2020
Global Korean Wave Status
2020 Global Korean Wave Status Analysis
1
Korean Wave fan clubs exceed 100 million in 2020 Number of members
Number of clubs 99,328,297
104,777,808
89,193,766 73,124,523 58,386,749 1,843
35,622,393 21,702,723
1,635
1,594
2016
2017
1,835
1,799
1,493 1,254
2014
2015
2018
2019
2020
Changes in the number of Korean Wave fan clubs by region and year Asia & Oceania 188 76
118 121
90
158
The Americas
Europe
Africa & the Middle East
(Unit: :100,000 ) 10,000 people (Unit people) 101 14
17 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
99
16
150
188
66
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
706 718
391
690
442
262 177
1
2
2
1
2
3
12
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2020 Global Korean Wave Status Analysis
I. General In recent years, the Korean Wave (in Korean, “Hallyu”) has been advancing by expanding its scope to encompass not only TV dramas, movies, and K-pop, but also Korean food, cosmetics, games, and webtoons (web comics), Korean language study, and traditional culture. The year 2020 in particular revealed the strength of the soft power of the Korean Wave. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, movie releases were canceled first, followed by K-pop concerts, leading many to fear a decline in the growth of the Korean Wave. However, in the midst of this crisis, the Korean Wave has become even more valuable, proving itself to be a strong asset in terms of both public diplomacy and the improvement of Korea’s national brand. The primary factor that allowed crisis to be turned into opportunity was high loyalty among members of international fan clubs for Korean Wave content. In a contactless society, Korean Wave enthusiasts have not only reinforced the fandom phenomenon based on online resources, but also have accelerated the spread of the Korean Wave. Table 1 | Annual Survey Results of International Korean Wave Fan Clubs
Nations surveyed Number of clubs Number of members Members per club
1. While 109 countries
unit: person
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
79
86
85
92
94
98
98
1,254
1,493
1,635
1,594
1,843
1,799
1,835
21,702,723
35,622,393
58,386,749
73,124,523
89,193,766
99,328,297
104,777,808
17,307
23,860
35,710
45,875
48,396
55,213
57,100
Table 1 shows an overview of the annual survey results of international Korean Wave fan clubs.
participated in the overall
A total of 98 countries are represented in the survey data for 2020.1 According to this data,
survey, 98 provided data
the total number of fan club members increased by about 5.4 million people (from 99 million in
on the status of Korean Wave fan clubs.
2019 to 104 million in 2020). The number of clubs also increased by 36 (from 1,799 in 2019 to 1,835 in 2020), and the number of members per club has increased steadily from 2014 to 2020. In other words, the data implies that 2020 saw an influx of new Korean Wave fan clubs, as well as consolidation into pre-existing clubs.
2020 Global Korean Wave Status Analysis
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As online-based club activities increase, they are gradually being integrated into fan clubs with a competitive edge. These clubs are systematically and strategically operated according to the characteristics of various platforms and channels, specifically so that their favorite content and stars can gain more public exposure. As an example, the activities of K-pop clubs can largely be divided into four categories: “translation,” introducing song lyrics in the native language of club members; “interpretation,” providing explanation of the meaning behind music videos or song lyrics; “reaction,” collecting and sharing the responses of people who consume Korean Wave content; and “dance covers,” showcasing the costumes, dances, and songs of a K-pop group. These systematic activities by club members help the general public to more easily overcome the high barrier of entry to Korean Wave contents: the Korean language, which is the biggest 2. According to the 2019
obstacle to accessibility.2 In other words, they act as a springboard. The voluntary activities of
Hallyu Global Trends
international Korean Wave fan club members, disseminated via social media, enable not only
survey, the Korean language was selected as a major factor that hinders
fans’ acquaintances, but also the general public to come into contact with, understand, accept, and consume Korean Wave content.
consumption of Korean Wave content, such as TV dramas, movies, K-pop,
In a situation where face-to-face concerts are not possible, as was the case during 2020 under
and animated series or
the COVID-19 pandemic, fan club members are both consumers of Korean Wave content and
films.
the main agents in spreading this content online, often by proactively promoting online K-pop
3. A portmanteau of
stars’ virtual concerts. These performances, dubbed “on-tact” in Korea,3 are characterized
“online” and “untact”
by the potential for an unlimited number of audience members. As a result, Korean Wave
that refers to live stream concerts and events, a
performers with a strong existing fandom have an advantage in terms of promotion and profits;
new trend that emerged in
the suggestion here is that a strong fandom can determine the outcome of a performance. As
2020 during the prolonged
we proceed in a contactless era, the online enthusiastic activities of Korean Wave fan clubs build
COVID-19 pandemic.
up fandom enthusiasm and anticipation for virtual performances, while simultaneously offering members a strong sense of belonging. These fans have opportunities to communicate with one other through the Korean Wave, even if they speak different languages or have different religious, social, and cultural backgrounds. Through this fan activity, they build consensus and get to know and understand each other. And as society grows increasingly connected, the size of Korean Wave fan clubs becomes an important factor facilitating the spread and sustainability of the Korean Wave. Now that it is clear why the current status of Korean Wave fan clubs is important, let’s take a 4. A term popularized by
closer look at Figure 1. In 2020, for the first time since this survey was initially conducted in
a 2005 comic book called
2014, the number of fan clubs in Asia declined. It seems that the growth of the Korean Wave
“Manga Kenkanryu” (in English, “Hating the Korean Wave;” in Korean, “Hyom
in the region has contracted under the prolonged influence of anti-Korean Wave sentiment (Kenkanryu)4 in Japan and the ban on Korean cultural imports (Xiàn hán lìng) in China.
Hallyu”).
2020 Global Korean Wave Status Analysis
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Figure 1 | Changes in the number of Korean Wave fan clubs by region and year
804 715
722
712 626
300
182
300
65
73
2014
2015
Asia & Oceania
534
542
457
470
140
154
2018
2019
444
414 267
624
392
409
107
115
2016
2017
The Americas
Europe
613 584 463
175
2020
Africa & the Middle East
In the case of China, though the number of fan clubs decreased, there was no significant change in the number of club members through 2019. But in 2020, 16 clubs disappeared and the number of club members decreased by about 10 million. With the prolonged ban on Korean cultural imports, existing Korean Wave fans are becoming more and more sensitive to political relations between the two countries. In fact, after K-pop band BTS commented on the Korean War, large courier companies in China refused to deliver BTS goods, and many fan club members declared that they would be withdrawing their membership. The bad news in Asia didn't stop there—the Burning Sun incident, which made headlines in 2019, raised the issue of the ethics of Korean Wave stars. This was a big disappointment to Southeast Asian fans, indicated by a corresponding decrease in fan club membership. This phenomenon was more pronounced in Muslim countries, with about 600,000 members leaving fan clubs in Indonesia. However, there was good news as well. While the number of fan club members in Japan decreased by about 22,000 (6.6%), the number of clubs as a whole increased by 12. This is likely due to increased viewership of Korean TV dramas on Netflix; the news of the movie Parasite (Gisaengchung) winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture; the activities of K-pop groups such as BTS and TWICE; and the COVID-19 pandemic. In Malaysia and Australia, where Korean is increasingly an option for public school students studying a second language, the number of Korean Wave fan club members has risen since 2014 by 3.5 million and 520,000 people, respectively, showing a steady growth trend. In addition, in India, where foreign businesses and cultural exporters can struggle to find a foothold, the number of fan club members has soared to about 1 million in one year. And, fortunately, the Korean Wave continued to grow in the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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Figure 2 | Changes in the number of Korean Wave fan clubs by region and year
3
1
12 188
2 66
150
118
121
158
718
690
2019
2020
99 2 101
1 14 27 117
2014
188
90
2 16 76
706 391
442
2016
2017
262
2015
Asia & Oceania
The Americas
2018
Europe
Africa & the Middle East
Figure 1 and Figure 2 show that both the number of fan clubs and fan club members in Asia have fallen, which can be seen as heralding the end of the growth of the Korean Wave in Asia. Therefore, accurate cause analysis is required to establish effective countermeasures. A new strategy is needed to maintain the position of the Korean Wave that has been built in Asia, which was once the outpost of the phenomenon; this must include a clear analysis of whether the growth potential of the Korean Wave has declined because of early penetration into this region, or whether this is due to external circumstances, such as political relations. It should be borne in mind that after passing through a period of continual growth, the spread of the Korean Wave in Asia is at a crossroads and will require active efforts to reach maturity and avoid a decrease in popularity. Fortunately, all regions except Asia showed growth in 2020. This is a positive sign that the Korean Wave is overcoming the limitations of regional centralization, which was previously biased toward Asia. The number of fan club members around the world was able to increase by about 5.4 million from the previous year, thanks to advances in Europe and the Americas. In North America in particular, fan club members increased by about 660,000 people in the United States and 950,000 people in Canada from the previous year. With 6 million Korean Wave fan club members, the United States has become the largest Korean Wave power in the Americas. As demonstrated in Figure 2, the total number of fan club members in the Americas increased from about 12.15 million in 2019 to 15.8 million in 2020, an increase of about 3.65 million people. It can be interpreted from this that the Korean Wave has been safely established in this region and has entered a stage of growth.
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In the case of the United States, clubs have grown from small groups focused on personal interest to systematically organized clubs with an average of about 1 million members. Club activities on such an organized scale also contributed to BTS's achievement of reaching No. 5. The Billboard Hot 100
1 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart.5 While BTS ranked extremely low in terms of radio
record chart ranks the
play, BTS fan clubs in the United States analyzed the chart’s aggregate ranking system and
most popular songs in the United States through an aggregate of sales volume,
strategically supported the group through efforts such as supplementing the low radio play score with increased sales volume and streaming viewer counts.
radio play, and streaming viewer counts in the US market.
In South America, it is mainly Argentina and Chile, along with Brazil and Mexico, that have played a role in driving the spread of the Korean Wave. However, with the occurrence of excessive commercialization and abuse of favors toward Korea, some antipathy arose in the region. Naturally, club membership therefore decreased slightly compared to the previous year's steep growth. On the other hand, in Brazil and Mexico, the Korean Wave continued growing, contributing to its spread in South America as a whole. Just a few years ago, at the beginning of the spread of the Korean Wave in the European region, there were worries that this would ultimately prove to be a temporary phenomenon, unable to reach a period of true growth. However, despite the fact that data from several countries, such as the UK, in which the Korean Wave has grown, was omitted due to COVID-19, the number of fan club members increased by 3.75 million (from 15.04 million in 2019 to 18.79 million in 2020). Italy and Germany, which ranked among the top in Europe, showed high growth from the previous year (up 450,000 and 130,000 members, respectively). A total of 218 fan clubs are active in Russia, which ranks second in the world after China in terms of the number of club members (15 million people, on par with the total number of club members in the Americas). However, it is still too early for celebration or relief. An overwhelming 80% of all Korean Wave fan club members in Europe are concentrated in Russia, with Turkey being the only other country in the region with more than 1 million fan club members. In addition, in Spain and France, where the number of fans increased early on, Korea Wave fan club membership has decreased. The Korean Wave and its related industries have already seen how the risk of regional concentration can cause negative impacts, through the ban on Korean cultural imports in China and the spread of anti-Korean Wave sentiment in Japan. Before it is too late, it is necessary to take a closer look at where and for what reasons the Korean Wave has spread into certain countries in Europe while stagnating or declining in others. Meanwhile, in Africa and the Middle East, which showed steady growth, the number of fan club members soared. With an increase of 3.7 times over the previous year, club members increased by 870,000 people. In particular, countries in the Middle East such as Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan
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have made significant contributions to this trend. To be sure, the region still represents a small proportion of the number of Korean Wave fan clubs and fan club members worldwide. But given different cultural and religious backgrounds that can make it difficult for foreign popular culture to penetrate these countries, the data raises expectations for the future of the Korean Wave in the region.
II. Major Changes in the Korean Wave by Region 1. Greater China
The Chinese government’s ban on Korean cultural imports, which took effect in 2017, made it virtually impossible for Korean content to enter China. It also stopped Korean celebrities from participating in advertising deals and concerts in China. In addition, Chinese group tours to Korea were also banned, and the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea, which had been on the rise until 2017, plummeted sharply. However, little by little, 2020 showed signs of change, such as the reopening of advertising deals. For the first time since the ban was enacted, famous brands in mainland China have started publicly promoting with Korean Wave stars such as BIGBANG’s G-Dragon and BLACKPINK’s Lisa, a Thai national. In addition, video hosting platform Youku, often dubbed “the YouTube of China,” has resumed hosting Korean TV dramas. Under the same category of the site that has provided only Japanese TV content since the THAAD issue, viewers can now find popular Korean TV series such as Reply 1994 (Eungdaphara 1994); Master’s Sun (Jugun-ui taeyang); Come Back, Mister (Dorawayo ajeossi); and Crash Landing on You (Sarang-ui bulshichak), starring Hyunbin and Son Yejin. In Taiwan, Korean Wave fever has reached the point that a university recently held a discussion on the analysis of the “Korean pop music industry,” while the president of the major opposition party, the Kuomintang, criticized the fact that Korean TV dramas were flooding Taiwanese television. K-pop in particular gained popularity in 2020, accounting for 87% of Taiwanese Korean Wave fan club activities. For example, a number of K-pop singers visit Taiwan every month to participate in fan meetings and concerts; upon their arrival, fans crowd the airport to greet them. In addition, more than 50% of the TV dramas aired in Korea are translated and air on TV in Taiwan within two to three months, and sometimes even within one month. The film Parasite, which won the Golden Palm Award at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, achieved the highest box office performance among Golden Palm Award-winning films released in Taiwan in the past 20 years. Meanwhile, K-pop is enjoying an unprecedented heyday in Hong Kong. BTS, who ranked first on the US Billboard Hot 100 music chart with the recently released song “Dynamite,” drew
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attention from the Hong Kong media. In addition to TV serial The World of the Married (Bubuui segye), other Korean serial dramas such as Itaewon Class and Crash Landing on You gained great popularity, ranking first on Netflix in Hong Kong. Among films released in 2020, The Peninsula (Bando), which was shot in Hong Kong, was well-loved by Hong Kong audiences as a sequel to the 2016 film Train to Busan (Busanhaeng). However, the headwind against the Korean Wave also brought challenges. Concerns about the erosion of the Chinese market due to the unilateral and short-term expansion of Korean popular culture are multiplying as awareness of this issue and protection of local culture increases. In addition, the Korean-Chinese historical conflict has caused the image of Korea to deteriorate, and resistance to the Korean Wave, centered on the Chinese entertainment industry, also arose. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a plan to expand exchange and cooperation, such as coproduction in fields including TV dramas, movies, and games, taking into account the sentiment of local culture and Chinese people in Greater China.
2. Japan
Like China, the Korean Wave in Japan tends to be dominated by political relations between the two countries. The relationship between Korea and Japan, which began to crumble over the issue of compensation for victims of Japanese imprisonment in 2019, showed no signs of improvement in 2020. In addition to the unpleasant atmosphere, the COVID-19 pandemic caused scheduled Korean Wave performances to be canceled, leading to a crisis of Korean Wave consumption in Japan. However, even though the overall relationship between Korea and Japan remained uncomfortable, a warm current could be detected in the area of movies and TV dramas. The Asahi Shimbun, the representative daily newspaper in Japan, introduced the Korean Wave fever among Japanese youth in their teens and 20s as a “third Korean Wave boom,” despite deteriorating bilateral relations. Considering that existing Korean Wave consumers in Japan tended to be middle-aged female fans, the emergence of younger fans who will continue contributing to Korean Wave fever in Japan is a green light for the future. In addition, according to Netflix’s Top 10, a daily ranking of the 10 most viewed programs on the platform by country, Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, and The King: Eternal Monarch (Deo king: yeongwon-ui gunju) were well-loved by Japanese viewers. Moreover, as Japanese entertainers took to leaving favorable comments on social media after watching Korean TV dramas, the popularity of these programs is likely to continue for a while. As Itaewon Class proved popular with Japanese men in their teens to their 30s, Korean dramas expanded their influence beyond the core consumer group of women in their 40s and older.
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The film Parasite ranked first at the Japanese box office immediately upon release, as well as after its success at the Academy Awards, overtaking local and Hollywood films. This was the first number one Korean film at the Japanese box office in 15 years, when A Moment to Remember (Nae meorisok-ui jiugae), directed by Lee Jae-han, ranked first in 2005. In terms of revenue, Parasite exceeded the 3 billion yen (about 32.7 billion won) achieved by A Moment to Remember, breaking the record for Korean movies released in Japan. Japan is one of the major international markets for the Korean Wave, which has already entered a stage of maturity and integration into daily life in the country, and the range of Korean Wave fans has expanded from middle-aged women to encompass men and younger generations. In addition, Japanese Korean Wave fans have relatively more information on Korean culture than fans in other countries, thanks to the media and the ease of making frequent trips to Korea. As Japan is an indispensable country in the K-pop market, strategic measures are required to minimize the negative effects caused by political conflicts.
3. North America
The most popular types of Korean Wave content in the United States are K-pop, TV dramas, and movies. K-pop has established itself as an important genre in the US, and fans are active in sharing information and participating in fan club activities using social media. In 2020, there was a boom in the production of video content related to K-pop, such as K-pop parody, reaction, and lip sync videos. K-pop audition videos, in which people show off their singing and dancing skills, were also uploaded by a large number of people around the world eager to share with others. Of particular note in 2020 was Director Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, which won the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and then the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best International Film. This created a boom in the popularity of Korean cinema, perhaps a natural reaction to the first Best Picture win for a non-English-language film in the history of the Academy Awards. Korean TV dramas also joined the ranks of popular Korean Wave content—Crash Landing on You was among The Washington Post’s recommended international streaming series, and Forbes included it on their list of Best Korean Dramas in both 2019 and 2020, proving its success. The second season of Kingdom also recorded high audience ratings, received rave reviews, and outpaced the similarly zombie-themed American series The Walking Dead: The World Beyond. The Korean Wave was also in the spotlight in the children’s entertainment market, with the brand Pinkfong continuing to be popular, alongside character Pororo, dubbed “the Children’s President” in Korea. Pinkfong achieved a record number of sold out venues during a tour of 100
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cities in the US. Also outstanding was the advancement of Korean webtoons; after its release, the animated series Tower of God, based on the comic of the same name, ranked ninth in realtime trending Twitter topics in the US, as well as first in the weekly popular animation rankings on US community site Reddit. And as China, which had previously been the main market for Korean-produced mobile and online games, blocked the entry of Korean content, the full-scale development of the North American and European gaming markets showed a positive effect. Korean games soared in popularity as time spent at home increased due to COVID-19. In fact, Summoners War: Sky Arena, from game developer Com2uS, recorded its highest sales ever in April of 2020 as new and returning users increased in North America. Korean food also saw a growth in popularity in the US as K-pop, Korean movies, and TV dramas spread via YouTube and other OTT (over-the-top, or direct to viewer) streaming services. Ramyun sales surged, with the popularity of Chapaguri (a combination of Nongshim brand’s Chapagetti and Neoguri ramyun products, which appeared in the movie Parasite as “ramdon”) building on the existing popularity of Korean “fire noodles” (branded as Buldak Bokkeum Myun). And no discussion about the spread of the Korean Wave in the US is complete without mention of the increased interest in the Korean language among Americans. The number of Americans learning Korean as a result of the success of K-pop or TV dramas gradually increased throughout the year. In order for the Korean Wave to spread in the US, a thorough analysis of the market must be undertaken. It is desirable to focus on the spread of K-pop in order to target American youth, a demographic of digital natives who are open to accepting other cultures. Accordingly, K-pop should be further developed into content that can show the dynamism and creativity of the young generation in Korea. In order for Korean Wave content to become a part of everyday life in American society, it is necessary to develop a new sense of “Koreanness” that creatively combines tradition and modernity.
4. Central and South America
The most popular Korean cultural content in Brazil by far is K-pop. Compared to the situation in other Central and South American countries, Korean TV dramas are less popular in Brazil. Still, their popularity continued to rise on OTT platforms; in 2020, various Korean serials such as Kingdom, Mr. Sunshine, and Crash Landing on You became very popular through Netflix, with Crash Landing on You making the Netflix Top 10 in Brazil. American TV series Snowpiercer, based on Bong Joon-ho’s Hollywood movie of the same name, also ranked first on Netflix in Brazil. In Mexico, K-pop groups Seventeen and SuperM successfully held concerts in the beginning
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of the year, but a number of other concerts were canceled due to COVID-19. Instead, through the internet, a continuous supply and communication of Korean Wave content and voluntary informational exchange took place. The popularity of idol groups that have formed global fandoms, such as BTS and BLACKPINK, remained very strong. Paradoxically, an atmosphere that is favorable to deepening and expanding the fandom can be perceived through the voluntary activities of many fan clubs via online platforms such as YouTube. Since the Korean Wave has not penetrated into the daily lives of ordinary Mexicans, ceaseless efforts are required to spread it. Argentina is among the more conservative Spanish-speaking countries, and yet K-pop and Korean TV dramas also gained popularity there. In 2020, amid the risk of COVID-19, a total of 1,066 people participated in the Latin American K-pop Contest, and the K-pop craze continues. In addition, the film Parasite set a record for the largest audience in the history of Korean films in Argentina.
5. South and Southeast Asia
In Indonesia, the Korean Wave is permeating the lives of the Indonesia people through various media formats, such as K-pop, TV drama, movies, and Korean food. Here, too, K-pop attracts the most popularity. SM Entertainment Indonesia, which was established in February of 2019, began operations, with singers actively engaged in local activities. And in the middle of 2020, five-member girl group Secret Number debuted, K-pop’s first multinational girl group to include an Indonesian member. Korean TV dramas have steadily gained popularity since Autumn in My Heart (Gaeul donghwa) aired in 2001. In 2020, 17 Korean TV serials were aired by major Indonesian broadcasting stations. Korean films also continued to spread through distribution by CGV CJ, which has 397 screens in 36 theaters in Indonesia. Korean fashion, cosmetics, and food are also gaining popularity due to Korean Wave fever. Korean cosmetics and fashion are particularly in vogue, with beauty vloggers becoming popular on social media through uploading makeup videos using inexpensive Korean drug store cosmetics. Sales of Korean celebrity merchandise through online shopping malls did not abate, and Korean celebrities were also frequently employed as advertising models. The popularity of Korean webtoons is also at its peak. Indonesia, with a population of about 260 million, is emerging as an attractive market for global web comic operators. LINE Webtoon, which entered the Indonesian market in 2015, has successfully formed a new content base by discovering local authors. It has also showed continuous growth since launching a paid business model at the end of 2018, placing it in the top 10 in the overall Android mobile app sales ranking (Korea Creative Content Agency, 2019). Kakao’s Webcomics, the second largest Korean company in Indonesia, entered the local market through the acquisition of shares. The proportion of web comics, which attract some 13 million consumers, is expected to grow to
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23% in 2023. Likewise in Malaysia, K-pop, TV dramas, Korean food, and Korean language are the main outlets of the Korean Wave. The popularity of K-pop is explosive, and is mainly expressed through dancing or singing along to songs. As interest in Korean language is high, the Malaysian Ministry of Education officially introduced Korean as a second foreign language in October 2014. The Korean Wave is still in its infancy in India, but it started with Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” Recently, thanks to the worldwide popularity of BTS and BLACKPINK, awareness of Korea in India is steadily increasing. In the northeastern region, K-pop occupies a position at the center of young people’s culture. The most popular groups are BTS, EXO, BIGBANG, GOT7, Red Velvet, and BLACKPINK, and rookie groups are also well-liked. Of particular note in 2020 was an increase in interest in Korean TV dramas amidst continued lockdowns due to COVID-19. On Netflix in India, Kingdom ranked 10th, and TV serials such as It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (Saikojiman gwaenchana) and Crash Landing on You also performed well. K-pop is one of the most popular aspects of the Korean Wave in Thailand, especially among young people. Recently, the group provoking the hottest interest of K-pop fans in Thailand is BTS, the first Korean group to climb the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gain popularity worldwide. Also popular are, BLACKPINK and GOT7, who won “K-Pop Artist of the Year” at the 2018 JOOX Thailand Music Awards, as well as EXO, NCT, and TWICE. GOT7’s BamBam and BLACKPINK’s Lisa, both Thai nationals, are especially active and loved. With the spread of the Korean Wave, Korean cosmetics and fashion became the standard for refinement, and many Korean novels and educational comics were also translated and published. In addition, LINE Webtoon opened to Thailand in 2014, and currently, more than 200 Korean webtoons are available in the country. Vietnam was the first Southeast Asian country to introduce Korean TV dramas, which rapidly gained popularity. The first program was introduced in 1997; in 1998, with the explosive popularity of Medical Brothers (Uiga hyeongje), Vietnam was regarded as the epicenter of the Korean Wave in Southeast Asia. Following TV dramas, Korean movies and then music entered Vietnam. Today, various other sectors such as fashion, cosmetics, and food are also popular. As for Korean dramas in 2020, Itaewon Class, Crash Landing on You, and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay received warm approval, made available primarily through OTT content providers. Itaewon Class and Crash Landing on You ranked first and second, respectively, among popular Netflix TV series in Vietnam, and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay received great attention even before its first broadcast, thanks to starring actor Kim Soo-hyun, who also starred in My Love from the Star (Byeol-eseo on geudae), which was very popular in 2013. K-pop's popularity in Vietnam is quite high, and BTS, EXO, BLACKPINK, ITZY, TVXQ, Super Junior, BIGBANG, and Girls’ Generation are
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all famous. In addition, there is a wide and diverse fan base for mainstream and indie Korean music. More than 800 Korean Wave fans attended Dream Concert CONNECT, held locally at the Vietnam National Music University in Hanoi in July 2020, watching the performance of Korean Wave stars on a large screen. Vietnam was the only country in 2020 to officially screen this virtual concert to a large crowd. This allows us to confirm constant interest in K-pop in Vietnam. The web comics market opened in April 2018 when Korean companies Mobico and Toryworks launched the Vinatoon and ToryComics services, respectively, competing with Vietnamese and Chinese companies. While Vinatoon mainly offers Korean webtoons, ToryComics provides web comic translation services through collaboration with Vietnamese translators. In Southeast Asia, the Korean Wave continues to expand to encompass several sectors, and is now accepted as a lifestyle. In addition, although there is a generally positive response to the Korean Wave, some older generations perceive it as “commercial” and “sexualized.” They also expressed concern about the phenomenon of blindly following Korean pop stars.
6. Europe
Among European countries, the hottest place for the Korean Wave is Russia. Russia’s figures increased by 30.8% from 11.61 million members in 160 fan clubs (2019) to 15.68 million members in 218 fan clubs (2020). This is similar to the total number of Korean Wave fan club members in the Americas as a whole, and accounts for about 80% of all European club members. Analysis revealed that the organizational solidarity and activities of Korean Wave fan clubs played a large role in the spread of the Korean Wave in Russia. The outstanding enthusiasm of Russian fans was already evident from their achievement of winning the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017. Russians’ love of Korean culture is expanding from TV dramas and K-pop to movies, classics, food, Korean language, and traditional culture. With the development of exchange and cooperation between Russia and Korea, such as the growing popularity of Korean home appliances, electronics, and automobiles in Russia and the increasing national image of Korea, interest in various aspects of Korean society is also increasing. A deep love for the Korean Wave can also be seen in the number of King Sejong Institute students. As Korean language courses, previously held offline at the Korean Cultural Center, changed to an online video lecture format, locals of various ages with an interest in Korean began participating in these online lectures divided by level. Korean movies are easy to watch online with Russian subtitles; in fact, the recognition and preference for Korean art films that have won awards at leading film festivals is so high in Russia that CJ CGV opened a theater at the Angara shopping complex in Moscow at the close of 2019, entering the Russian market in earnest. It can be said that the Korean Wave in Germany has coincided with the global consumption
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of K-pop through YouTube. Starting with SM Entertainment, major domestic K-pop agencies started promoting their albums to viewers around the world through YouTube channels. From 2009 on, young women in their teens and 20s led the charge, creating K-pop fan clubs and dance teams throughout different regions in Germany. In the years since, they have firmly established themselves as voluntary and active Korean Wave content consumers. Despite the fact that most mainstream German media and music markets do not deal with K-pop, these fans became the main avenue for the K-pop craze to continue and spread in Germany. However, K-pop-oriented Korean Wave fans are still limited to a small number of enthusiasts in their teens and 20s, and Korean pop culture is still largely unfamiliar. German K-pop fans are very active, collectively participating in vote campaigns on music programs broadcast weekly on specialized cable channels, and creating flash mobs to petition for K-pop performances in Germany. Their active participation in the fandom may create a false image of the Korean Wave gaining sensational popularity in Germany when in fact, it is still insignificant. In Italy, Korean films were the beginning of the Korean Wave, introducing Korea to the country. Recently, Parasite’s many awards at international film festivals, BTS’s position at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and the airing of Korean TV dramas such as Mr. Sunshine and Crash Landing on Love on Netflix have increased awareness of Korea. On October 25, 2020, the Korean Cultural Center in Italy held the K-Pop Dance and Singing Contest (K-Pop Party Online 2020). The number of Korean Wave fan club members in Italy is estimated to be about 590,000, primarily women in their early 20s rather than teens. The Korean Wave is also expanding from K-pop to encompass movies, TV dramas, Korean food, Korean language, and beauty products, and it seems that the age range of consumers is expanding as well. In Europe, the centralization of Russia is very serious, and the number of fan club members in France, Spain, and Turkey, which once led the growth of the Korean Wave in Europe, continues to decline. If we expect continued growth in Europe in the future, it is necessary to analyze the causes of this decline by country, and to devise countermeasures.
7. Africa and the Middle East
Egypt is regarded as the epicenter of the Korean Wave in the Middle East. After the Korean TV dramas Autumn in My Heart and Winter Sonata (Gyeoul yeonga) aired in 2004 and 2005, respectively, the country opened up to the Korean Wave, turning it into an active trend. For example, membership in the local K-Lover’s volunteer group, comprised of Egyptian Korean Wave fans, has highly competitive entrance odds of 10 to 1. In addition, as Egypt’s annual inperson K-pop lecture became impossible to host due to COVID-19, popular online lectures were held from May 2020 instead.
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The 2020 survey also revealed that in Jordan, which was found to have the largest number of club members in the Middle East at 620,000, the Korean Wave has been growing rapidly in recent years. This is because it is possible to quickly and easily access a rich variety of Korean Wave content through Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Local teenagers and women in their 20s and 30s, who make up the main demographics of Korean Wave fans, prefer K-pop and Korean TV dramas and entertainment programs. From May to August of 2020, Jordan’s largest private broadcaster, Roya TV, continued to air the popular Korean dramas Love in the Moonlight (Guremi geurin dalbit) and Signal, creating a lot of interest in Korean culture and TV dramas among the general Jordanian public. In comparison, Korean movies have attracted less interest in that there are few movie theaters in which they have been released. In Africa and the Middle East, rather than eagerly attempting to spread the Korean Wave at all costs, a careful approach is needed to first identify the areas in which cultural acceptance is likely, to avoid misunderstandings.
III. The Miracle of the Korean Wave The year 2020 offered up a possibility to reevaluate the Korean Wave’s potential. The Korean Wave is constantly changing and growing, transcending the endogenous limit of a native language spoken only by 50 million people around the world, and creatively breaking through external threats such as the Chinese ban on Korean cultural imports and anti-Korean Wave sentiment.
1. K-pop, Korean movies, Korean TV dramas While many Korean citizens were pleased to hear of the phenomenal audience ratings of Jewel in the Palace (Daejanggeum) in 2003, surprised by the unexpectedly warm response to the SM Town Live in Paris concert in 2011, and delighted by the worldwide success of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012, there was enduring skepticism over the continued international growth of the Korean Wave because the entry barrier of the Korean language seemed so large. This is a natural reaction considering the importance of language in enjoying popular cultural content such as music, movies, and TV dramas, main media formats for the Korean Wave. Therefore, in the early stages of its spread, many were inclined to interpret it as a temporary phenomenon rather than exploring its long-term possibilities. However, 2020 proved that the limitations of Korean language fluency can also be overcome.
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Earlier this year, the news that the film Parasite had won the Academy Award for Best Film was a signal of hope that success could be achieved without speaking English. In addition, the news that BTS’ Korean-language music had reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 music chart surprised the nation of Korea. Although the US is the world's largest producer and consumer of pop culture content, this was a very encouraging achievement as the country still remains largely closed off to non-English-language media. Based on the Netflix Top 10 daily ranking of the most viewed programs by country, 10 Korean TV dramas ranked among the top 100 most popular television programs in the world this year. This is no small accomplishment, given Netflix’s 195 million paid subscribers around the world. Until the spread of the Korean Wave, the Korean-speaking population of the world was not much larger than the population of native speakers in Korea. However, foreign nationals now sing in Korean, and the number of Korean test takers increases every year. The driving force that makes foreigners want to learn a difficult language like Korean is the Korean Wave.
2. World’s first exclusively online paid concert, web comic platform After COVID-19 defied expectations of a quick end to develop into a global pandemic, the world was forced to rapidly transform into a non-contact society in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Faced with the crisis of all live performances being canceled, K-pop was the first market in the world to open the doors to exclusively online paid concerts. Live-streamed concerts, such as BTS’s “Bang Bang Con Live” and the Beyond LIVE concert series established by SM Entertainment and Naver, received great responses thanks to a strong fandom. The first entry in the Beyond LIVE series, “SuperM – Beyond the Future” by boy group SuperM, attracted some 70,000 audience members, a number equivalent to roughly seven equivalent in-person performances. Super Junior’s concert, “Super Junior – Beyond the Super Show,” drew an even larger audience of 123,000 people, generating about 4 billion won in sales. “Bang Bang Con Live” was viewed in 107 countries, including China, Japan, Korea, the UK, and the US, and recorded the highest number of simultaneous viewers at 756,600 people. This is equivalent to 15 performances in a stadium that can accommodate more than 50,000 people. These achievements were possible through excellent media technology and an enthusiastic 6. Extended reality, a term
fandom. The concerts caught the attention of people around the world by implementing a
encompassing real and
concept that paired K-pop singers and songs with technology optimized for digital platforms.
virtual environments and events, and including the
Although KCON, the world's largest Korean Wave convention, held 24 times around the world
subsets of virtual reality
since 2012, was canceled in 2020, the “KCON:TACT” program of online concerts drew 4.4
(VR), augmented reality
million paid viewers. This solution incorporated XR6 technology, turning imagination into reality
(AR), and mixed reality (MR).
to execute virtual performances. Thanks to this, the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic actually
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became an opportunity for the spread of Korean Wave content around the world. It additionally strengthened the fandom by enabling smart, real-time communication with Korean Wave stars, which has not possible through offline concerts. Webtoons, a new medium in the Korean Wave genre, were also shaped in line with the changes of the times, forgoing paper comics for digital illustrations. Korean webtoons have blossomed thanks to the development of Korean-style platforms optimized for the online environment throughout each stage of comic creation, from planning and production to distribution. This platform did not exist in the previously existing comic book market, and provides a space for people from all over the world to come together. At first, the idea of making comics, once accessed primarily through comic book cafés, into webtoons for entry into the global market was not well understood. However, webtoons in their current form are important not only to readers, but as a source of storylines for TV dramas, movies, and games. Webtoon platforms represent a way to continuously discover new artists and create new content, and it is exciting and fun to find webtoons become popular with many people in these different formats such as TV dramas and movies.
IV. Conclusion Above, we have seen the activities and endless potential of Korean Wave fan club members who achieved a sense of solidarity and consensus in the contactless society of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the era of the fourth industrial revolution ahead, the Korean Wave stands at a very important point. Whether it will make a bigger leap forward or be pushed back will depend on the next few years. The Korean Wave has already gained recognition and established itself as global content to such a degree that the government has urged newly appointed ambassadors to make use of it. Under the big tent that is the Korean Wave, we find hanbok, Trot music, traditional fusion music, DJing, variety programs, and more. Rather than being constrained by changes in the external environment, the Korean Wave quickly caught onto changes, incorporating and reinterpreting them to reshape itself. We see that the Korean Wave made excellent use of a crisis as an opportunity; that sophisticated creativity with Korean characteristics can excel in any genre, and that the excitement and color of the Korean Wave belongs not only to Korea, but also to participating people from other cultures. It is spreading everywhere that it has the ability to communicate and empathize, so that all can enjoy it.
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Now, efforts must be made to find a way to overcome the trends limited to any one region or country. These efforts should go toward combating: rumors of foreign origin of kimchi or hanbok;” the depreciation of the value of the Korean Wave by focusing too much on external elements without ensuring a Korean essence; and illegal acts that cause disappointment to producers and fans. A solution must be devised so that all this is possible. Rather than being momentarily excited by the Korean Wave, the club members who love it and voluntarily strive to spread it should no longer be hurt by political winds; there must be a way to mitigate the number of fans who fall away as a result of this. Korea will be able to continue to be proud of the Korean Wave in the future not by turning a blind eye or through cold reactions, but by trying to understand why these issues happen, through humble communication and empathy.
The World Hallyu Association is the only international Korean Wave organization recognized by the Federation of International Associations. The annual Hallyu International Conference is its major event, attracting expert participants from all over the world.
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