A 2025 report on the “Hallyu” trend, published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency, analyzed approximately 1.5 million media reports and social media posts from 30 countries collected between October 2024 and September 2025.
The analysis revealed that K-pop garnered the most media attention worldwide: 31.8 percent in Asia, 24.5 percent in Europe, 32.3 percent in North America, and 38.1 percent in Latin America.
BLACKPINK dominated K-pop media coverage with a 14.2 percent share globally. BTS followed at 7.3 percent, and NewJeans at 3 percent. The report also emphasized the significant interest in BLACKPINK’s members’ solo work, with Rose receiving 9 percent of coverage, Jennie and Lisa each receiving 5 percent, and Jisoo garnering 2.6 percent.
The United States produced the highest volume of foreign media reports on Hallyu, with 725 articles, followed by India, Argentina, and Vietnam. Within the U.S. market, K-pop accounted for 33.8 percent of Korean content coverage, surpassing movies (21.8 percent), television series (12.7 percent), and K-food (11.6 percent).
Among individual titles, Netflix’s global animated hit, “KPop Demon Hunters,” emerged as the most popular Korean cultural content. The report credits its success to a creative blend of traditional Korean folklore, including grim reapers and goblins, with recognizable food symbols like “gimbap” and ramen.
Other notable contributors include “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” which boosted tourism to Jeju Island after its Netflix debut, and “Squid Game” Season 3, which topped streaming charts in 93 countries upon release.
Korean food also experienced increased popularity, with terms like “kimchi,” “soju,” “ramyeon,” and “bibimbap” trending alongside keywords such as “chef” and “Squid Game.” The report suggests this surge is a direct consequence of the cuisine’s exposure in globally popular Netflix shows, specifically the cooking competition “Culinary Class Wars” and the drama “Squid Game.”
“As Hallyu has grown from a simple pop cultural trend into a key strategic national asset that drives the national brand and industrial competitiveness, we will leverage these findings to inform policy design and support more tailored strategies for overseas promotion,” stated Lee Eun-bok, director of overseas public relations policy at the ministry.
