South Korea Goes Viral

One day in September, more than a million people watched a live video streaming from the United Nations in New York City. But they were tuning in not to hear from a head of state but from the South Korean boy band BTS.

The seven members of the pop group—perhaps the biggest band in the world now—gave a speech about Covid-19 and performed their song “Permission to Dance” in the empty U.N. Assembly Hall.

Within a few hours, the video had racked up more than 6 million views.

One day in September, more than a million people watched a live video streaming from the United Nations in New York City. They weren’t tuning in to hear from a head of state. Instead, they were watching the South Korean boy band BTS.

The pop group is perhaps the biggest band in the world now. To kick off the event, its seven members gave a speech about Covid-19. Afterward, they performed their song “Permission to Dance” in the empty U.N. Assembly Hall.

Within a few hours, the video had racked up more than 6 million views.

BTS is just one of many South Korean groups dominating music charts and headlines both in the U.S. and around the world in a genre known as K-pop. Acts including Blackpink, Twice, and Seventeen have also become wildly successful.

And South Korea’s influence over international pop culture doesn’t stop there: At the Academy Awards in 2020, the South Korean movie Parasite became the first foreign language film to win best picture. And Netflix has introduced more than 130 Korean movies and TV shows since 2016, with its hit dystopian drama Squid Game making an especially big splash last fall.

BTS is just one of many South Korean groups topping music charts and headlines both in the U.S. and around the world. They are part of a genre known as K-pop. Acts such as Blackpink, Twice, and Seventeen have also become wildly successful.

And South Korea’s influence over international pop culture doesn’t stop there. At the Academy Awards in 2020, the South Korean movie Parasite became the first foreign language film to win best picture. In addition, Netflix has introduced more than 130 Korean movies and TV shows since 2016. Its hit drama Squid Game made an especially big splash last fall.

The popularity of South Korean arts has had a cascading effect: Korean skincare products are flying off U.S. shelves. And in a sure sign that South Korean culture has gone mainstream, the Oxford English Dictionary added 26 new words of Korean origin last year.

Many Koreans say that their culture has always been world class; what’s changed recently is that people around the globe have finally begun paying attention, thanks to the rise of online streaming services and social media.

The popularity of South Korean arts has trickled down to other areas. For example, Korean skincare products are flying off U.S. shelves. The Oxford English Dictionary added 26 new words of Korean origin last year. The move is a sure sign that South Korean culture has gone mainstream.

Many Koreans say that their culture has always been world class. What’s changed recently is that people around the globe have finally begun paying attention. That’s thanks to the rise of online streaming services and social media.

Korean artists make content “as interesting and meaningful as possible,” says South Korean director Jang Young-woo. “It’s the world that has started understanding and identifying with the emotional experiences we have been creating all along.”

South Korean entertainment is so dominant, in fact, that Chinese media even coined the term hallyu, or Korean wave, to describe the massive popularity of the country’s cultural output. And that popularity has given South Korea the sort of influence around the world that can be hard to measure. So what makes South Korea’s art stand out? And how did the small nation come to play such an outsized role in the world today?

Korean artists make content “as interesting and meaningful as possible,” says South Korean director Jang Young-woo. “It’s the world that has started understanding and identifying with the emotional experiences we have been creating all along.”

South Korean entertainment is super popular right now. In fact, Chinese media even created the term hallyu, or Korean wave, to describe the massive popularity of the country’s cultural output. And that popularity has given South Korea the sort of influence around the world that can be hard to measure. So what makes South Korea’s art stand out? And how did the small nation come to play such an outsized role in the world today?

South Korea’s success on the global stage didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it took many turbulent decades for the country to reach this point.

From 1910 to 1945, Korea—then a single unified country—was under an oppressive Japanese rule that attempted to wipe out Korean culture, language, and history. Korean land was plundered, students were forced to speak Japanese, thousands of Korean historical documents were destroyed, and eventually, Koreans even had to take on Japanese surnames.

After World War II (1939-45), the U.S. and the Soviet Union divided control of the peninsula. The Soviets set up a Communist regime in what became North Korea, while the U.S. supported a military government in what became South Korea.

South Korea’s success on the global stage didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it took many chaotic decades for the country to reach this point.

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was a single unified country. During this time, it was under an oppressive Japanese rule. Those in power tried to wipe out Korean culture, language, and history. Korean land was ruined. Students were forced to speak Japanese. And thousands of Korean historical documents were destroyed. Eventually, Koreans even had to take on Japanese last names.

After World War II (1939-45), the U.S. and the Soviet Union divided control of the nation. The Soviets set up Communist rule in what became North Korea. The U.S. supported a military government in what became South Korea.

North Korea invaded the South in 1950, leading to the Korean War (1950-53), in which American troops fought alongside South Korea to prevent a Communist takeover. The conflict ended with a ceasefire, but no peace treaty, and both countries, along with the U.S., continue to keep troops stationed along a boundary known as the demilitarized zone (D.M.Z.) that divides the two Koreas.

“Koreans have gone through tremendous tragedies and hardships,” says Inkyu Kang, a communications professor at Penn State Behrend and author of a book about the Korean music industry. “These traumatic experiences have left deep dents in Koreans’ psyche, which they call han. This is a collective emotional scar, but it has worked as a muse for Koreans as well.”

North Korea invaded the South in 1950, leading to the Korean War (1950-53). American troops fought alongside South Korea to prevent a Communist takeover. The conflict ended with a ceasefire but no peace treaty. Both countries, along with the U.S., continue to keep troops stationed along a boundary. This divide, known as the demilitarized zone (D.M.Z.), splits the two Koreas.

“Koreans have gone through tremendous tragedies and hardships,” says Inkyu Kang, a communications professor at Penn State Behrend and author of a book about the Korean music industry. “These traumatic experiences have left deep dents in Koreans’ psyche, which they call han. This is a collective emotional scar, but it has worked as a muse for Koreans as well.”

In the ensuing years, South Korea has developed a robust economy and remained close with the U.S. and the Western world. North Korea, however, remains at odds with the U.S. and is one of the poorest and most isolated nations on Earth. Citizens often face food, water, and electricity shortages while dictator Kim Jong Un directs most of the country’s resources to the military.

So it’s no surprise that Kim isn’t a fan of this wave of South Korean entertainment spreading across the world. He’s called it a “vicious cancer” corrupting young North Koreans’ “attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviors.” North Korea even enacted a law in 2020 that calls for 5 to 15 years in labor camps for people who watch or possess South Korean entertainment. Those who put the material in the hands of North Koreans can face even stiffer punishments, including the death penalty. At least seven people have been publicly executed in the past decade for watching or distributing K-pop videos, according to a report released in 2021 by the human rights organization Transitional Justice Working Group.

In the years that’ve followed, South Korea has developed a robust economy. It also has remained close with the U.S. and the Western world. But North Korea is one of the poorest and most isolated nations on Earth. Its dictator, Kim Jong Un, directs most of the country’s resources to the military. As a result, citizens often face food, water, and electricity shortages. And the nation remains at odds with the U.S.

So it’s no surprise that Kim isn’t a fan of this wave of South Korean entertainment spreading across the world. He’s called it a “vicious cancer” corrupting young North Koreans’ “attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviors.” North Korea even enacted a law in 2020 that calls for 5 to 15 years in labor camps for people who watch or own South Korean entertainment. Those who put the material in the hands of North Koreans can face even tougher punishments, including the death penalty. At least seven people have been publicly executed in the past decade for watching or distributing K-pop videos, according to a report released in 2021 by the human rights organization Transitional Justice Working Group.

“To Kim Jong Un, the cultural invasion from South Korea has gone beyond a tolerable level,” says Jiro Ishimaru, chief editor of Asia Press International. “If this is left unchecked, he fears that his people might start considering the South an alternative Korea to replace the North.”

But the opposition hasn’t stopped some young North Koreans, experts say. Flash drives full of South Korean entertainment are smuggled in from China so K-pop and K-drama fans can enjoy them in secret.

“To Kim Jong Un, the cultural invasion from South Korea has gone beyond a tolerable level,” says Jiro Ishimaru, chief editor of Asia Press International. “If this is left unchecked, he fears that his people might start considering the South an alternative Korea to replace the North.”

But the opposition hasn’t stopped some young North Koreans, experts say. Flash drives full of South Korean entertainment get funneled in from China. That allows K-pop and K-drama fans to enjoy them in secret.

Korean entertainment has been wildly successful in Asia for more than two decades, but it only recently became a global phenomenon, spreading to the U.S. and Europe as the internet made it more accessible.

“The world just didn’t know about them until streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube helped it discover them at a time when people watch more entertainment online,” says Kang Yu-jung, a professor at Kangnam University in Seoul.

And global audiences were likely more receptive than ever to South Korean culture while they were stuck at home during the pandemic, experts note. Word of popular K-pop groups spreads especially fast online, as many of the videos are specifically designed to catch your eye.

For more than two decades, Korean entertainment has been wildly successful in Asia. But its rise on a global stage is new. It spread to the U.S. and Europe as the internet made it more accessible.

“The world just didn’t know about them until streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube helped it discover them at a time when people watch more entertainment online,” says Kang Yu-jung, a professor at Kangnam University in Seoul.

And global audiences were likely more receptive than ever to South Korean culture while they were stuck at home during the pandemic, experts note. Word of popular K-pop groups spreads especially fast online. That’s likely because many of the videos are set up to catch your eye.

“K-pop’s focus on visuality—its spectacular music videos, flashy fashion, and distinctive yet easy-to-imitate dance moves—combined with catchy rhythms has made it even more powerful on social media,” Inkyu Kang says.

All of this has led to an astounding amount of money for South Korea. By some estimates, BTS alone generates about $5 billion for the country’s economy every year, and the popularity of Korean pop culture is fueling tourism and interest in the country’s businesses.

But more important, Inkyu Kang says, is that other countries are learning more about South Korea itself. Young people are studying the language to better understand K-pop lyrics and, in the process, are finding out about the country’s traditions.

“Today’s American teens are more open-minded than any previous generation,” Inkyu Kang says. “They are ready to appreciate other cultures to enrich their lives, including Korean pop culture.”

“K-pop’s focus on visuality—its spectacular music videos, flashy fashion, and distinctive yet easy-to-imitate dance moves—combined with catchy rhythms has made it even more powerful on social media,” Inkyu Kang says.

All of this has led to a very large amount of money for South Korea. By some estimates, BTS alone generates about $5 billion for the country’s economy every year. The popularity of Korean pop culture also is fueling tourism and interest in the country’s businesses.

But more important is that other countries are learning more about South Korea itself, Inkyu Kang says. Young people are studying the language to better understand K-pop lyrics. In the process, they are finding out about the country’s traditions.

“Today’s American teens are more open-minded than any previous generation,” Inkyu Kang says. “They are ready to appreciate other cultures to enrich their lives, including Korean pop culture.”

With additional reporting by Choe Sang-Hun and Neil Vigdor of The New York Times.

With additional reporting by Choe Sang-Hun and Neil Vigdor of The New York Times.