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Sejin Oh

To what extent is the Korean Wave (Hallyu) South Korea’s Soft Power?

Updated: Jul 30, 2022

By Sejin Oh



Summary
Some Korean political experts argue that the South Korean government should take a more active role in the rise of Hallyu and explicitly use “cultural” soft power as a tool for public diplomacy.

Hallyu


The term Hallyu, translated into “Korean Wave,” refers to the rising global popularity of South Korean culture. The Korean Wave includes everything from music and movies to traditional clothing and food.


One great example of Hallyu is K-pop (Korean popular music). In the mid-2000s and early 2010s, groups like Big Bang and Girls ’Generation first spread the Korean Wave in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Then, PSY’s song ‘Gangnam Style” reached 2nd on Billboard Hot 100, marking the beginning of Hallyu as a global phenomenon.

Then, PSY’s song ‘Gangnam Style” reached 2nd on Billboard Hot 100, marking the beginning of Hallyu as a global phenomenon.

The well-known boy group BTS and girl group Blackpink continued to raise the global popularity of K-pop. In October 2020, Blackpink and BTS ranked No.1 and No.2 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart. At the 2022 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) held in Las Vegas, BTS won three awards (Top Duo/Group award, Top Song Sales Artist, and the Top Selling Song award).


In addition to K-pop, Korean movies and dramas have been gaining popularity worldwide. The Netflix drama ‘Squid Game recently took the world by storm. As the most-watched Netflix series, the drama attracted more than 142 million member households and amassed 1.65 billion viewing hours during its first four weeks from launch. Furthermore, just this month, “Squid Game” became the first non-English language series nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards.


With such recognition and popularity, the Korean Wave substantially benefits the South Korean economy. According to the Hyundai Research Institute, it is estimated that BTS has contributed $50 billion to the South Korean economy since 2014, exceeding the estimated economic inducement effect of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. Additionally, according to Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the total export value from Hallyu in 2021 was $11.7 billion.

With such recognition and popularity, the Korean Wave substantially benefits the South Korean economy.

Reason for Success

The cultural and modern aspect of the Korean Wave is a reason for success. For example, BTS has a clear Korean identity, consisting of all Korean members. They celebrated their cultural roots by wearing the Korean traditional clothing Hanbok in their music video for the song ‘Idol ’and by performing modern arrangements of the Korean folk song ‘Arirang’ during their concerts. BTS also gained popularity and support with their modernity, such as releasing full-English songs and collaborating with western artists, targeting the international audience. K-pop is a fusion between Korean music and Western pop, making the music genre novel and unique.


Similarly, ‘Squid Game’ is a fusion of South Korea’s traditional and modern culture. ‘Squid Game’ is ‘Korean,’ demonstrated through the language, setting, and traditional childhood games that the characters play in the drama. Meanwhile, it was streamed on the American streaming service platform Netflix, and the drama reflects the negative side of all modern capitalist societies—wealth inequality, class struggle, and discrimination against foreign immigrants.

‘Squid Game’ is ‘Korean,’ demonstrated through the language, setting, and traditional childhood games that the characters play in the drama.

Hence, South Korean popular culture embodies the traditional Korean identity and adapts to global trends and cultural shifts in society. This dynamic nature of the Korean Wave makes Hallyu an effective soft power resource for South Korea.

 

Hallyu as South Korea’s Soft Power

Soft power, a term coined by the international relations scholar Joseph Nye, refers to the ability to obtain a wanted outcome through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion of other political actors. According to Joseph Nye, soft power is as important as hard power—the ability to influence others through force and coercion— in international politics, especially in the long run, because soft power emphasizes cooperation instead of conflict. Additionally, soft power has indirect and diffusive effects, often influencing the general public instead of governments.

Soft power ... refers to the ability to obtain a wanted outcome through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion of other political actors.

Nye also argued that the three main sources of a state’s soft power are culture, political values, and foreign policies. Among the three resources for soft power, Hallyu often includes Korean culture and political values. For example, BTS is not only an ambassador of Korean culture but is also a group that advocates for Black Lives Matter and gives a speech on Asian hate at the White House, contributing to the positive reputation of South Korea in political issues. As such, utilizing Hallyu as soft power can be an effective diplomatic strategy for South Korea as a middle power surrounded by the strong powers Japan, China, the United States, and Russia.

As such, utilizing Hallyu as soft power can be an effective diplomatic strategy for South Korea as a middle power surrounded by the strong powers Japan, China, the United States, and Russia.

One of the benefits of Hallyu as soft power is, as mentioned earlier, the economic benefit it can generate. Fans of Hallyu buy a wide range of products, from K-pop merch to cosmetics and clothes, and even visit Korea in person. Indeed, of all foreign tourists in 2019, 7.4% visited Korea for Hallyu experiences.


In addition to the economic benefit, Hallyu is important because soft power can increase awareness of South Korea and establish a positive reputation among the consumers of Hallyu. As a middle power on the international stage, taking multilateral approaches in foreign affairs is vital for South Korea. Especially regarding sensitive issues such as the denuclearization of North Korea and historical disputes with China and Japan, South Korea will have to gain the support of third states and other middle powers to achieve their diplomatic objectives. Hence, South Korea attempts to avoid rivalry and hostile relations with other states. A favorable image of South Korea created with Hallyu can influence public opinion in other countries, which can then influence other states ’ foreign policies towards Korea.

A favorable image of South Korea created with Hallyu can influence public opinion in other countries.

How should the South Korean government utilize Hallyu as Soft Power?

Currently, South Korea’s soft power from Hallyu naturally emerges from Korean popular culture. Although the South Korean government encourages cultural exports, cultural contents like ‘Squid Game ’and K-pop are mostly operated by private businesses. In short, the government is not the main actor promoting Korean culture in the international community.

The government is not the main actor promoting Korean culture in the international community.

On the other hand, This “cultural” soft power can be intentionally utilized by the government as a tool for public diplomacy. Public diplomacy is the state-led effort to directly communicate with the foreign public and states by actively using the powers of a state.


Although public diplomacy may make better use of the influence of the Korean Wave, it is difficult to decide to what extent exertion of soft power should be state-led. Furthermore, the government’s excessive control over soft power resources may be accused of imposing cultural influence on other states by the international community. The Korean public may also backlash against the politicization of Korean popular culture.

 

Conclusion

Some Korean political experts argue that the South Korean government should take a more active role in the rise of Hallyu and explicitly use “cultural” soft power as a tool for public diplomacy. And while such an idea may be successful in achieving South Korea’s goals in the short term, it is a confrontational strategy that may be misinterpreted and criticized by other states and the domestic public. Thus, as a middle power that prefers multilateral diplomacy, indirectly supporting the global spread of Hallyu and allowing the “cultural” soft power to grow naturally may be a more appropriate strategy for South Korea in the meantime.







References


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Boag, L. (2021, October 22). The cultural phenomenon of Squid Game. Concrete. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.concrete-online.co.uk/the-cultural-phenomenon-of-squid-game/


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Hallyu (Korean Wave). KCCUK. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://kccuk.org.uk/en/about-korea/culture-and-arts/hallyu-korean-wave/


Nye, J. S. (1990). Soft power. Foreign Policy, (80), 153. https://doi.org/10.2307/1148580


Nye, J. S. (2008). Public Diplomacy and Soft Power. Retrieved July 16, 2022, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/25097996


Park, T. K., & Kim, Y. (2018, September 25). How BTS's embrace of Korean tradition helped them blow up. Vulture. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/how-btss-embrace-of-korean-tradition-helped-them-blow-up.html


Valeriano, B., & Nissen, A. (2022, February 16). This is South Korea's K-Pop Soft Power moment. – The Diplomat. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/this-is-south-koreas-k-pop-soft-power-moment/


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