Three Decades On, the Korean Wave Continues to Build Momentum

The Diplomat

2 days ago

The global popularity of Korean culture is no longer a new phenomenon. This year alone, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' became the most-watched animated film on Netflix, the New York Times placed the Korean film 'Parasite' at the top of its '100 Best Movies of the 21st Century' list, and the Korean musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' won six Tony Awards. Last year, Han Kang became the first Korean writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Meanwhile, BTS is widely regarded as the biggest pop band of this generation, and 'Squid Game' remains Netflix's most-watched series of all time.
Even as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, continues to gain global traction, critics have persistently questioned its sustainability. In its early years, skeptics doubted whether Korean pop music had the quality to succeed abroad. Later, they argued that Korean popular culture lacked the originality to sustain momentum. Structural challenges such as language barriers and limited diversity were also seen as major obstacles. Yet despite these concerns, the Korean Wave has not only endured but has continued to grow and evolve over the past three decades.
The rise of Hallyu has been less a sudden burst than a steady, sustained movement. By the late 1990s, Korean pop music and dramas had achieved notable success in neighboring countries, and during the 2010s, their popularity began to spread beyond Asia. A major turning point came in 2012, when Psy's 'Gangnam Style' became the first video to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube, placing Korean pop culture squarely on the global stage. Since then, artists like BTS and Blackpink have propelled K-pop into the mainstream across major global music markets including North America, Europe, and Latin America.
Korean dramas have followed a similar trajectory. After a string of major hits in Asia, K-drama's global popularity surged in the 2020s, fueled largely by streaming platforms. Today, more than 80 percent of Netflix subscribers worldwide have watched at least one Korean show, and in terms of viewing hours, South Korean content ranks second only to that from the United States. 'Squid Game' remains Netflix's most-watched original series, and its final season became the first show ever to top the streaming platform's charts in all 93 countries where Netflix publishes Top 10 rankings during its first week of release.
While pop music and dramas ignited Hallyu, they have not defined its boundaries. As Korean entertainment gained global recognition, interest quickly spread to lifestyle sectors such as food, cosmetics, and fashion. Korean cuisine, in particular, has become a major symbol of this cultural shift. Once consumed primarily within diaspora communities, Korean cuisine has entered the global mainstream, ranging from street snacks like tteokbokki and kimbap to Michelin-starred fine dining. This cultural shift is mirrored in trade statistics: K-food exports grew at an annual rate of 5.9 percent from 2015 to 2019, then accelerated to 9 percent per year between 2020 and 2024, reaching $7.02 billion in value.
Language is another domain where the impact of the Korean Wave is clearly visible. Once primarily studied by heritage learners, Korean is now among the most popular languages on Duolingo, the world's largest language learning platform. It has even surpassed languages spoken in countries with far larger populations and greater geopolitical influence, such as China and Russia. Korean is one of only seven non-English languages fully supported across all 28 Duolingo interface languages. Interest in official certification has also grown. The number of test takers for the Korean language proficiency exam (TOPIK) doubled from 218,869 in 2020 to 428,585 in 2024.
At home, Hallyu is reinvigorating domestic engagement with cultural heritage. As global interest grows, South Koreans are reimagining tradition not just as a marker of identity but as a source of creative inspiration. K-pop artists are at the forefront of this movement, showing that tradition can be both relevant and fashionable. Blackpink's Jennie incorporated motifs from ancient golden crowns in her 'Zen' music video, while BTS's Suga (as Agust D) drew heavily on traditional instruments and clothing in his track 'Daechwita.' This reinvention of heritage, now widely referred to as 'hip tradition,' captures how once-sacred symbols are being transformed into accessible, stylish expressions of creativity.
The traditional dessert yakgwa also exemplifies this trend. After going viral on social media in the early 2020s, it inspired a wave of modern reinterpretations, including yakgwa cookies, scones, and financiers. Similar trends can be seen in museum gift shops, where miniature replicas of ancient sculptures and drinking glasses printed with classical Korean paintings frequently sell out. This renewed appreciation has led to a surge in museum attendance. The National Museum of Korea welcomed 2.7 million visitors in the first half of 2025, a 64.2 percent increase from the previous year. Foreign visitors also hit a new high, reaching nearly 98,000.
Perhaps the most significant shift lies in who is now creating Korean-inspired content. A case in point is the animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters.' Set in Seoul, the film features Korean-inspired fashion and cuisine, along with a tiger and magpie duo drawn from traditional Korean paintings. What makes the project particularly noteworthy is that it was entirely conceived, produced, and distributed by non-Korean companies for global audiences.
This marks a meaningful shift. Non-Koreans, who were previously engaged with Korean culture primarily as consumers, are now stepping into new roles as creators, investors, and cultural ambassadors. The film's commercial success highlights the enduring appeal and growing market potential of Korean-inspired content, signaling even more cross-cultural collaborations on the horizon.
Three decades on, the Korean Wave has grown from a regional trend into a global phenomenon spanning continents, industries, and generations, demonstrating that it is far more than a passing trend. While cultural tastes will inevitably evolve and certain aspects of the Korean Wave may ebb or fade, its breadth, from entertainment to lifestyle, and its depth, reflected in the rising popularity of the Korean language and the reinterpretation of cultural heritage, indicate that Hallyu is here to stay.