Overseas, image most associated with Korea is still K-pop: survey
Favorable perception of Korean culture and products rises, but excessive commercialization, North Korea concerns have negative impact, according to survey
For the eighth consecutive year, K-pop has been named the most prominent image associated with South Korea according to a global survey.
The 2025 Global Hallyu Survey, released Monday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, showed 17.8 percent of respondents said K-pop was the first thing that came to mind when they thought of Korea.
The survey was conducted across 28 countries from Nov. 29 to Dec. 27, 2024, targeting 26,400 people aged 15 to 59 who had experienced Korean cultural content. The Philippines and Hong Kong were included in the survey for the first time.
The second most common answer was Korean cuisine, which came to mind for 11.8 percent, followed by Korean dramas (8.7 percent), beauty products (6.4 percent) and Korean films (5.6 percent). For the first time since 2012, IT products and brands fell out of the top five with only 5.1 percent.
Among K-pop artists, 24.6 percent of respondents rated BTS as the most popular act, securing the band's spot at the top for a seventh consecutive year. Blackpink followed with 12.3 percent, marking its sixth consecutive year in second place. IU, Psy and Twice rounded out the top five, with 3.1 percent, 2.2 percent, and 1.8 percent, respectively.
The overall favorability rating for Korean content stood at 70.3 percent, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous year. The newly added category of Korean language recorded a favorability rating of 75.4 percent.
For the fourth year in a row, the Netflix original series "Squid Game" was named the most popular Korean drama, chosen by 9.7 percent of respondents. "Queen of Tears" followed with 6.5 percent, and "Crash Landing on You" came in third with 2.2 percent.
In the film category, "Parasite" directed by Bong Joon-ho maintained its top position for the fifth consecutive year with 8.3 percent. "Train to Busan" ranked second with 6.5 percent, and "Exhuma" came third with 4.1 percent.
Actor Lee Min-ho remained the most popular Korean actor for 12 consecutive years, chosen by 7 percent of the respondents. Actors Gong Yoo, Song Hye-kyo followed in second and third place, while the scandal-ridden actor Kim Soo-hyun secured fourth place.
The survey also highlighted the growing economic impact of Korean culture.
Among those who had experienced Korean content, 58.9 percent said they were likely to purchase Korean products or services in the future. This marks an increase of 8.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Furthermore, 22.1 percent said their reason for purchase was the product's appearance in Korean movies or television shows, a 5 percentage point rise from the year before.
However, the survey also noted a rise in negative perceptions of Hallyu as its global influence expands. A total of 37.5 percent of respondents said they agreed with negative views about Korean pop culture, the highest figure in the past five years and a 4.9 percentage point increase from last year. The most cited reasons included excessive commercialization, concerns about North Korea's international presence, and the desire to protect local content in their own countries.
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