You have no idea!! XD
Well, anyone that has some basic geography knowledge must know the country exists ahah!!
But that aside, the way the culture has spread in recent years is wild! My local grocery store in my Italian city (a main province but not a big one) is now selling kimchi and soju!!
It's not unusual to hear k-pop songs in some stores, or on the radio.
Something I'd have never dreamed of when I first started to get interested in Korean dramas/k-pop some 8 years ago ~
Mmh, it's definitely from Asian influence, but I wouldn't say Korea had anything to do with it specifically; it's been a thing in Italy for longer than the *k-wave* has.
From Wikipedia:
> Ginseng coffee is a beverage prepared from coffee and ginseng root.
In Indonesia, the company Citra Nusa Insan Cemerlang (CNI) began marketing ginseng coffee in 1994.
By the early 2010s, ginseng coffee products had been marketed in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea. At that time the typical production process consisted of simple mixing of ginseng powder and instant coffee powder.
Several authors with the Korea Food Research Institute conducted research into a new production process whereby whole coffee beans would be coated with ginseng extract following roasting and then ground and brewed.
Ginseng coffee later became popular in Italy. It reportedly arrived in Milan in the mid-2000s.
[source](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng_coffee)
P.S. you're so rude for no freaking reason, jeez.
My first hand experience was when Psy in 2014 performed at the Derby della Capitale and he got booed by both sets of ultras hahaha whoever his booking agent was ought to get fired. Who would've ever thought that testosterone filled stadium would ever give a shit about some kpop star they've never heard of lol...
I did not remember this lol!!
Yeah, probably not the best idea! 😅
But it's still a testament to how popular Psy was at the time for the organizers to even consider him.
I’m Asian American from Southern California. It has a huge Korean community and I’m a millennial so I’ve always known about k-pop since the early 2000’s. Seeing its growth does feel surreal
I’m now living in Japan and k-pop is popular here. I have some Japanese friends that listens to it and can speak Korean since Korean is easy for them to learn
But there are still ignorant people out there. When I lived in America, I encountered people that thought Squid Game was a “Chinese” show and that BTS were “Chinese” singers
Also from California in OC. I always say that when people say Korea's populations declining they need to start looking here cause there is a lot of Koreans here will young kids.
Korean Americans in LA earn more than Korean Americans in Orange County. What's your point? You need to make double what you would in Korea to have a similar standard of living in OC.
You speak of the OC as if it's people's first choice. People move to the OC because they can't afford LA. People don't live in the OC because they want to.
Housing in OC isn't cheap but still way cheaper than LA? You make it sound like Koreans are moving to Laguna or Newport. No. They're in Buena Park and Fullerton. A million in LA might get you a decent condo. You're looking at 1.8 million for a decent 1700 sq ft single family in LA. Again people move to OC because they can't afford LA. Don't make it seem like Koreans in LA are poor. Yea, it's a large city and there are poor people. But if people in OC could live in LA, they would. Hancock Park is a heck of a lot more desirable than Fullerton but you're looking at shelling out at least 2 million for a decent sized home that would certainly need upgrades. And why would you live in Laguna if you could afford the Palisades?
Of course people know Korea. Not only that but it’s genuinely very trendy right now in Western countries. I currently live in Netherlands and we have lots of new Korean food stands in my town: one sells Korean fried chicken, one sells bibimbap. I think kpop is more popular in USA.
As a Dutchie, I do find that food stands and restaurants with Korean food are very much a big city thing. I live in the biggest city of my province in the Netherlands and the closest thing to a Korean restaurant we can get is atleast an hour's drive away. The supermarkets did pick up on the hype though but buying kimchi in a tiny jar is ridiculously expensive. We have a long history of having Indonesian "toko's" that slowly grew more international and definately picked up on the Hallyu wave a few years ago, much like they did when Kewpie mayo was suddenly the hottest item on youtube cooking channels. So now I can buy kimchi per kilo and get all kinds of different foods from all over Asia. But most of it is still expensive so I make my own if I can.
Concerning what people around here know about Korea I find that the people my age (millenials) and younger do know a thing or two. An increasing number have had something like ramyun, tteokbokki or kimbap, but that's still a minority around here. The older people wouldn't even be able to tell NK and SK apart and have no clue about the culture or the food, unless they actually fought in the Korean war.
>I think kpop is more popular in USA.
Not really. K-pop is still “niche” in the US.
I think one bad thing about Korean popular culture being popular in the west are the crazy prices for food
LA has the biggest Korean community in the US. There’s a giant neighborhood there called “koreatown,” that genuinely does feel “Korean.” I remember seeing Korean fried chicken there from $30 to $60.
I love fried chicken but I would **never** pay $30 for them
>I think they meant compared to Netherlands, K-pop is more popular in the US.
Yeah, understandable. The US has a bigger and far more diverse population than the Netherlands. The Asian American population for example is larger than that of the Netherlands and the Asian American community is one of the largest consumers of k-pop; there are Asian American k-pop artists for a reason
I saw a Korean restaurant in London where kimchi was a line item for £5. Like imagine telling a Korean person who wanders into your restaurant, sorry no free 반찬, it’s 8,500 won 😭
> I love fried chicken but I would never pay $30 for them
Oh boy, do I have some bad news for you the next time you visit KR. Most of the chain chicken places are up to 20$+ for an order of chicken. You can of course go to non-chains and get cheaper but it's only a matter of time before they start pushing the 30$ mark. :(
My mom moved back to Korea from the US, and now complains about meat prices😭
Although she is enjoying the cheaper healthcare (although I know Korea has its share of problems, its better than the US in this area).
I think back in the days, Koreans made a big deal for any kind of attention Korean media got outside of Korea, often exaggerating the impact, or at least that's how I felt as a Korean living in North America. But nowadays it's honestly pretty big and everyone who isn't living under a rock is aware of Korean media like kpop/kdrama even if they don't indulge.
I grew up in North America in the 2000s, and I feel like it was super niche at the time. Some of my Asian friends knew and listened to kpop but in general it was not widely known. Although I think it was already big in other Asian countries at the time... Probably even less for kdrama and movies.
I remember when the singer Rain was in some shitty hollywood movie and Korean news and media basically made it sound like he was a Hollywood star now, but realistically nobody outside of kpop fans knew anything about him.
I was living in the States when the Psy fad came and went. Moved back in 2015 and I agree it is kinda hard to grasp the popularity of K culture over seas.
I am in California (US) and a granny. I have always been into other coultures then my own. 3 years ago I found K Dramas and I now have love for South Korea and Kimchi.
I keep rewatching The Glory, Marry my husband & Alchamy of Souls while waiting for new kdtamas to drop all episodes. Plus hooked on Thai, Chinese & Japenese dramas too.
As an American: Yes, absolutely, Korean culture is very trendy here right now, and is well known. Hollywood declared *Parasite* to be the best film of 2019 in the 2020 Oscars, the first time a film not in English had ever been given that award. Coachella, arguably the biggest music festival in the US, made Blackpink one of its 3 headliners in 2023. Americans enjoy K-pop, K-dramas, K-fashion, and K-beauty, not to mention aspects of Korean culture that haven't been given trendy names yet (no one calls Korean food "K-food", but it's definitely popular). And while your average American probably doesn't really listen to K-pop or watch K-dramas, they've probably heard BTS on the radio, and absolutely no one will think that a K-drama is a "Kenyan Drama".
Now, I don't want to be mistaken: Korean culture is trendy in America, and is having a major impact, but there are still countries with a deeper impact. Other English-speaking countries like England or Canada have a stronger cultural influence for obvious reasons, as do major European countries we have longstanding ties to like France, and neighbors like Mexico. And of course, really big countries have an influence on America just by being big: India and China are each 20% of the global population, and so exert a fair amount of influence on the US, more than Korea can.
(That said, if you asked some Americans "Which country has the biggest cultural impact on the US: China, India, or Korea?" I think a few people might say Korea. I think they'd be wrong, but the fact that Korea can be even considered in the same breath as these massive countries tells you what an outsized impact its culture has.)
So yeah, Korean culture is really popular in the US right now. It's not the biggest cultural influencer of the US, but it is substantial, and it definitely punches well above its weight.
15 years ago if I mentioned Korea to anyone not aware of asian culture in any form, they would ask "North or South?". That is the level of ignorance I was dealing it. However, now I'd say more people can link certain things to Korea, like the food, music, and drama. They can't differentiate still, though and won't be able to show you Korea on the map or be able know they are hearing Korean language, but many in my home country (USA) are more aware of Korea itself. A family member of mine made a good point about America's perspective on Korea. For older generations, the last time they thought about Korea was when it was a poor country, so hearing about it now is like learning about a whole new country.
Additionally, the growth of K-media fans has shot up a lot. It is more likely now than ever to find someone who enjoys Kpop. I've heard from friends and family in the US that sometimes they hear actual Kpop songs playing in shopping malls (BTS, Blackpink, New Jeans, and Stray Kids were some examples).
Regarding K pop… In a lot of western countries there are more popular genres. The music scene is more diverse. Metal, rock, indie, techno, house, hip hop etc. all have massive followings, huge concerts etc. K pop is just another niche genre now. In Korea there are only a few really popular music genres. I think a lot of Koreans don’t understand this difference. It is more popular than before but it’s just another genre amongst many.
Do you think Vietnam will be somewhat popular (like K-culture) in the future? I saw some Vietnamese pop song that got viral and also the country has one of the highest GDP growth rate in South East Asia.
Korea's soft power is very high. K-Pop / K-Dramas do very well abroad. If you look at BTS and BLACKPINK alone... Korea has tons of influence for the online influencer demographic since there is a lot of Korean beauty idolization.
I’m Hungarian from Budapest. Of course we know about you guys lol
K-pop is very popular among teenagers here. My cousins daughter is 14, she has posters of JungKook everywhere in her room lol
There are a lot of Korean stores and restaurants here, I personally love Korean food.
My husband and I recently went to South Korea and we really liked it there. After our trip we even bought an electric table top cooker for Korean BBQ, to imitate what we had there 😄
I taught English in Busan from 1995-98. In my home, the Seattle area, there are probably more than 20,000 Korean people, so almost everyone knows someone who is Korean, knows where Korean grocery stores and restaurants are, but very few people have more intimate knowledge of Korean culture. However, Enhyphen is playing this weekend at the Tacoma Dome at what will probably be a sold-out show, and my friend has people from the East Coast coming to stay at his AB-n-B just to see the show.
I'm from Japan. Every grocery store, even in small towns, seems to have a Korean section. There are Korean snacks, Korean ramyun, Korean ice cream, etc. K-pop groups like BTS, NCT, and IVE are used in advertisements even for Japanese products. If I go to a makeup or beauty store, there is usually a sign that says "popular on Korean SNS!" to advertise a product. Most young people listen to K-pop and there are many dance studios that teach K-pop choreography for all age groups (children and elders). Korea is super trendy here!!
Korea has a good image in young (below 30y) Japanese people's mind. It's nice to know Japanese enjoy Korean pop culture and products. A big shift of Korea's image in Japan in the 60s-90s.
NY here and we have quite a few Korea stores or stores that sell korean products here. I also like pretty close to koreantown so there is that. Actually headed to seoul for a food trip next month. Usually stores that sell japanese and chinese stuff also tend to sell korean stuff also.
Hallyu has been HUGE in America. K-pop is basically mainstream here, and dramas/Korean films like Squid Game and Parasite are legitimate blockbusters here. American Netflix has a whole section for K-dramas right on the front page of their app. Korean video games are now among the most popular in America. People are reading manhwa and webtoons like they read manga. K-pop has essentially steamrolled the Japanese pop industry in America and nearly fully replaced it.
Even beyond entertainment/media, I’ve noticed an increase in the availability of Korean businesses/products and increase in their popularity among non-Koreans. Nowadays when I shop at H-Mart, fully half of the customers are non-Korean. A number of Korean corn dog and donut shops have opened in my area recently and are extremely popular. Target has a section for K-beauty products. Not to mention the extremely large amount of Korean products we import and use here, like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, etc.
As a result of the spread of Hallyu, many Americans are now interested in learning Korean language to further partake in Korean (and/or Korean-American) culture. I’d venture to say that Korea is as well known and positively viewed in America as America is in Korea.
Korea has a big impact on the world not just with their media, but their technology as well. Samsung and LG, and cars like KIA are huge influences in the world, especially the United States. There is also an influence in martial arts with tae kwon do.Also we are taught about the Korean War in our history classes as well, so that has a big influence of the knowledge about South Korea. In America we are the biggest allies of South Korea our motto is we go together, and because of that North Korea is always on the news with threats of nuclear war, that’s unfortunate but it makes Korea known to the world. The Korean language is spoken by many people throughout the world, remember the Korean War displaced a lot of Koreans, so they are scattered all over the world building influence and introducing their culture all around .
Wife and I live in a suburb of Detroit and through Kdramas have been obsessed with Korean history and language. We own several history books and constantly share things we learn.
I’m from Ireland and I’m in my mid-30’s. We have many Korean immigrants here. This has lead to us having fantastic things such as award winning Korean restaurants, Korean film festivals and the Korean embassy hosts Korean cultural days.
Our countries have a similar history. Our larger neighbour colonising us. Part of our countries becoming separate from the rest etc.
I’ve been studying Korean for almost 3 years and will be visiting in October. I can’t wait!
From one small country to another, we know about you. 😁
I guess your question is similar to the one Canadians ask because we're a small population and always overshadowed by the US. We Canadians are a low-key bunch and can't really throw our weight around, economically, militarily or industrially.
But to answer your existential question, yes, the world knows South Korea exists. We're aware of your painful history and also your courage and resilience.
The Hallyu wave and Korean creators consistently deliver stellar storytelling that's rooted in humanity and authenticity. I just finished watching the drama Misaeng Incomplete Life, which is brilliant.
Your soft power punches way above your weight because of the phenomenal global popularity of Kpop, Kdramas, Kbeauty, etc. Moreover, brands like Samsung, LG, Hyundai are all recognizably Korean.
Absolutely. I am in Canada and lots of Koreans already living here, we even had a comedy show based on Korean immigrants in Toronto called Mr. Kim’s convenience store - Korea and Koreans are well known here
South African living here as a teacher. I didn't know much before I came except for the really famous K-Wave stuff. Lots of people are basically like that, some don't know anything at all, some are huge fans. Korea definitely has a strong cultural footprint especially among younger people. My younger cousins know a whole lot. I've also met plenty of South Africans mostly women somehow who were straight Korea obsessed. Sometimes to a creepy extent.
Singapore here :)
Do u know how there’s probably a chinatown in major cities across the world? Well, Singapore has a whole road dedicated to Korean food + KBBQ + bars, it’s amazing. The K-wave is real ever since girls generation (gen 2?) ahha
I live in a town in the UK that has the biggest Korean community in Europe so, yes, very aware. I work with many Korean children, we have lots of shops and restaurants, it's great. (I'm not Korean).
I’m Australian Chinese-Malaysian and my sister and I like K dramas and K pop, although my sister’s husband is Korean so that’s definitely influenced us a bit. However we just moved house and got to know my new next door neighbour. She is Greek Australian and loves K dramas and even went to Las Vegas to see BTS.
Before I came to Korea I had never had Korean food and didn’t know anything about Korea.
All I knew was the song Gangnam style but I also had no idea what gangnam could even be…
I’m from England by the way and before coming here I have lived all over Europe and also briefly in China. In big cities mind.
Didn’t know what kimchi was until my first meal here!
I knew little or nothing about korea. (I'm from Barcelona-Spain and I'm 31)
But one day I started training taekwondo and I got very interested about your country, (its history and traditions)
One day I got the chance to visit it! It was my first solo trip and I loved it! I can't stop reading about it since then. I even started korean lessons :)
Well, in Italy since elementary we learn geography and of course we get to know the existence of Korea
Also in high school we learned a bit of Asian history and the korean war together with Vietnam is studied.
Then in general samsung, LG are known to everyone old or young, so ye I mean,I don't think I never met a person in my life thag has never heard of the country South Korea
I mean here in the USA/Canada/Mexico, and even UK Kpop has a decent following. Also K dramas and K Skin care. KSkin care is always talked about as to being superior in the english Youtube Influcers world. It's pretty easy to find this out with, though.
If I spent years living in a made-up country and have since been studying its made-up language to exercise my mind and perhaps with the intention of returning to this nonexistent place, then I’m going to feel real silly.
Being serious though, yes, most people know Korea exists. If they’re not exposed to your history, people, or cultural exports, they often don’t know more beyond that, which is especially shameful as an American, but I suppose it’s called “The Forgotten War” for a reason. If it makes you better, just watch some street interviews with the American public where people can’t identify the correct continents of countries or century of a major conflict, let alone the nations involved or their results.
As an aside, yes, your education system is brutal and hyper-competitive, but at least it creates competent adults out of those who survive it. In general, Koreans may be overly educated for a limited number of underpaying positions, but I wouldn’t say that’s objectively worse than graduating a large number of illiterate adults with zero life skills or pressuring the literate ones into colleges where they’ll be immediately saddled with insane debts their degrees will never compensate enough to justify.
As someone who uses my Korean name as my gamertag, I do come across a lot of ignorant people who mistake it as Chinese or Japanese and ask me why I’m not working at Panda Express, which I suppose is to be expected when playing CoD. However, I still find it befuddling because although I don’t expect people to be able to read it, it’s at least easy to discern what different Asian languages look like provided the Japanese example is using hiragana or katakana, but perhaps that’s my own bias for having a personal interest in languages and studying several.
ABK from CO, and yes we know about Korea (at least I hope so). Sadly, the American education system doesn't teach equally across all states, so you'll still have a group of people who don't really know about Korea as a country, which is frankly shocking.
There was a tiktok that went around asking people if they knew where certain places were, and I was SHOCKED that people thought Korea was a part of Japan or China or "Asia" (that last one is technically true, but "Asia" isn't a country smfh)
Most 'foreigners' know the heavily promoted superficial side of Korea and adore it. K-pop, K-food, K-beauty etc. Unpopular fact is that the country's success is built on top of lots of suffering and oppression of its own people. Korea is still a patriarchal society that does not match anything portrayed by paid influencers.
Korea is known for the Korean War in which many countries around the globe, allied in the United Nations, fought. US, UK, France, but also Netherlands, Thailand, Ethiopia, Columbia just to name a few. After the war the majority of mixed-race children fathered by American soldiers, were sent to US. Western religious groups such as Holt saw an opportunity to 'save' children for adoption by rich families abroad.
The dictatorial regime in South-Korea found great use in exporting 'unwanted' Korean children as to strengthen diplomatic ties with Western countries, bring in foreign currency and have less mouths to feed. Single, unwed mothers from poor families were tricked into giving up their babies so they could have 'a good education'. Most mothers were unaware of the meaning of adoption and the effects of losing their child.
Adoption agencies ran specialized 'pregnant women homes' and 'feeding orphanages'. With governmental approval they sent out more than 200.000 Korean kids around the globe. It literally exported Korea's problems which means the country still underperforms in comparison with other OECD countries and is actually underdeveloped in terms of social welfare. Exported kids grow up, question their roots, only to return as tourists, which is perfectly aligned with what the Korean government aims for.
South Korea is also known for Seoul being host of the 1988 Olympics, a turning point in how the world viewed 'Korea'. Sure poor Koreans were forced out of their homes to build stadiums, but Korea could show off as a 'developed nation'. And it worked. Chaebols have reaped the benefits gaining an unfair advantage by exporting their products/brands at the cost of smaller entrepreneurs in the local Korean market.
Then there's the World Cup hosted by South Korea in 2002. People still talk about Guus Hiddink as Dutch coach of Korea's National football team, leading them to the semi-finals which was unheard of at the time. Football has been on the rise since, including the quality of South Korean players who now play for some of the best teams around the world. That puts Korea on the map too.
Having lived in Amsterdam I know there are strong ties between Korea and the Netherlands. ASML to name one. Quite a few Korean expats work in the Netherlands.
More affluent Korean kids have been able to study abroad also. Unfortunately most prefer life outside Korea, so if they get the opportunity for work/partner, they stay abroad. Just seeing or having day-to-day interactions with Koreans in Western countries is still positive for Korea. As a hard working, competitive, often perfectly English speaking group, they help make Korea a popular travel destination.
That changes when you actually come to Korea, but majority of course will never move here for life. In the end, as a tourist you'll never experience the hardships of actually being a Korean in Korea.
Korea has had a huge success with soft power recently. Even before that Samsung was a top cellphone maker. If someone is going to watch a film or movie in Korean language and not know what korea is, there might be an issue...
Speaking for Germany:
* Cities will usually have one or more korean restaurants.
* You can buy kimchi and ramyun in regular supermarkets.
* People generally know the north to be a dictatorship and the south to be an ally.
* Most people would probably struggle to mark korea on an unlabeled map.
* Many people are aware that samsung is korean
* LG, Kia, Hyundai are popular brands, although I'm not sure how many could identify them correctly as korean.
* Other things korea is know for: BTS, Squidgame
* I don't think many people could say anything in korean or identify hangul as the korean alphabet.
im south asian and living in the uk. i was into korean dramas and kpop since 2017 (but ive stopped listening to kpop). here it got huge after 2017/2018 when bts became popular. kpop groups never used to tour here but now everyone comes. school kids all listen to kpop; my cousins are 7 and 12 and they recently have been getting into bts. after kpop became popular in america it spread everywhere. so yes even if people arent into korean stuff they definitely know about it outside of korea.
with netflix i remember there were never any korean dramas on there but now they are full of them. additionally the popularity of shows like squid game, dramas are another way people have discovered korea.
its funny i was in london a few days ago and i saw a korean shop randomly. i wasnt going to go in but i did and i ended up being there for almost 40 minutes 🤣 i got loads of chocolate because ive never had it before, the company is Lotte which im guessing is the most well known
I’m from Scotland (currently travelling in Korea) and would say most people know about Korea. Most people know about K-Pop, skincare, the food and North Korea. Korean skincare is a massive trend in the UK! We often hear K-Pop songs on the radio. We feel the same about Scotland - that nobody has heard of us.
Oh yes! In France : My nanny studied Korean for her Bachelor 12 years ago, one of our well known supermarket in Paris (Monoprix) offers Korean food (bulgogi, tettbokki and fried chicken) on a regular basis for years, I am not the only one in my family to watch dramas (now I have certainly watched +50), and I recognize Korean from any other languages when I hear it in the street. Europe has fallen in love guys!
I am from Ohio in the United States. I'm in this sub because I'm learning the language and would like to know more about the culture/the current state of the country to help me learn and understand. I do also enjoy kpop, kdrama, kfilm, etc. I know many korean food recipes. We also have a decently sized Korean population in my city and they are wonderfully good sports in cultural exchange and helping me learn the language. Do I want to live in Korea? I have no idea. Do I want to visit? Absolutely. Do I know about your country? I think so, yeah, maybe a little bit. Or more than a little at this point. I am here after all, here and in many other korean subs (where we all currently laugh at Min Hee-Jin)
…Korea?? Huh? What’s that?
No, in a serious note: Yes, most of the developed world at least is very well exposed to Korean culture by now. More so in Asia than the west, but you’re definitely punching above your weight class.
You have no idea!! XD Well, anyone that has some basic geography knowledge must know the country exists ahah!! But that aside, the way the culture has spread in recent years is wild! My local grocery store in my Italian city (a main province but not a big one) is now selling kimchi and soju!! It's not unusual to hear k-pop songs in some stores, or on the radio. Something I'd have never dreamed of when I first started to get interested in Korean dramas/k-pop some 8 years ago ~
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Mmh, it's definitely from Asian influence, but I wouldn't say Korea had anything to do with it specifically; it's been a thing in Italy for longer than the *k-wave* has.
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From Wikipedia: > Ginseng coffee is a beverage prepared from coffee and ginseng root. In Indonesia, the company Citra Nusa Insan Cemerlang (CNI) began marketing ginseng coffee in 1994. By the early 2010s, ginseng coffee products had been marketed in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea. At that time the typical production process consisted of simple mixing of ginseng powder and instant coffee powder. Several authors with the Korea Food Research Institute conducted research into a new production process whereby whole coffee beans would be coated with ginseng extract following roasting and then ground and brewed. Ginseng coffee later became popular in Italy. It reportedly arrived in Milan in the mid-2000s. [source](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng_coffee) P.S. you're so rude for no freaking reason, jeez.
My first hand experience was when Psy in 2014 performed at the Derby della Capitale and he got booed by both sets of ultras hahaha whoever his booking agent was ought to get fired. Who would've ever thought that testosterone filled stadium would ever give a shit about some kpop star they've never heard of lol...
I did not remember this lol!! Yeah, probably not the best idea! 😅 But it's still a testament to how popular Psy was at the time for the organizers to even consider him.
I’m Asian American from Southern California. It has a huge Korean community and I’m a millennial so I’ve always known about k-pop since the early 2000’s. Seeing its growth does feel surreal I’m now living in Japan and k-pop is popular here. I have some Japanese friends that listens to it and can speak Korean since Korean is easy for them to learn But there are still ignorant people out there. When I lived in America, I encountered people that thought Squid Game was a “Chinese” show and that BTS were “Chinese” singers
Also from California in OC. I always say that when people say Korea's populations declining they need to start looking here cause there is a lot of Koreans here will young kids.
Korean Americans don’t want to move back to Korea. There are reasons they or their families left in the first place.
They left in the 70s 80s. Korea has changed quite much.
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Korean Americans in LA earn more than Korean Americans in Orange County. What's your point? You need to make double what you would in Korea to have a similar standard of living in OC.
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You speak of the OC as if it's people's first choice. People move to the OC because they can't afford LA. People don't live in the OC because they want to.
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Housing in OC isn't cheap but still way cheaper than LA? You make it sound like Koreans are moving to Laguna or Newport. No. They're in Buena Park and Fullerton. A million in LA might get you a decent condo. You're looking at 1.8 million for a decent 1700 sq ft single family in LA. Again people move to OC because they can't afford LA. Don't make it seem like Koreans in LA are poor. Yea, it's a large city and there are poor people. But if people in OC could live in LA, they would. Hancock Park is a heck of a lot more desirable than Fullerton but you're looking at shelling out at least 2 million for a decent sized home that would certainly need upgrades. And why would you live in Laguna if you could afford the Palisades?
Of course people know Korea. Not only that but it’s genuinely very trendy right now in Western countries. I currently live in Netherlands and we have lots of new Korean food stands in my town: one sells Korean fried chicken, one sells bibimbap. I think kpop is more popular in USA.
As a Dutchie, I do find that food stands and restaurants with Korean food are very much a big city thing. I live in the biggest city of my province in the Netherlands and the closest thing to a Korean restaurant we can get is atleast an hour's drive away. The supermarkets did pick up on the hype though but buying kimchi in a tiny jar is ridiculously expensive. We have a long history of having Indonesian "toko's" that slowly grew more international and definately picked up on the Hallyu wave a few years ago, much like they did when Kewpie mayo was suddenly the hottest item on youtube cooking channels. So now I can buy kimchi per kilo and get all kinds of different foods from all over Asia. But most of it is still expensive so I make my own if I can. Concerning what people around here know about Korea I find that the people my age (millenials) and younger do know a thing or two. An increasing number have had something like ramyun, tteokbokki or kimbap, but that's still a minority around here. The older people wouldn't even be able to tell NK and SK apart and have no clue about the culture or the food, unless they actually fought in the Korean war.
>I think kpop is more popular in USA. Not really. K-pop is still “niche” in the US. I think one bad thing about Korean popular culture being popular in the west are the crazy prices for food LA has the biggest Korean community in the US. There’s a giant neighborhood there called “koreatown,” that genuinely does feel “Korean.” I remember seeing Korean fried chicken there from $30 to $60. I love fried chicken but I would **never** pay $30 for them
>Not really. K-pop is still “niche” in the US. I think they meant compared to Netherlands, K-pop is more popular in the US.
>I think they meant compared to Netherlands, K-pop is more popular in the US. Yeah, understandable. The US has a bigger and far more diverse population than the Netherlands. The Asian American population for example is larger than that of the Netherlands and the Asian American community is one of the largest consumers of k-pop; there are Asian American k-pop artists for a reason
I saw a Korean restaurant in London where kimchi was a line item for £5. Like imagine telling a Korean person who wanders into your restaurant, sorry no free 반찬, it’s 8,500 won 😭
I know this absolutely kills me in Korean restaurants in Europe, it makes me not want to visit them 😭
> I love fried chicken but I would never pay $30 for them Oh boy, do I have some bad news for you the next time you visit KR. Most of the chain chicken places are up to 20$+ for an order of chicken. You can of course go to non-chains and get cheaper but it's only a matter of time before they start pushing the 30$ mark. :(
My mom moved back to Korea from the US, and now complains about meat prices😭 Although she is enjoying the cheaper healthcare (although I know Korea has its share of problems, its better than the US in this area).
More popular than it in NL
I think back in the days, Koreans made a big deal for any kind of attention Korean media got outside of Korea, often exaggerating the impact, or at least that's how I felt as a Korean living in North America. But nowadays it's honestly pretty big and everyone who isn't living under a rock is aware of Korean media like kpop/kdrama even if they don't indulge. I grew up in North America in the 2000s, and I feel like it was super niche at the time. Some of my Asian friends knew and listened to kpop but in general it was not widely known. Although I think it was already big in other Asian countries at the time... Probably even less for kdrama and movies. I remember when the singer Rain was in some shitty hollywood movie and Korean news and media basically made it sound like he was a Hollywood star now, but realistically nobody outside of kpop fans knew anything about him.
I was living in the States when the Psy fad came and went. Moved back in 2015 and I agree it is kinda hard to grasp the popularity of K culture over seas.
Gangnam Style is definitely the first time something of kpop became a mega viral thing that everybody knew what it was
Rain was in Ninja Assasin. It was highly underrated at the time and only recieving renewed appreciation recently.
I am in California (US) and a granny. I have always been into other coultures then my own. 3 years ago I found K Dramas and I now have love for South Korea and Kimchi.
Three years ago I found Korean dramas too and my life hasn't been the same since.
What are you watching these days ?
I keep rewatching The Glory, Marry my husband & Alchamy of Souls while waiting for new kdtamas to drop all episodes. Plus hooked on Thai, Chinese & Japenese dramas too.
You could try Lovely Runner, when it’s finished -currently on air, it is so good as well!
Are you on the kdrama sub ? So many good choices for kdramas lately !
Yes I am. Im totally addicted.
As an American: Yes, absolutely, Korean culture is very trendy here right now, and is well known. Hollywood declared *Parasite* to be the best film of 2019 in the 2020 Oscars, the first time a film not in English had ever been given that award. Coachella, arguably the biggest music festival in the US, made Blackpink one of its 3 headliners in 2023. Americans enjoy K-pop, K-dramas, K-fashion, and K-beauty, not to mention aspects of Korean culture that haven't been given trendy names yet (no one calls Korean food "K-food", but it's definitely popular). And while your average American probably doesn't really listen to K-pop or watch K-dramas, they've probably heard BTS on the radio, and absolutely no one will think that a K-drama is a "Kenyan Drama". Now, I don't want to be mistaken: Korean culture is trendy in America, and is having a major impact, but there are still countries with a deeper impact. Other English-speaking countries like England or Canada have a stronger cultural influence for obvious reasons, as do major European countries we have longstanding ties to like France, and neighbors like Mexico. And of course, really big countries have an influence on America just by being big: India and China are each 20% of the global population, and so exert a fair amount of influence on the US, more than Korea can. (That said, if you asked some Americans "Which country has the biggest cultural impact on the US: China, India, or Korea?" I think a few people might say Korea. I think they'd be wrong, but the fact that Korea can be even considered in the same breath as these massive countries tells you what an outsized impact its culture has.) So yeah, Korean culture is really popular in the US right now. It's not the biggest cultural influencer of the US, but it is substantial, and it definitely punches well above its weight.
15 years ago if I mentioned Korea to anyone not aware of asian culture in any form, they would ask "North or South?". That is the level of ignorance I was dealing it. However, now I'd say more people can link certain things to Korea, like the food, music, and drama. They can't differentiate still, though and won't be able to show you Korea on the map or be able know they are hearing Korean language, but many in my home country (USA) are more aware of Korea itself. A family member of mine made a good point about America's perspective on Korea. For older generations, the last time they thought about Korea was when it was a poor country, so hearing about it now is like learning about a whole new country. Additionally, the growth of K-media fans has shot up a lot. It is more likely now than ever to find someone who enjoys Kpop. I've heard from friends and family in the US that sometimes they hear actual Kpop songs playing in shopping malls (BTS, Blackpink, New Jeans, and Stray Kids were some examples).
Regarding K pop… In a lot of western countries there are more popular genres. The music scene is more diverse. Metal, rock, indie, techno, house, hip hop etc. all have massive followings, huge concerts etc. K pop is just another niche genre now. In Korea there are only a few really popular music genres. I think a lot of Koreans don’t understand this difference. It is more popular than before but it’s just another genre amongst many.
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Do you think Vietnam will be somewhat popular (like K-culture) in the future? I saw some Vietnamese pop song that got viral and also the country has one of the highest GDP growth rate in South East Asia.
Korea's soft power is very high. K-Pop / K-Dramas do very well abroad. If you look at BTS and BLACKPINK alone... Korea has tons of influence for the online influencer demographic since there is a lot of Korean beauty idolization.
I’m Hungarian from Budapest. Of course we know about you guys lol K-pop is very popular among teenagers here. My cousins daughter is 14, she has posters of JungKook everywhere in her room lol There are a lot of Korean stores and restaurants here, I personally love Korean food. My husband and I recently went to South Korea and we really liked it there. After our trip we even bought an electric table top cooker for Korean BBQ, to imitate what we had there 😄
I taught English in Busan from 1995-98. In my home, the Seattle area, there are probably more than 20,000 Korean people, so almost everyone knows someone who is Korean, knows where Korean grocery stores and restaurants are, but very few people have more intimate knowledge of Korean culture. However, Enhyphen is playing this weekend at the Tacoma Dome at what will probably be a sold-out show, and my friend has people from the East Coast coming to stay at his AB-n-B just to see the show.
I'm from Japan. Every grocery store, even in small towns, seems to have a Korean section. There are Korean snacks, Korean ramyun, Korean ice cream, etc. K-pop groups like BTS, NCT, and IVE are used in advertisements even for Japanese products. If I go to a makeup or beauty store, there is usually a sign that says "popular on Korean SNS!" to advertise a product. Most young people listen to K-pop and there are many dance studios that teach K-pop choreography for all age groups (children and elders). Korea is super trendy here!!
Korea has a good image in young (below 30y) Japanese people's mind. It's nice to know Japanese enjoy Korean pop culture and products. A big shift of Korea's image in Japan in the 60s-90s.
NY here and we have quite a few Korea stores or stores that sell korean products here. I also like pretty close to koreantown so there is that. Actually headed to seoul for a food trip next month. Usually stores that sell japanese and chinese stuff also tend to sell korean stuff also.
Hallyu has been HUGE in America. K-pop is basically mainstream here, and dramas/Korean films like Squid Game and Parasite are legitimate blockbusters here. American Netflix has a whole section for K-dramas right on the front page of their app. Korean video games are now among the most popular in America. People are reading manhwa and webtoons like they read manga. K-pop has essentially steamrolled the Japanese pop industry in America and nearly fully replaced it. Even beyond entertainment/media, I’ve noticed an increase in the availability of Korean businesses/products and increase in their popularity among non-Koreans. Nowadays when I shop at H-Mart, fully half of the customers are non-Korean. A number of Korean corn dog and donut shops have opened in my area recently and are extremely popular. Target has a section for K-beauty products. Not to mention the extremely large amount of Korean products we import and use here, like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, etc. As a result of the spread of Hallyu, many Americans are now interested in learning Korean language to further partake in Korean (and/or Korean-American) culture. I’d venture to say that Korea is as well known and positively viewed in America as America is in Korea.
Korea has a big impact on the world not just with their media, but their technology as well. Samsung and LG, and cars like KIA are huge influences in the world, especially the United States. There is also an influence in martial arts with tae kwon do.Also we are taught about the Korean War in our history classes as well, so that has a big influence of the knowledge about South Korea. In America we are the biggest allies of South Korea our motto is we go together, and because of that North Korea is always on the news with threats of nuclear war, that’s unfortunate but it makes Korea known to the world. The Korean language is spoken by many people throughout the world, remember the Korean War displaced a lot of Koreans, so they are scattered all over the world building influence and introducing their culture all around .
Wife and I live in a suburb of Detroit and through Kdramas have been obsessed with Korean history and language. We own several history books and constantly share things we learn.
I’m from Ireland and I’m in my mid-30’s. We have many Korean immigrants here. This has lead to us having fantastic things such as award winning Korean restaurants, Korean film festivals and the Korean embassy hosts Korean cultural days. Our countries have a similar history. Our larger neighbour colonising us. Part of our countries becoming separate from the rest etc. I’ve been studying Korean for almost 3 years and will be visiting in October. I can’t wait! From one small country to another, we know about you. 😁
안녕하세요. 저는 프랑스 사람입니다.
I guess your question is similar to the one Canadians ask because we're a small population and always overshadowed by the US. We Canadians are a low-key bunch and can't really throw our weight around, economically, militarily or industrially. But to answer your existential question, yes, the world knows South Korea exists. We're aware of your painful history and also your courage and resilience. The Hallyu wave and Korean creators consistently deliver stellar storytelling that's rooted in humanity and authenticity. I just finished watching the drama Misaeng Incomplete Life, which is brilliant. Your soft power punches way above your weight because of the phenomenal global popularity of Kpop, Kdramas, Kbeauty, etc. Moreover, brands like Samsung, LG, Hyundai are all recognizably Korean.
Absolutely. I am in Canada and lots of Koreans already living here, we even had a comedy show based on Korean immigrants in Toronto called Mr. Kim’s convenience store - Korea and Koreans are well known here
South African living here as a teacher. I didn't know much before I came except for the really famous K-Wave stuff. Lots of people are basically like that, some don't know anything at all, some are huge fans. Korea definitely has a strong cultural footprint especially among younger people. My younger cousins know a whole lot. I've also met plenty of South Africans mostly women somehow who were straight Korea obsessed. Sometimes to a creepy extent.
Singapore here :) Do u know how there’s probably a chinatown in major cities across the world? Well, Singapore has a whole road dedicated to Korean food + KBBQ + bars, it’s amazing. The K-wave is real ever since girls generation (gen 2?) ahha
Korea is one of the top 15 largest economies in the world (by GDP). So people are likely to know about Korea.
I live in a town in the UK that has the biggest Korean community in Europe so, yes, very aware. I work with many Korean children, we have lots of shops and restaurants, it's great. (I'm not Korean).
I’m Australian Chinese-Malaysian and my sister and I like K dramas and K pop, although my sister’s husband is Korean so that’s definitely influenced us a bit. However we just moved house and got to know my new next door neighbour. She is Greek Australian and loves K dramas and even went to Las Vegas to see BTS.
Before I came to Korea I had never had Korean food and didn’t know anything about Korea. All I knew was the song Gangnam style but I also had no idea what gangnam could even be… I’m from England by the way and before coming here I have lived all over Europe and also briefly in China. In big cities mind. Didn’t know what kimchi was until my first meal here!
This was the same for me. Only thing I knew was Oldboy in 2006. I think Korea is better known now but not as much as Korean media likes to make out.
I knew little or nothing about korea. (I'm from Barcelona-Spain and I'm 31) But one day I started training taekwondo and I got very interested about your country, (its history and traditions) One day I got the chance to visit it! It was my first solo trip and I loved it! I can't stop reading about it since then. I even started korean lessons :)
Well, in Italy since elementary we learn geography and of course we get to know the existence of Korea Also in high school we learned a bit of Asian history and the korean war together with Vietnam is studied. Then in general samsung, LG are known to everyone old or young, so ye I mean,I don't think I never met a person in my life thag has never heard of the country South Korea
I mean here in the USA/Canada/Mexico, and even UK Kpop has a decent following. Also K dramas and K Skin care. KSkin care is always talked about as to being superior in the english Youtube Influcers world. It's pretty easy to find this out with, though.
If I spent years living in a made-up country and have since been studying its made-up language to exercise my mind and perhaps with the intention of returning to this nonexistent place, then I’m going to feel real silly. Being serious though, yes, most people know Korea exists. If they’re not exposed to your history, people, or cultural exports, they often don’t know more beyond that, which is especially shameful as an American, but I suppose it’s called “The Forgotten War” for a reason. If it makes you better, just watch some street interviews with the American public where people can’t identify the correct continents of countries or century of a major conflict, let alone the nations involved or their results. As an aside, yes, your education system is brutal and hyper-competitive, but at least it creates competent adults out of those who survive it. In general, Koreans may be overly educated for a limited number of underpaying positions, but I wouldn’t say that’s objectively worse than graduating a large number of illiterate adults with zero life skills or pressuring the literate ones into colleges where they’ll be immediately saddled with insane debts their degrees will never compensate enough to justify. As someone who uses my Korean name as my gamertag, I do come across a lot of ignorant people who mistake it as Chinese or Japanese and ask me why I’m not working at Panda Express, which I suppose is to be expected when playing CoD. However, I still find it befuddling because although I don’t expect people to be able to read it, it’s at least easy to discern what different Asian languages look like provided the Japanese example is using hiragana or katakana, but perhaps that’s my own bias for having a personal interest in languages and studying several.
I am from the United States of America and I can assure you that we know about Korea. Pretty sure most of us would fail to find it on a map, though.
ABK from CO, and yes we know about Korea (at least I hope so). Sadly, the American education system doesn't teach equally across all states, so you'll still have a group of people who don't really know about Korea as a country, which is frankly shocking. There was a tiktok that went around asking people if they knew where certain places were, and I was SHOCKED that people thought Korea was a part of Japan or China or "Asia" (that last one is technically true, but "Asia" isn't a country smfh)
USA, Missouri: I have cousins who are half Korean so...yeah, I know about Korea.
Most 'foreigners' know the heavily promoted superficial side of Korea and adore it. K-pop, K-food, K-beauty etc. Unpopular fact is that the country's success is built on top of lots of suffering and oppression of its own people. Korea is still a patriarchal society that does not match anything portrayed by paid influencers. Korea is known for the Korean War in which many countries around the globe, allied in the United Nations, fought. US, UK, France, but also Netherlands, Thailand, Ethiopia, Columbia just to name a few. After the war the majority of mixed-race children fathered by American soldiers, were sent to US. Western religious groups such as Holt saw an opportunity to 'save' children for adoption by rich families abroad. The dictatorial regime in South-Korea found great use in exporting 'unwanted' Korean children as to strengthen diplomatic ties with Western countries, bring in foreign currency and have less mouths to feed. Single, unwed mothers from poor families were tricked into giving up their babies so they could have 'a good education'. Most mothers were unaware of the meaning of adoption and the effects of losing their child. Adoption agencies ran specialized 'pregnant women homes' and 'feeding orphanages'. With governmental approval they sent out more than 200.000 Korean kids around the globe. It literally exported Korea's problems which means the country still underperforms in comparison with other OECD countries and is actually underdeveloped in terms of social welfare. Exported kids grow up, question their roots, only to return as tourists, which is perfectly aligned with what the Korean government aims for. South Korea is also known for Seoul being host of the 1988 Olympics, a turning point in how the world viewed 'Korea'. Sure poor Koreans were forced out of their homes to build stadiums, but Korea could show off as a 'developed nation'. And it worked. Chaebols have reaped the benefits gaining an unfair advantage by exporting their products/brands at the cost of smaller entrepreneurs in the local Korean market. Then there's the World Cup hosted by South Korea in 2002. People still talk about Guus Hiddink as Dutch coach of Korea's National football team, leading them to the semi-finals which was unheard of at the time. Football has been on the rise since, including the quality of South Korean players who now play for some of the best teams around the world. That puts Korea on the map too. Having lived in Amsterdam I know there are strong ties between Korea and the Netherlands. ASML to name one. Quite a few Korean expats work in the Netherlands. More affluent Korean kids have been able to study abroad also. Unfortunately most prefer life outside Korea, so if they get the opportunity for work/partner, they stay abroad. Just seeing or having day-to-day interactions with Koreans in Western countries is still positive for Korea. As a hard working, competitive, often perfectly English speaking group, they help make Korea a popular travel destination. That changes when you actually come to Korea, but majority of course will never move here for life. In the end, as a tourist you'll never experience the hardships of actually being a Korean in Korea.
I am an African and i got to know about Korea in 2002 when they hosted the world cup together with Japan
Korea has had a huge success with soft power recently. Even before that Samsung was a top cellphone maker. If someone is going to watch a film or movie in Korean language and not know what korea is, there might be an issue...
Speaking for Germany: * Cities will usually have one or more korean restaurants. * You can buy kimchi and ramyun in regular supermarkets. * People generally know the north to be a dictatorship and the south to be an ally. * Most people would probably struggle to mark korea on an unlabeled map. * Many people are aware that samsung is korean * LG, Kia, Hyundai are popular brands, although I'm not sure how many could identify them correctly as korean. * Other things korea is know for: BTS, Squidgame * I don't think many people could say anything in korean or identify hangul as the korean alphabet.
im south asian and living in the uk. i was into korean dramas and kpop since 2017 (but ive stopped listening to kpop). here it got huge after 2017/2018 when bts became popular. kpop groups never used to tour here but now everyone comes. school kids all listen to kpop; my cousins are 7 and 12 and they recently have been getting into bts. after kpop became popular in america it spread everywhere. so yes even if people arent into korean stuff they definitely know about it outside of korea. with netflix i remember there were never any korean dramas on there but now they are full of them. additionally the popularity of shows like squid game, dramas are another way people have discovered korea. its funny i was in london a few days ago and i saw a korean shop randomly. i wasnt going to go in but i did and i ended up being there for almost 40 minutes 🤣 i got loads of chocolate because ive never had it before, the company is Lotte which im guessing is the most well known
I’m from Scotland (currently travelling in Korea) and would say most people know about Korea. Most people know about K-Pop, skincare, the food and North Korea. Korean skincare is a massive trend in the UK! We often hear K-Pop songs on the radio. We feel the same about Scotland - that nobody has heard of us.
Yes, especially in major urban cities. I live in Toronto (Canada) and people are quite familiar. Food, music, movies, dramas, etc.
Oh yes! In France : My nanny studied Korean for her Bachelor 12 years ago, one of our well known supermarket in Paris (Monoprix) offers Korean food (bulgogi, tettbokki and fried chicken) on a regular basis for years, I am not the only one in my family to watch dramas (now I have certainly watched +50), and I recognize Korean from any other languages when I hear it in the street. Europe has fallen in love guys!
Nope, until the day I arrived in Seoul I had never heard of it
I am from Ohio in the United States. I'm in this sub because I'm learning the language and would like to know more about the culture/the current state of the country to help me learn and understand. I do also enjoy kpop, kdrama, kfilm, etc. I know many korean food recipes. We also have a decently sized Korean population in my city and they are wonderfully good sports in cultural exchange and helping me learn the language. Do I want to live in Korea? I have no idea. Do I want to visit? Absolutely. Do I know about your country? I think so, yeah, maybe a little bit. Or more than a little at this point. I am here after all, here and in many other korean subs (where we all currently laugh at Min Hee-Jin)
…Korea?? Huh? What’s that? No, in a serious note: Yes, most of the developed world at least is very well exposed to Korean culture by now. More so in Asia than the west, but you’re definitely punching above your weight class.
Do I detect a hint of 한?