The Expansive Potential of K-Content and
the Korean Language Kyung Hee University
K-Cultures·Story Contents Research
Institute Director, Ahn Soong-bum

K-Culture, which proudly holds a unique status at the forefront of the global cultural industry, has grown beyond a fleeting trend to establish itself as a global cultural code. As a major driving force behind the demand for learning the Korean language, Korean culture is inseparable from the spread of the language. To discuss the global prominence and future of K-Culture, we spoke with Ahn Soong-bum, Director of the Kyung Hee University K-Cultures · Story Contents Research Institute, who studies the present and future of K-Content.

Hello, Director Ahn Soong-bum. Could you begin by introducing yourself and the K-Cultures · Story Contents Research Institute?
 

Hello. I’m Ahn Soong-bum, a professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Kyung Hee University and the head of the university’s K-Cultures · Story Contents Research Institute. Recently, I have been engaging in various research and educational activities aimed at channeling global interest in the Korean Wave (Hallyu) into a broader focus on Korean studies. It’s an honor to greet the readers of Monthly Knock Knock.

I specialized in Cultural Content Studies during graduate school, with a particular interest in the global reception of Korean pop culture. My research has been rooted in comparative cultural studies. Recognizing that most cultural content—such as films, dramas, and animations—relies on storytelling as its core material, I have focused on narratology-based storytelling. In addition to being a poet and a film critic, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with readers across various platforms. In the past, I served as the host of EBS Cinema Paradise and acted as a juror at several film festivals, including the Busan International Film Festival.

The K-Cultures · Story Contents Research Institute, which I currently lead, has been selected for the K-Scholarly Expansion Research Project commissioned by The Academy of Korean Studies. This project involves introducing and disseminating Korean studies abroad. Each year, we develop ten online courses on Korean language, Korean literature, and Korean culture, with plans to create a total of 50 courses over five years. These courses are promoted to Korean studies-related institutions and universities worldwide for utilization. Our university also independently operates an online course program called the Kyung Hee Global Virtual School. Over the past year and a half, spanning five semesters, a total of 10,141 participants from 136 countries and 720 universities have enrolled in Korean studies courses developed by our institute. Some of these courses are also offered on platforms like K-MOOC in Korea and XuetangX in China.
 

The terms K-Culture, K-Content, and Hallyu are often used interchangeably. How would you define and distinguish these concepts? Specifically, what roles do K-Culture and K-Content play in the spread of Hallyu?
 

The general definition of Hallyu (the Korean Wave) refers to the phenomenon where Korean culture gains popularity and is consumed abroad. Korean cultural contents, loved globally, alongside commercial contents in related fields, lead this Hallyu phenomenon. Let me define K-Culture and K-Content, explain their significance in the spread of Hallyu, and clarify how they interconnect.

K-Culture represents “Korean culture” imprinted in the consciousness and emotions of the global audience as a result of the Hallyu phenomenon. Hence, K-Culture can differ from Korean culture itself. Korean culture encompasses the unique traditions and contemporary lifestyle of Koreans, with an extensive semantic network. The conscious heritage and tangible results that define Korean identity throughout its long history represent the connotations and denotations of Korean culture, respectively. In contrast, K-Culture is a concept that focuses on contemporary cultural contents that generate global buzz and consumption.

Global consumers, influenced by their preferences and customs, actively reinterpret and redefine the specific images of Korean culture. As such, the notions of "Korea," "Koreans," and "Korean-ness" formed through Korean cultural content may differ from our perceptions. Consequently, while we might best understand Korean culture, we must acknowledge that we may not fully grasp K-Culture in its globalized context.

K-Content typically brings to mind iconic cultural products that have driven the Korean Wave, such as films, dramas, music, webtoons, and games. However, as the Korean Wave has continued for nearly 30 years, the range of content fields that can be referred to as K-Content has steadily expanded. Surveys conducted among overseas Hallyu fans often reveal that, alongside K-Pop and K-Dramas, Korean food, beauty, and fashion are frequently mentioned as the first things that come to mind when thinking of "Korea."

If K-Content is narrowly defined as creative works distributed through media, then products categorized under K-Food, K-Beauty, or K-Fashion may not always fit neatly into the definition of K-Content. However, today, the Korean Wave has broadened significantly to encompass an interest in the Korean lifestyle as a whole. In this broader sense, even Bibimbap sold in major U.S. supermarkets or Korean cosmetics sold at Ulta Beauty can be considered K-Content. Thus, K-Food, K-Beauty, and K-Fashion, having long established their terms, can also be regarded as branded K-Content with their own economic value.
 
 

K-Content has now transcended being merely cultural content and has become a lifestyle culture that transforms the daily lives and consumption patterns of people worldwide. Why is the world so enthusiastic about K-Content? What do you think are the success factors of the K-Content industry?
 

Let us analyze the success factors of the K-Content industry using the 5Cs framework (Customer, Company, Competition, Collaborators, and Context), which is commonly used for business environment analysis.

First, K-Content has met the global demand for universality and diversity, successfully converting people around the world into its customers. Most K-Content is not merely a product of "Korean-ness," that is, regional distinctiveness or unique styles. Instead, it tackles issues of universal interest to global audiences, utilizes genres they can relate to, and spreads through platforms they frequent the most. By following this process, K-Content has led the trends of its primary consumer base (currently Millennials and Generation Z) and created content that resonates emotionally with them. Recently, K-Content has also emerged with careful consideration of sensitive issues that define personal identities, such as race, nationality, gender, class, and religion.

Second, K-Content companies have swiftly responded to changes in content consumption methods through their own digital innovations, effectively standing against platform hegemony. Currently, Korea's leading K-Content companies do not dominate global platforms with overwhelming influence, such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Despite this reliance on such dominant platforms, Korean K-Content companies are expanding their points of contact with K-culture fans through their own creative ideas. The example of Weverse, which innovatively combines fan communities with e-commerce, demonstrates how it functions as an engaging platform for "connection," "sharing," and "creative solidarity."

Third, K-Content maintains its quality through intense internal competition. Even in the post-BTS and post-Blackpink eras, K-pop remains resilient because numerous boy groups and girl groups actively reflect the trends and consumer needs of K-pop fans both domestically and internationally, fostering competition. Thanks to this dynamic, K-Content is recognized for its remarkably high quality in overseas markets compared to its production costs. For instance, Netflix revealed that the return on investment for Squid Game, which still ranks among its most successful productions, was 41 times its cost.

Fourth, K-Content has developed through the organic cooperation of governmental support for the Korean Wave (Hallyu), highly active fan communities, and K-Content companies that continuously renew innovative business models. Global platform companies aiming to leverage the influence of K-Content, which has already been branded, can also act as partners in this collaboration.

Fifth, the 30-year continuation of Hallyu has been supported by various environmental factors. While the efforts of the Korean government, companies, and artists are undoubtedly critical, the IT technology developed as a national growth engine since the Kim Dae-jung administration and the well-established content industry ecosystem have also laid the foundation for Hallyu. As a result, it has disrupted the preconceived notion across Asia that Western pop culture, centered on the U.S., is the global standard. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has also positively influenced the spread of K-Content. With increased screen time in people’s daily lives worldwide, K-Content has been distributed more broadly.
 
 

In recent developments within the industry, K-Content is no longer created exclusively in "Korea" or solely by "Koreans." It is increasingly being reinterpreted and co-created by people worldwide. How is the global status of K-Content evolving in response to changes in content planning, production, and distribution methods?
 

For the most recent example, consider BUS (Because of You, I Shine), a 12-member boy group that debuted in December 2023. Created by a Thai entertainment company, the group consists of 11 Thai members and 1 Korean member. While they explicitly identify as K-pop, they also embrace Thai identity as they step onto the global stage. Their emergence is rooted in the Thai government’s commitment to nurturing the entertainment industry, including the establishment of a dedicated development department, as well as the strategic efforts of entertainment companies. This demonstrates how K-pop, which originated in Korea under the banner of "global," is now diversifying into various forms of "glocal" styles.

In this way, the potential of K-culture is being recognized on a new level. K-Content has historically developed by adopting and hybridizing genres, styles, and trends from advanced pop culture nations. Now, however, we are witnessing instances abroad where K-Content itself is hybridized to suit the cultural characteristics of other countries. I believe these changes will enable K-Content to embed itself even more deeply into the daily lives of people around the world.
 

Could you also share your expectations for the future of Hallyu, if possible?
 

So far, Hallyu has experienced many ups and downs. In some regions and countries, crises have escalated for reasons beyond control. Nevertheless, Hallyu has continued to expand. I believe that Hallyu will not disappear in the short term but will integrate into global lifestyles, creatively evolve, and extend its influence.

Hallyu will continue to spread by exploring new fields, reaching new audiences, and discovering new forms. This has been the survival strategy of Hallyu thus far. In doing so, Hallyu is gradually advancing southwest. During its early stages, Japan and Greater China were the largest consumers of Hallyu. Later, its influence spread to Southeast Asia, and the enthusiasm remains strong there. However, recent indicators show that the spread of Hallyu in countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt is gaining remarkable momentum.

One important point to keep in mind is that we must not become complacent or overly reliant on national pride and patriotism, indulging in the notion that we are the superior originators of Hallyu. When thinking about Hallyu, we should recognize that the true protagonists are those outside our borders who actively consume K-Content. By viewing them as the transmitters of K-Culture, we can position ourselves as responsible recipients and reciprocal, effective retransmitters.
 
 

In this trend, the demand for learning the Korean language is naturally increasing. What do you think KSIF should prepare to address this change?
 

I have been actively engaging with universities abroad that offer Korean language or Korean Studies courses, as well as those with dedicated majors or departments in these fields. In Vietnam, the number of universities with Korean language courses or Korean Studies departments increased from 23 in 2017 to 60 in 2023. Notably, at Hanoi University, one of Vietnam’s most prestigious universities, the Korean Language Department ranked first in admission scores among all 25 departments for the 2023–2024 academic year. In Thailand, Korean has been designated as the primary foreign language and has become an elective subject starting in the first grade of elementary school. At Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of India's top institutions, the Korean Studies department had 100,000 applicants for just 30 seats in 2022, resulting in a competitive ratio of 3,300 to 1. Although the extent varies, similar phenomena are being observed in parts of Europe and the United States.

In this context, I have been contemplating the role and influence of KSIF. I hope that KSIF will serve as a bridge to expand the global enthusiasm for learning the Korean language into broader interest in all things Korean—such as Korean literature, history, and politics. While KSIF is already fulfilling this role to some extent, I urge it to take a more strategic and proactive approach. Additionally, I have observed that interest and demand for Korean language and studies differ subtly by region and country. For example, in certain countries, learning Korean is motivated by the aspiration to secure well-paying jobs at Korean conglomerates operating locally. Accordingly, various related organizations occasionally conduct demand surveys for Korean language and studies. Going forward, I believe KSIF should take the lead in conducting these surveys more systematically and regularly. By doing so, it could develop a diverse array of Korean language education models tailored to the specific needs of each region. With a shared commitment to KSIF and its global network, I extend my wholehearted support for KSIF’s future endeavors.