The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism (MCST) has recently conducted an extensive survey to assess the global impact of the Hallyu Wave. As detailed in their findings released on April 7, 2025, key figures and phenomena such as BTS, Jungkook, Gong Yoo, and the series Squid Game emerged as frontrunners in popularity among international audiences.
Carried out in collaboration with the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, this survey took place from November 29 to December 27, 2024, and gathered insights from 26,400 individuals familiar with Korean cultural offerings across 28 countries.
Key Insights from the 2025 Hallyu Wave Status Survey
The survey encompassed various parameters, including:
- Willingness to recommend Korean content
- Negative perceptions of Korean entertainment
- Favorability toward the Korean language
- Local popularity and recognition rates of Korean media
Notably, 70.3% of respondents expressed a favorable view of Korean culture, representing a slight increase from the previous year’s 68.8%. In terms of specific cultural categories, K-pop led with a preference rate of 17.8%, followed by Korean cuisine at 11.8% and K-dramas at 8.7%. Beauty products and films rounded out the top five with 6.4% and 5.6%, respectively. Interestingly, IT products and brands, previously in the top tier, slipped to sixth place at 5.1%.
The favorability rating for the newly included Korean language soared to 75.4%, surpassing the overall cultural favorability average. Regionally, the Philippines showed the highest favorability at 88.9%, closely followed by Indonesia (86.5%), India (84.5%), and Thailand (82.7%).
A significant 68.2% of participants indicated their willingness to recommend Korean content, with particular enthusiasm for:
- Korean language: 78.5%
- Entertainment: 75.9%
- Games: 75.9%
- Dramas: 75.4%
- Beauty: 75.4%
However, there remains a notable concern, with 37.5% of respondents acknowledging negative perceptions, which reflects a 4.9% increase from last year. India and the United Arab Emirates reported the highest rates of negative perception, at 52.7% and 52%, respectively. This suggests that increased engagement with Korean content can correlate with heightened scrutiny and skepticism.
Global Popularity of K-Dramas and K-Pop
The ranking of popular Korean dramas reflects ongoing viewer preferences. For the fourth consecutive year, Squid Game continued to dominate, achieving a 9.7% preference rate. It was followed by Queen of Tears at 6.5% and Crash Landing on You at 2.2%. Additionally, several new 2024 releases, including Lovely Runner, The Judge from Hell, Love Next Door, and Marry My Husband, have quickly gained traction, although Squid Game 2 was excluded from this particular survey.
In the realm of cinema, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite retained its top position for the fifth straight year with an 8.3% preference rate, while Gong Yoo’s Train to Busan followed closely with 6.5%. The Grave also gained popularity with a 4.1% preference rate, particularly resonating with audiences in the Asia-Pacific region, where it achieved a 5.9% rate.
Looking at the stars of the Hallyu Wave, Lee Min-ho has maintained his reign for 12 consecutive years, finishing first with 7.0%. Gong Yoo secured second place with 2.4%, followed closely by Kim Soo-hyun from Queen of Tears at 2.3%, while Ma Dong-seok climbed with a 1.5% preference rate.
Within the K-pop landscape, BTS continues to reign supreme, capturing 24.6% of the preference rates, with BLACKPINK following at 12.3%. IU (3.1%), PSY (2.2%), and Twice (1.8%) rounded out the top five, showing the continuing global influence of these artists.
This comprehensive survey underlines the MCST’s commitment to fostering the Hallyu Wave, driving efforts to ensure legal foundations such as the enforcement of the ‘Basic Act on the Promotion of the Hallyu Wave Industry.’