Hallyu, the Korean Wave: South Korea's Transition to 'Cultural Powerhouse'

Abstract

This study examines South Korea's transformation into a cultural powerhouse through Hallyu (the Korean Wave), arguing that its success stems from synergetic collaboration between public and private sectors rather than state-led developmental alone. The article analyses how, from the 1990s onward, government policy engineered a ‘whole-of-government’ approach, across multiple administrations, establishing comprehensive frameworks for cultural diplomacy and nation branding. The article identifies four key private sector drivers: competent cultural actors (K-pop idols, producers), commercially-driven business actors, overseas consumers transitioning from passive recipients to active producers, and digital platforms facilitating transmedia storytelling. The author argues that Hallyu transcended the entertainment industry and embodied a means of transnationalism and a form of cultural hybridisation that challenged Western-centric paradigms, enabling contraflows from periphery to centre. The study concludes that collaborative cultural governance enabled South Korea's transition from economic to cultural powerhouse through a value-driven global influence of unique origins