Hallyu

Travelling ban lifted

 Until the early 1990s, Koreans were actually not allowed to leave the country, but once the ban was lifted, it became easier for Korean culture to start spreading abroad.

First used

 The term Hallyu was first used in the early 90’s after South Korea entered into diplomatic relations with China, in 1992. 

Korean entertainment culture gained great popularity in Asia

The successful broadcasting of the 1997 Korean drama What is Love in China. It had an audience rate of 4.2%, meaning that 150 million Chinese viewers had watched it.

When did Hallyu start?

Hallyu was deemed to have started in 1999 when journalists from China first coined the term Hallyu Wave or Korean Wave. With the release of a few TV dramas and movies that gained popularity in Asian countries outside of South Korea. 

The first movie released under the concept of Hallyu

Swiri

The Korean boy band H.O.T. held a concert at Beijing Worker’s Gymnasium

The Korean popular culture entertainment had its breakthrough. The Korean news used the term Hallyu to describe the concert’s popularity.

The KBS TV drama series Winter Sonata was aired via NHK

The Korean Wave landed in Japan in 2002 when the KBS TV drama series Winter Sonata was aired via NHK. The drama became a megahit, and Nami Island in Chuncheon, the filming site of the drama, was a must-visit destination for Japanese tourists.

The spread of the Korean Wave

From the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, the spread of the Korean Wave was mainly led by Korean boy groups and girl groups called idol stars such as Big Bang, Girls’ Generation, and Kara. During this period, the Korean Wave extended its fan base into the global stage, including Latin America and the Middle East beyond Asia, especially loved by young people in their teens and 20s.

“Gangnam Style”

In 2012 when the famous K-pop artist Psy launched “Gangnam Style” that Hallyu had its ignition into Western countries. 

It topped charts and reached over 30 countries across the globe such as Australia, Canada, many countries in Europe, reaching No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart and took 2nd place on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the US. By 2020, the music video has been watched over 3 billion times.

As Foreign Language Enrollments Drop in the U.S., Korean is on the Rise

Enrollment in Korean classes rose by 44.7 percent across the United States, and was the only language to grow at the two-year, four-year and graduate level.

BTS

BTS were featured on Time Magazine in October 2018 as Next Generation Leaders because of their influence. They also became the UNICEF Ambassadors for their Love Yourself Campaign and delivered speech at The United Nation

Tourism

South Korea accounted for a total of 17,502,623 international visitors due to the Hallyu Wave, a 14 percent increase as compared to 2018, and a tourism expenditure of US$28,855,400,000 was made during this year – an impact of Hallyu Wave.

Parasite movie

In 2020, the film Parasite, which was nominated in six categories, won four leading awards at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, which serves as an opportunity to introduce Korean movies around the world.