South Korea, extremely famous for its popularity in pop culture, has spread to all parts of the world. The influence on people across the world has led to a cultural phenomenon called the ‘Hallyu wave’ also known as the Korean wave that has now reached Indian shores.
Kpop culture began to gain popularity in India in the early 2010s, but it wasn’t until the release of “Gangnam Style” in 2012 that it became a sensation.
A Facebook Analytics report revealed that India has over 15 million consumers of Korean pop culture including K-pop music and K-dramas. This surge resulted in widespread popularity of the language which has propelled it to become the fastest growing language among Indians. Duolingo, a mobile application for language learning, gave its report that Korean ranks fourth among India’s most accessed languages following Hindi, English and French.
K-pop fanbases in India frequently collaborate on non-profit group orders that boost sales. The increased popularity of K-pop demands for merchandise and all K-pop exports have become major contributions to the South Korean economy. Beyond the evident Tiktok videos and Instagram reels that feature K-pop, the influence of K-pop is such that annual Hallyu K-pop dance competitions are hosted in India. This year, the grand finale of ‘All India K-POP contest’ sponsored by LG Electronics is to be held at the Yashobhoomi convention center in New Delhi in the month of November.
From K-pop to K-food, there’s no difference in its weight of influence. India has seen a significant surge in Korean food imports, with popular items like kimchi, tteokbokki, bibimbap etc gaining widespread acceptance among Indian consumers which requires gochujang, a famous fermented red chilli paste as a key ingredient. The reports maintained a tremendous four-year growth of $10.5 million for the importation of noodles in India.
The sudden popularity of Korean dramas in India hugely influenced the country’s entertainment landscape and created a wave of fandom. The K-drama ‘Crash Landing on You’ received such immense popularity throughout the country that it even reached number 10 on the Netflix list in India. The Korean drama ‘Squid game’ broke new records for Netflix and mesmerized the audience. Before streaming services like Netflix became popular, Indian TV Channels like Zee Zindagi introduced Korean dramas to Indian audiences. It started airing Korean dramas dubbed in Hindi in the early 2010s. The popularity has paved the way for increased collaboration between Indian and Korean entertainment industries. Indian actress and model, Anushka Sen, Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism, is debuting in a Korean film titled ‘Asia’. Renowned Korean actor Ma Dong Seok will play the antagonist in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s upcoming Telugu film ‘Spirit’ starring alongside Prabhas.
The Hallyu wave’s influence on India has been profound, promoting cultural diversity, economic growth and artistic collaborations and its impact will grow further.
So will Korean culture continue to shape India? Will it transform India? As a K-enthusiast would say, ‘Yes, it already has and definitely will’.
