K-pop and Korean cuisine are surging significantly in popularity worldwide, indicating the strong influence of Korea’s culture exports that ride on the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” according to the 2024 Global Korean Wave Trend Analysis Report. 

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.

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