▲ BTS performs at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during a concert marking the live debut of the group's fifth studio album

 

SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) — About seven out of 10 foreigners have favorable views of the Korean Wave, with K-pop ranking as the top image associated with South Korea, a government report showed Monday.

 

According to the "2026 Overseas Hallyu Survey" (based on 2025) released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, 69.7 percent of 27,400 respondents in 30 countries who had experienced Korean cultural content said they held positive views.

 

The survey showed Southeast Asia continued to record high favorability toward Hallyu, led by the Philippines (87.0 percent), India (83.8 percent), Indonesia (82.7 percent) and Thailand (79.4 percent).

 

Favorability also rose sharply in Western countries, including Britain (+8.0 percentage points), Spain (+6.2 points), the United States (+6.1 points) and Australia (+6.0 points). Japan also saw a 6.4-point increase from a year earlier.

 

By category, respondents cited Korean food (55.1 percent) as the most popular Hallyu-related content in their countries, followed by music (54.0 percent), beauty (52.6 percent), dramas (51.3 percent) and films (48.9 percent).

 

In terms of consumption experience, food ranked highest at 78.0 percent, followed by films (77.9 percent), dramas (72.9 percent), music (71.9 percent) and beauty (61.8 percent).

 

K-pop topped the list of images associated with South Korea for the ninth consecutive year at 17.5 percent. It was followed by Korean food (12.1 percent), dramas (9.5 percent), beauty (6.2 percent) and films (5.9 percent).

 

Negative images, such as the Korean War and North Korea-related security risks, which previously ranked high, fell out of the top 10, indicating a shift in perceptions of South Korea from security concerns to cultural appeal.

 

The survey also, for the first time, examined perceptions of content that blends Korean culture with foreign production, such as the Netflix series "K-Pop Demon Hunters." Respondents cited the inclusion of Korean cultural elements (23.3 percent) as the most important factor in recognizing such content as Korean, followed by the presence of many Korean characters (21.8 percent) and Korean settings (19.1 percent).

 

Such hybrid content received largely positive evaluations, with respondents describing it as "attractive" (60.0 percent), "trendy" (60.0 percent), "easy to accept" (57.3 percent) and "original" (55.0 percent).

 

In the drama category, Netflix's "Squid Game" ranked No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year with 12.4 percent. "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (4.6 percent) and "The Tyrant's Chef" (2.1 percent) newly entered the top ranks.

 

In films, director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" topped the list for the sixth consecutive year with 8.4 percent, followed by director Yeon Sang-ho's "Train to Busan," which ranked second for the fifth consecutive year with 5.8 percent. Newly released films showed relatively lower preference.

 

In the Hallyu star category, BTS ranked first as the most popular singer for the eighth consecutive year with 21.9 percent, followed by BLACKPINK in second place for the seventh consecutive year with 12.6 percent. Actor Lee Min-ho ranked first for the 13th consecutive year with 7.1 percent.

 

BTS also topped the newly introduced category of the most influential Hallyu star with 6.9 percent.

 

The average monthly consumption time of Korean cultural content stood at 14.7 hours, while average spending per category reached $16.6, both up from a year earlier.

 

Consumption time was highest for dramas (18.3 hours), entertainment shows (17.7 hours) and games (16.8 hours), while spending was highest in fashion ($33.9), beauty ($29.7) and food ($24.9).

 

A total of 64.8 percent of respondents said Hallyu had a positive impact on their purchases of Korean products and services, marking a third consecutive year of increase.

 

Among those with Hallyu experience, key purchasing factors included quality (61.8 percent), price (43.0 percent) and ease of use (33.4 percent).

 

Meanwhile, the rate of agreement with negative perceptions of Hallyu stood at 37.5 percent, unchanged from the previous year.

 

Key reasons cited included excessive commercialization (16.1 percent), geopolitical risks related to the Korean Peninsula (12.9 percent), inappropriate behavior by Hallyu stars (11.5 percent) and the need to protect domestic content industries (11.3 percent).

 

By region, the Middle East recorded the highest level of negative perception at 51.1 percent, while by age group, people in their 20s showed the highest rate at 42.9 percent.

 

The ministry said it plans to strengthen the foundation of the K-culture industry based on the survey results and the Basic Law on the Promotion of the Hallyu Industry enacted last year.

 

It also plans to actively support the global expansion of K-culture by hosting comprehensive Hallyu expos, "K-Expo," in countries such as the United States, France and Mexico, and expanding overseas promotional centers "Korea 360" to regions including the United States and Vietnam.

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]