Han Kang to 'Culinary Class Wars': Korean wave expands beyond K-pop to food, literature

Visitors eat instant noodles at a convenience store in Seoul, Jan. 11. Yonhap

The Korean Wave, also known as hallyu, is rapidly diversifying beyond music to reshape global lifestyles, influencing what people buy, eat, read and where they travel, according to a new government report, Wednesday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released its annual analysis of trends in the global market in 2025, finding that Korean cultural products are evolving into daily lifestyle content that is changing consumer behavior worldwide.

Lee Eun-bok, director of overseas public relations policy for the ministry, said the latest analysis confirmed that the Korean wave has become a key component in popularizing Korea's image worldwide.

"Hallyu has become a major strategic asset that drives national brand value and industrial competitiveness as it has moved beyond a simple content trend," Lee said.

The findings draw on data collected from 30 countries, combining 5,608 overseas media reports gathered through 35 Korean Cultural Centers and seven cultural promotion offices, alongside approximately 1.49 million hallyu-related posts and mentions from social media platforms including YouTube and X.

Taiwanese tourists take a commemorative photo with staff dressed as characters from the Netflix animation "KPop Demon Hunters" at a Korea Welcome Week booth installed at the entrance of Gyeongju Station in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 1, 2025. Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-hyun

The rise of Korean cuisine has emerged as one of the most prominent features of this cultural shift.

The ministry found that hit programs like Netflix’s cooking show “Culinary Class Wars” and the global sensation “Squid Game” series have played a crucial role in bringing Korean dishes to the international spotlight. Kimchi remained the most frequently mentioned food item with an 8.8 percent share of related keywords, while soju and bibimbap also saw significant numbers of mentions.

Netflix’s animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters” also demonstrated how Korean lifestyle elements can drive global consumption.

The film crossed 500 million accumulated views and heavily featured traditional Korean folklore lements, as well as popular snacks like gimbap and instant noodles. This popularity led to a tangible increase in tourism, with overseas visitors to the National Museum of Korea increasing rapidly, while reservations for K-culture experience packages surged across the country.

The report also highlighted the globalization of regional stories through dramas like “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” which is set on Jeju Island.

The drama gained international acclaim through its universal themes and a localization strategy that adapted its title for different markets. The series sparked a significant increase in interest in Jeju Island as a travel destination.

Even with slightly lower reviews for its third and final season, "Squid Game" remained a huge hit and topped the charts in 93 countries. The brand value of the series continues to grow as it received major awards in the U.S. and took on brand partnerships, leading to more investment in the Korean streaming industry.

Author Han Kang delivers a speech during the Nobel Prize banquet at City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, Dec. 10, 2024. AFP-Yonhap

Korean literature reached a historic turning point as author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Media coverage of Korean literature jumped by more than 30 percentage points to 32.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 1.2 percent in third quarter. Foreign outlets highlighted the symbolic importance of Han being the first Asian female laureate and analyzed her major works including “The Vegetarian” and “Human Acts” as a new horizon for global literature.

Regional data in the report further confirmed that the Korean wave's appeal now extends well beyond music. While K-pop remains the most popular aspect of Korean culture in many areas, the report found that Africa showed the highest interest in Korean literature while Oceania focused more on Korean movies. By country, Brazil and Vietnam showed distinct preferences for films and dramas, respectively.