“70% of Foreigners Are Captivated” K-pop Taking the World by Storm… BTS Is the Top Star

The Current Status of Global K-Culture: An In-Depth Analysis of the '2026 Overseas Hallyu Reality Survey'

According to the results of the '2026 Overseas Hallyu Reality Survey' released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, seven out of ten foreigners worldwide showed overwhelming favorability toward 'Korean Culture Contents'. Beyond Asia, the status of Hallyu has also risen sharply in Western regions such as the United Kingdom and the United States, greatly expanding its reach. In particular, the most preferred Hallyu genre was clearly 'food' (55.1%), followed by music and beauty. This suggests that K-culture has taken deep root in people’s everyday lives around the world.

The top association image representing the Republic of Korea—after leading for nine consecutive years—was 'K-pop'. Negative keywords such as wars or nuclear developments from the past that damaged national images have disappeared. Long-running box-office success by content category also stands out. In the drama category, Netflix’s 'Squid Game' secured the top spot for five consecutive years, and in the film category, director Bong Joon-ho’s 'Parasite' maintained its position for six consecutive years, proving an irreplaceable level of authority as a global mega-hit.

The key drivers propelling Hallyu are still global superstars. 'BTS' climbed to No. 1 as the most preferred singer for eight straight years, showcasing unmatched influence, while 'BLACKPINK' followed in second place for seven consecutive years. In the actor category, 'Lee Min-ho' set a remarkable record by holding the top spot for 13 consecutive years. This star power translates into spending on consumer goods, and 'the economic ripple effect' that Hallyu has on purchasing Korean products has been on an upward trend for three straight years.

Behind the dazzling facade, there are also challenges that must be addressed. Negative perceptions of Hallyu remained at 37.5%, unchanged from the previous year. The main factors cited were 'excessive commercialism' and inappropriate words and actions by stars. Now is the time for painful self-reflection to build a sustainable Hallyu ecosystem. To this end, the government plans to host large-scale 'K-Expo' events in the United States and Europe, strengthen global promotion, and pursue fundamental improvements in the core competitiveness of the K-culture industry, along with a qualitative leap forward.