K-pop tops Korean Wave popularity for eighth year, BTS leads cultural content

Foreigners who have experienced Korean cultural content ranked 'K-pop' as the first image that comes to mind when thinking of Korea for eight consecutive years.

According to the '2025 Survey on the Current Status of Korean Wave Abroad' released on the 7th by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency, 17.8% of respondents who encountered Korean Wave content said that K-pop is the first image that comes to mind when Korea is mentioned. This was followed by Korean cuisine (11.8%), drama (8.7%), beauty products (6.4%), and movies (5.6%). Information technology (IT) products and brands (5.1%) fell out of the top five for the first time since 2012.

The percentage of respondents who said they liked Korean cultural content was 70.3%. Notably, the approval rating for the field of 'Korean language,' which was included in the survey for the first time, was 75.4%, surpassing the average (70.3%). By region, the Philippines (88.9%) recorded the highest approval rating, while Indonesia (86.5%), India (84.5%), and Thailand (82.7%) also maintained high levels of admiration for the Korean Wave.

A survey targeting those who have experienced the Korean Wave investigated the popularity of Korean cultural content in their home countries. The percentage who responded that it is at the 'popular appeal' stage, widely recognized by the general public and related products being sold, was as follows: food (53.7%), music (51.2%), beauty (50.8%), and drama (49%). With the increase in instances of experiencing Korean culture through social media and online video streaming (OTT) platforms, accessibility to Korean cultural content seems to have improved in face-to-face interactions.

Looking at the average recognition rates of 'popular appeal' by sector, there was a 4.4 percentage points increase in 2020 compared to 2015, and an 8.2 percentage points increase in 2024 compared to 2020, showing a larger growth in the rate of increase. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained that this indicates a continuous spread of recognition of Korean cultural content among those who have experienced the Korean Wave, and that the speed of this spread is accelerating.

Last year, the Netflix original drama 'Squid Game' (9.7%) ranked as the most preferred Korean drama for the fourth consecutive year. It was followed by 'Queen of Tears' (6.5%) and 'Crash Landing on You' (2.2%) in second and third place, respectively. New titles released in 2024, such as 'Jumping with Sunjae,' 'Judge from Hell,' 'Mom’s Friend’s Son,' and 'Marry My Husband,' also made it into the top ranks, drawing attention. 'Squid Game 2,' released on Dec. 26 last year, was excluded from this survey.

The most preferred Korean film was Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' (8.3%), ranking first for five consecutive years, followed by 'Train to Busan' (6.5%) in second place. Among new releases, 'The Cursed' (4.1%), which gained particularly high popularity in the Asia-Pacific region, ranked third.

In the Korean Wave star category, actor Lee Min-ho (7.0%) ranked first for the 12th consecutive year. In the singer category, BTS (24.6%) maintained its first place for seven years, and BLACKPINK (12.3%) secured second place. Individual members, such as Jungkook (1.8%) and Lisa (1.7%), also ranked high.

58.9% of those who experienced the Korean Wave expressed an intention to purchase Korean products or services in the future. This figure is an increase of 8.2 percentage points from the previous year. Particularly high intentions to purchase were observed in Middle Eastern and Asian countries such as Saudi Arabia (80.7%), Egypt (79.4%), India (78.8%), and the United Arab Emirates (77.3%). By product and service, preferences were highest for food (66.2%), tourism in Korea (64.1%), restaurant meals (64.0%), and cosmetics (57.1%).

However, alongside the rising popularity of the Korean Wave, negative perceptions about it have also increased. When asked whether they agree with negative perceptions of the Korean Wave, 37.5% responded affirmatively, which is a 4.9 percentage points increase from last year. By region, India (52.7%) and the United Arab Emirates (52%) showed high levels, indicating a trend where areas with high interest and active consumption of the Korean Wave also tend to have higher agreement rates regarding negative perceptions.

Based on the results of this survey, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to establish a legal foundation for promoting the Korean Wave industry alongside the implementation of the 'Basic Law on the Promotion of the Korean Wave Industry.' Additionally, it plans to hold a comprehensive Korean Wave expo three times and establish a permanent promotional center for the Korean Wave in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.