Countries in Asia accounted for the most voluminous content about the Korean Wave (50.6%), followed by those in Europe (27.5%) and North America (13.6%), the report released by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency stated. 

K-pop has the biggest share of content in Asia, and there is a growing interest in Korean food in North America, Africa, and Oceania, it said.

The report derived its data from more than 680,000 hallyu-related materials, including articles in foreign media and on social media, from October 2023 to September 2024. It was collated from the 35 cultural centers of Korea operated by its MCST in 30 countries. 

K-pop remains hugely popular in India, Thailand, and the Philippines. This is not a surprise in the Philippines as Korean artists continue to visit the country for concerts and meet-and-greet events. 

The top keywords related to K-pop include Blackpink, BTS, and NewJeans. The military enlistment of BTS members also ranked high among the most popular topics in K-pop.

“It may sound like a cliché, but BTS saved me from anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Icar, a Filipino homemaker and mother of two who is a long-time fan of the group.

“Their music, humor, and how they love and treat ARMY [the official fan group of BTS] are some of the reasons I love them. They have been my source of comfort and motivation, and for that, I’ll forever be grateful,” she told CoverStory.ph.

Korean food, meanwhile, is experiencing a spike in popularity. Keywords such as “bibimbap,” “chicken,” “soju,” and “kimchi” regularly appear in articles in the foreign media.

Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables and seasonings, are regularly touted in foreign news for its health benefits. Exports of kimchi reached $163.6 million in 2024, with a growth of 5.2% in 2023.

It is not a coincidence that the export of K-food is gaining momentum in overseas markets. One of the long-term strategic directions of the South Korean government is to grow the K-food industry.

Last January, its Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Mafra) announced that the export value of Korean food for 2024 reached a record high of some $13 billion, up by 6.1% from 2023. 

The drivers of Korean food exports include ramyeon, kimchi, biscuits and confectionery, beverages, sauces, coffee-based products, and ice cream. Ramyeon is the leading export food product, reaching $1.25 billion and a growth of 31.1% from 2023. 

Hazel, a Filipino TV producer and mother of two, is a professed ramyeon lover. “I work long hours as a TV producer and I don’t want to bother my family for food, so it’s super convenient to just head to the samgyupsal place in front of our office and order cheese ramyeon with egg,” she said, adding: 

“I also like eating kimchi as it goes well with the warm soup. It’s a quick satisfying meal that keeps me going.”

The United States, China, and Japan are the largest importers of Korean food, with a combined value of $4.47 billion. They are followed by countries in Southeast Asia with total imports of $1.9 billion, up by 4.3% from the previous year.

The South Korean government is expecting the K-food industry to further accelerate in the next few years. Last Feb. 2, Mafra announced that it is setting the lofty vision of the Korean food industry reaching 300 million won ($227 billion) worldwide by 2027. 

To achieve this ambition, the South Korean government will implement action plans that include strengthening its food industry’s infrastructure, promoting 100 leading Korean foods, and forming the Korean gourmet belt, which would link Korean food to tourism, culture, and the arts.

In a report in the Korean Herald, Agriculture Minister Song Miryung said the government intends to implement diverse policies to position the Korean food industry as a global force.

Read more: Why Filipinos are fascinated with ‘APT’

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The catchy song ranked No. 1 in music streaming platforms such as iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify. It also achieved an “all-kill,” a term that refers to a song reaching the top spot on all major real-time and daily music charts in South Korea.

“APT” is a song by South Korean singer and Blackpink member Rosé and American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It is also Rosé’s first solo single since 2021. If you happen to have lived under a rock these past few years, Blackpink is a South Korean girl group and considered the “biggest girl group in the world.” Rosé is one of its four members; the others are Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa.

The song has taken the world by storm with its fresh beat, simple lyrics, and playful rhythm, complemented with catchy choreography and pink-colored music video. Fans of 1980s music will find the beat similar to the 1982 hit song “Mickey.” Its songwriters and record producers Michael Donald Chapman and Nicholas Barry Chinn are given writing credits for the interpolation of “Mickey” with “APT.”

The word “APT” comes from the Korean loanword 아파트 (pronounced apateu), which means apartment. It is a popular Korean drinking game that starts with everyone chanting apateu in unison (the beat is the one heard at the beginning of the song). When the leader calls out a number (let’s say 5), the players stack their hands atop one another. Whoever owns the fifth hand on top loses and has to take a shot. 

Jeremiah Estela Magoncia, a faculty member at Ateneo de Manila University’s Korean Studies Program, said the song effectively utilizes a tried-and-tested formula for commercial success—an addictive melody, simple yet engaging lyrics, and an easy-to-follow structure. “These are the hallmarks of many K-Pop songs, which are designed to stay in listeners’ heads,” he said. “Its popularity was further amplified by social media platforms like TikTok, where dance challenges and trends encouraged mass participation, spreading the song across different demographics and cultures.”

Love it or loathe it

According to Christine Estabillo, songwriter and member of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Filipinos in general love songs that they can dance to. “Remember ‘Otso-Otso?’ The lyrics don’t make sense but it’s danceable, so it became a huge hit,” she said. “When it comes to the verses of ‘APT,’ there’s not much depth in it but it’s easy to memorize.”

Magoncia asserted that while the song is based on a popular Korean drinking game, many Filipinos may be fascinated with an element of Korean culture that is both fresh and familiar. “Filipinos can relate to the idea of drinking games and local traditions,” he said.

Asked if the use of English and Korean contributed to the song’s global appeal, Dr. Kyung Min Bae, director of the University of the Philippines’ Korea Research Center and assistant professorial fellow at the Department of Linguistics, said one relevant point can be found in the discussions that arose when BTS launched most of their songs in English, and if their songs could still be classified as K-Pop. But this can be a limited perspective because artists in various countries have incorporated English into their music; hence, it’s not just “K-Pop and English.” 

The key lies in examining the context behind the language choice. Bae said one can understand it by asking if the artist and the production team created and produced songs in English to reach a wider global audience. “The context of how songs were created, in the case of K-Pop in particular, can be looked at,” she said. “Remember Wonder Girls’ ‘Nobody,’ which was sung in Korean? The chorus was in English, which appealed to the global audience. It even made Michelle Obama dance. Then later, its English version became also famous.”

It goes without saying that Filipinos’ love for K-Pop songs goes a long way back. A TikTok video (@juwonee) reposted by Korea Tourism Organization Manila in 2022 showed that the first K-Pop song that trended in the Philippines was 전화받아 (“Answer the Phone”) by South Korean singer-dancer Mina. 

In 2008, Wonder Girls released “Nobody,” which quickly became popular in the Philippines and a staple song to dance to during office Christmas parties. The song that perhaps solidified Filipinos’ love for K-Pop songs was “Gangnam Style” by singer-rapper Psy in 2012. Its catchy melody, amusing dance steps, and funny music video have cemented K-Pop’s global impact and popularity in the Philippines. To date, the “Gangnam Style” video has earned 5.4 billion views on Psy’s YouTube channel.

Has “APT” peaked? With nearly a billion views and ubiquitous TikTok presence, has the song become more annoying than enjoyable?

Monica B., a 36-year-old mom to two girls, is a confessed K-Pop fan and Blink (a Blackpink fan). She admitted that Lisa is her original bias (a term that refers to fans’ favorite K-Pop group member) but said that with the launch of “APT,” her bias has now become Rosé. “I like the song because it’s catchy and danceable,” she said. “I danced it during a gathering with friends, and my kids performed it during family Christmas parties.” 

Karla S., entrepreneur and mom to teenage girls, shares the appreciation for the song. Although not a Blink, she became interested in the group after watching the Netflix documentary on it. She particularly loved the mashup of “APT” and the UP chant. “It’s one of those songs that I don’t mind hearing even if it’s on repeat on many different Reels,” she said.

Candy V., however, believes that the song’s popularity has become excessive. Despite being a K-Pop fan who regularly attends concerts, she feels the overwhelming number of dance covers on social media has diminished the song’s appeal. ‘Seeing all these dance videos on my social media feed has become annoying,’ she said.

Common practice

Magoncia said the collaboration of two major artists with massive fan bases is common practice, not just in South Korea or the global scene but also in the Philippine music industry. In the past few years, fans have seen the trend of Korean idols working closely with Western acts. British rock band Coldplay and Korean boy group 방탄소년단 or BTS released the song “My Universe” in 2021, followed by BTS member Jin’s debut single “The Astronaut,” which was co-written with Coldplay. 

The success of “APT” offers insights for the music industry and artists. Although this strategy increases a song’s chances of being a hit, it is never a guarantee. “There are other important factors beyond star appeal, such as song quality, relatability, and how well it connects with the audiences’ emotions or experiences,” Magoncia said.

He also said the K-Pop scene can inspire Filipino artists to draw from our culture and traditions to create music or content. “Much like how ‘Squid Game’ showcased traditional Korean children’s games, sparking global curiosity about Korean culture, ‘APT’ introduces audiences to yet another aspect of everyday Korean life,” he said. 

Rochelle Leonor is a digital marketing professional and a graduate student of MA Asian Studies (Northeast Asia-Korea) of the University of the Philippines. She may be reached at [email protected].

Read more: A deeper look into ‘Squid Game’ (Season 2)

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The program begins with a roll call of the present fan bases, followed by a quick warm-up to an upbeat BTS song and then a fan chant of the members, consisting of leader RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.

The crowd then arranges itself into roughly four lines. Those on the leftmost row hold purple ribbons tied together into a kind of cordon, as they skirt the edge of the Ayala Triangle alongside joggers and bikers. 

“The purple ribbon is very significant,” Chan says, recalling the inception of the practice by US Armys at an airport, cordoning off fans and bystanders to give arriving BTS members space to walk through.

The participants walk on Ayala Avenue, to Roxas Street, to Makati Avenue, and to Ayala Avenue again, streaming back into the Ayala Triangle canopy for a short closing program. They stand in line at the tables to claim their fan kits for the event, the program ending officially with a final fan chant.

Many of the banners and shirt prints carry the message “You never walk alone,” the title of the band’s album repackage of their second studio album “Wings.” The Filipino catchphrase for the event, “Sa dulo ng walang hanggan,” is also found in many of the hand banners. All sorts of trinkets, cardboard cutouts, and BTS merch are sported, featuring the names and images of BTS members, lyrics from songs; some even wear purple wigs. 

“We could have done it per fan base, but we wanted to do it on a big scale,” Chan says. “We wanted to show unity and solidarity … It’s a representation of what we wanted to do for Yoongi [Suga].”

DUI issue

One of the primary catalysts for the community walk was the controversial report early last month of BTS member Suga driving his electric scooter while intoxicated. This led to a fine and the suspension of his license, followed by an investigation of the incident.

There is much debate and still unanswered questions about the ongoing drunk-driving controversy and the severity of the issue, which the BTS rapper has admitted in public and twice apologized for. Critics have asserted that the public narrative presented by Suga and BTS’ record label Hybe of the incident were misleading, following reports that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was actually detected at a whopping 0.227%—significantly higher than his initially reported BAC of 0.08% and discounting his claim that he had only one glass of beer.

On the other hand, some fans have argued that the online reactions have also led to baseless attacks, cyberbullying, and proliferation of disinformation against the rapper, after supposed CCTV footage of the incident was revealed to be fake. This then caused the inception of the community walk campaign, to push back broadly against “cyberbullying, disinformation, character assassination, and defamation.”

Mavie Rufino, a 50-year-old Army who traveled all the way from Bacoor, Cavite, with her son for the event, believes it to be the main purpose of the walk. “We gathered here because of the harassment against Suga,” she says.

Joan De Venecia-Fabul, admin and co-founder of Borahae from Manila, which is the majority cluster among the Metro Manila participants, echoes that sentiment, saying that Suga was “a victim of fake news in Korea, and we want to fight that.”

“It is really shattering to one’s peace and mental health when one is subjected to unjust criticism,” she adds. 

This has led to their initiative to partner with Kaibigan Chatline, a Unicef program that allows those experiencing poor mental health to call and talk to someone for free. BTS has been Unicef ambassadors since 2017, and the Walk of Love is a way “for us to continue what they started,” says De Venecia-Fabul. “Fifty% of [our fan kits] went to the donation to the Kaibigan Chatline, so we are not just walking for BTS; we are inspired by BTS to give back to the community through the Kaibigan channel.”

When asked about detractors and their response to pushback against the community, De Venecia-Fabul says they would “fight it with kindness, fight it with love.”

“As Michelle Obama said, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ I think that’s also the same for BTS Army because we’re not doing anything wrong,” she says. “We are here, bonded by love for BTS, which is not a crime.”

‘Fan-girling with meaning’

Controversy aside, there is something to be said about the fandom’s utmost devotion to the point of wanting to do good, perhaps to avoid ruining the virtue and reputation of their idols, influence more people to become part of a common interest, and maybe be noticed by their idols, too. Although some might not agree with the motives, these motives are capable of kick-starting large community campaigns on important causes.

“This is fan-girling/fan-boying with meaning, with a purpose,” De Venecia-Fabul says. “We’re not just screaming as fan girls, ‘They’re so handsome!’ At the end of the day, we have advocacies and communities that we are taking care of.”

One can make a case of today’s cult of celebrity and toxic fanaticism, but these inspired community and advocacy mobilizations centered on BTS make one wonder what could explain this phenomenon. Why do certain musical personalities reach extraordinary international stardom and gain tremendous loyal following, and others don’t?

Generally, there is no single explanation for BTS’ extreme popularity. Many attribute it to a combination of factors, such as the members’ good chemistry, artistry, and authenticity as artists and individuals. You can also say that for a lot of other artists, yet BTS shot through that glass ceiling on a scale quite unprecedented for a non-Western musical act. They debuted in 2013 initially as a hip-hop group, and although they have become famous for their pop songs, they have been known to write their own songs, with themes of love, self-love, time, mental health, and the effects of fame and power. To their credit, much of their lyricism, especially in their Korean songs, presents an honest, complex, and in-depth look into some of those themes that comes through even in translation—characteristics not often heard in most dance/heavy pop songs.

The difference in language could also have an (accidental) effect that could explain the phenomenon. There is a certain sensation in engaging with an art form in a foreign language. Even when you read a translation in a language that you can understand it in, you get the sense that there is still something out of reach, a specific mental experience only accessible if you understand the original language in all its cultural contexts. There is that feeling of not reaching its center, of only skirting the edges of comprehension. On the other hand, this center is also a space for possibilities which, because it can never effectively access or copy the original, can make meaning beyond itself—an artistry that becomes even more personal, inspired by and still close to that center, made aware of the gap between.

The very center is an open space, and an army moves around this center with their purple ribbons, propelled by the momentum of communities built around their admiration of and protectiveness toward their idols. You get the idea that it is that open space where shared imagination, possibilities, and devotion begin.

This is the fascinating phenomenon around BTS: When they said “idol group,” they really meant it.

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The K-Pop Academy ran from July 5 to Aug. 2 and culminated in a recital on Aug. 3 that showcased the talent and hard work of the first batch of students.

The KCC ran a comprehensive program designed to immerse the students in the vibrant world of K-Pop. The classes were led by industry experts including Auspicious from Korea, the P-pop girl group KAIA, and Ace Dance Studio’s esteemed Ciel Go, who provided insight and training to help the students hone their skills in dance, performance, and stage presence.

At the recital, the Boy Group dance class delivered a high-energy performance of The Boyz’s “Thrill Ride,” and the Girl Group dance class captivated the audience with their rendition of Twice’s “Yes or Yes.” The performances demonstrated the students’ dedication and progress in participating in the academy’s program.  

KCC director Kim Myeongjin congratulated the first batch of students for completing the program. “We hope you continue to shine and pursue your dreams and goals with the same passion and determination that brought you here today,” Myeongjin said in his opening remarks at the recital.

The K-Pop Academy will return next year, with the KCC planning on making it an annual event.

For information on the academy and upcoming events, visit the Korean Cultural Center’s official website and social media channels.

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To book collectors, the woodsy smell of a new volume can be an emotional experience. To K-Pop fans and merchandise collectors, unsealing the plastic wrap of a newly bought album can bring a frenzy of feelings. They rummage through its inclusions – usually a photobook, postcard, CD and sticker pack – to find the most important piece: the photocard, or a small print of their idol’s “exclusive” selfie, whether in a matte or glossy finish. 

Fans usually collect only the photocard of their favorite band member, but some go all-out and include all members in their collection. Naturally, the expense involved is considerable.

Lottery

But obtaining photocards is some sort of a lottery. When a fan buys an album, he or she usually gets only one or two photocards out of, say, 20 available variations. Receiving a photocard of a favorite band member is not guaranteed, thus prompting fans to buy more albums to increase their chances of winning the photocard lottery.

Related: Staying high on K-drama

It is thus no surprise that an average Filipino collector spends thousands of pesos in obsessing over completing a collection. 

Said high school senior Alex, 18: “I believe collecting is only sustainable if you have a stable income or source of money. [It] is much more enjoyable and guilt-free when you are financially secure.”

Alex, who asked that her surname not be used in this report, started a photocard collection in 2020 but eventually quit adding to her stash.

“Since I am a student, the only money I receive is my allowance,” she said. “I decided to spend my money on other things. I know I can always go back to collecting once I have the means to do so.”

Although photocards have been around for more than a decade, it wasn’t until recently that the collectible market grew exponentially. Consumer behavior drastically changed as photocards became more popular over time.

It used to be that the fans most valued the photobook, a magazine-like item showing off concept photos, among the album inclusions. Now they care more about photocards. Korean fans have been observed discarding other album inclusions on the side of the street after finding the photocards.

Connection

Hyperfixation on K-Pop merchandise is rooted in the sense of connection. Collectors feel like “real fans” the more engrossed they become in this hobby. Their deep connection with their collection translates to a deep love for their idol.

“The merch that I collect has sentimental value. You somehow see their growth in the photocards that you have,” said Chesca Tuazon, 21.

Recognizing how emotionally driven collectors are, Korean entertainment companies release heaps of merchandise to cash in on the fans’ propensity to lighten their wallets. 

But while some fans have shown unwavering patronage, others are finding the merchandise madness unreasonable.

“In the past years, the production of merch has surged, and everything has a photocard now,’’ Chesca said. “Even Pepsi, pizza stores, clothes, cosmetics have come up with photocards for marketing. They know that whatever happens, the fans will buy the items. That’s why they release so much stuff.” 

Toxic hobby  

For this reason, certain fans have veered away from collecting, realizing that it is a toxic hobby that triggers more exhaustion than joy. But slowing down and ignoring new releases are easier said than done when one is surrounded by fans desperate to complete their stash. 

Still, many have criticized the insanity of the collecting culture. At the end of the day, after all, K-Pop is inherently capitalist: Idols are products for public consumption and objects whose worth is measured by the profit they rake in.

Hermione Chelsea S. Visto, a third-year journalism student at the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication, is an intern of CoverStory.ph.

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