According to a report released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange last week, K-pop attracted the highest media coverage, with 35.4 percent in Asia, 25.1 percent in Europe, and 34.9 percent in Central and South America.
In Asia, media coverage mostly highlighted K-pop bands such as BTS and BLACKPINK, while European news outlets extensively covered K-pop artists’ chart performances. In Central and South America, news coverage focused on their visits and world tour schedules.
In North America, Korean cuisine led media coverage at 26.7 percent, slightly surpassing K-pop news at 23.5 percent. The surge in interest was particularly remarkable in the U.S. and Canada, where kimchi or fermented cabbage and the popularity of spicy instant noodles drove significant searches and social media engagement.
A similar trend was observed in Africa and Oceania, where Korean cuisine made up 38 percent and 30 percent of Korean Wave-related coverage, surpassing K-pop (22.6 percent and 26.7 percent). News coverage in these regions often featured the grand opening of Korean restaurants.
By country, India led with the highest number of Korean Wave-related news coverage (905), followed by the U.S. (769), Thailand (461), Türkiye (301), and the Philippines (273). While K-pop dominated news coverage in India (41.0 percent), Thailand (37.5 percent), and the Philippines (32.6 percent), Korean cuisine took the top spot in the U.S. (27.0 percent), and Korean dramas led in Türkiye (29.6 percent).
The report also highlighted "Korea House," which served as a venue during the 2024 Paris Olympics to promote Korean culture abroad.
BTS member Jin's participation in the Olympic torch relay, which brought together fans with light sticks, was widely covered by foreign media and gained traction on social media.
The findings were based on an analysis of around 680,000 news articles and social media posts from over 30 countries between October 2023 and September 2024.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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