Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
K-culture lifts Korea's global image to record high: survey
Shin Ramyun cup noodles featuring characters from "KPop Demon Hunters" / Courtesy of Nongshim
By Park Han-sol
UAE, Egypt show strongest positive perceptions of Korea
More than eight in 10 people around the world now view Korea favorably, an all-time high driven largely by the global surge in Korean popular culture, according to the latest government-commissioned poll.
Conducted annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism since 2018, the survey tracks how perceptions of Korea are evolving around the world. The 2025 edition gathered responses from 13,000 people aged 16 and older across 26 countries.
Korea’s overall favorability rating stood at a record 82.3 percent, with the sharpest increase among teenagers — historically the least favorable demographic — whose approval rose from 70.6 to 78.9 percent year-on-year.
The ministry said the findings reflect both strong favorability toward Korea worldwide and the growing influence of K-culture across global audiences, and vowed to explore ways to apply the insights across policies and cultural initiatives.
By country, people in the United Arab Emirates showed strong favorability (94.8 percent), followed by Egypt (94 percent), the Philippines (91.4 percent), Turkey (90.2 percent) and India (89 percent). Respondents in the UAE and Egypt also expressed strong interest in living in Korea, with 80.2 percent and 78 percent, respectively, saying they would consider relocating to Korea.
Japan, a neighboring country with which Korea has complex historical ties, showed a markedly low favorability rating at 42.2 percent, but the figure was nonetheless notable as it represented a record high for Japan in the survey, more than doubling from just 20 percent in 2018.
The stairs of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts are decorated with imagery from BTS’s upcoming fifth full-length album in Seoul, Jan. 6. Yonhap
Culture remains key driver
Culture emerged as the most significant driver behind the overall rise in favorable sentiment toward Korea, cited by nearly half of respondents (45.2 percent) as having a positive influence on their perception of the country.
When asked about the most memorable Korea-related events in 2025, the largest share of respondents pointed to the commercial success of Korean dramas and films (12.7 percent), followed by K-pop (9.9 percent), food (8.2 percent), Netflix's “Squid Game” series (3.8 percent) and K-beauty (3.4 percent).
Interestingly, while K-culture remained a prominent factor, in-depth interviews with 70 international students, foreign correspondents and other foreign residents in Korea revealed a shift in how the country is perceived. Whereas South Korea had previously been associated primarily with security issues — such as North Korea’s nuclear program and the threat of war — or with K-pop-driven entertainment, those interviewees said their frame of reference had broadened. Interest is increasingly extending to Korean society as a whole, including everyday lifestyles and societal challenges such as gender conflicts, population aging, intense competition and lookism.
One of the most discussed developments was the recent political turmoil. Interviewees said they closely followed former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s surprise declaration of martial law at the end of 2024, as well as the protests and impeachment process that followed, with many viewing the public’s civic action as a sign of Korea’s democratic maturity.