. Korean pop popularly referred to as K-pop is a term that has been in use since the early years of the 21st century. South Korea is rising not only in the entertainment industry but also in all fields and begins to take a significant place in the world. Over the past few years, it has been observed that more and more Indian youth have been getting into Korean Pop Culture. From K-dramas, and K-pop to K-culture, no phenomenon has ever seen such mass fan participation, liking, and acceptance. Thus, this study aims to decode and understand what causes this undeniable affinity to cultural products of the Korean wave and to find the key reasons behind the popularity of Korean Pop Culture. It also examines the significant factors that entice people to pop culture.
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