14 June 2022, NIICE Commentary 8090
Malavika Nandan
To understand the ‘Hallyu Wave’, it is very necessary to dive deep into the history of Korea, especially the Sixth Republic. The Sixth Republic, established in 1988 and continues to be the current polity of Korea, converted a series of authoritarian regimes to democratic practices. The economy, borders, and press were opened up to increase the engagement from neighbours and the west. Although, this was when Korea started to engrave its name on the list of capable countries, it was hard hit by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. It was possible to get out of it only by the restructuring measures taken up in the bailout package by International Monetary Fund.
Thereafter, Korea had two agendas. One, to increase the revenue of the South Korean economy and two, to build up its name and image globally through the various means of engagement that its aware of. The ‘K’ that we now see today, in front of various terms, no longer is a cultural thread but rather it has become a brand in itself. From K-pop to K-dramas, the wave has really spread all around the world. The Former South Korean President Moon Jae-In, in fact, went on to describe the pandemic and quarantine as ‘K Quarantine’.
Korea, along with its neighbours China and Japan, have been trying to expand its relations. China, with its Belt and Road Initiative, aims at economic expansion, but there are plenty of loopholes that it must fix, regarding the accusations of ‘debt trap’ and issues associated. Korea, on the other hand, has taken up the most effective influence project of Asia after China, which is the spread of K-Pop and its fandoms.
The South Korea Cultural Expansion is no longer something it just aims for, but it is something that the country has achieved over the decades. While most people believe, this came about because of the pandemic but the Korean wave has been sustaining itself in India for the past two decades. While initially it was limited to the northeastern states of India, because of the racial and cultural similarities, it has now extended to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Hindi Heartland of India.
This ‘soft power’ as it was termed by Joseph Nye in the 1990s, which is the ability to make people want what you want, has not only benefitted the country economically but also in their diplomatic relations with other countries. According to Netflix, the entertainment business last year added USD 1.9 billion to the Korean Economy. The K-Drama wave led to an interest in the Samsung Flip phones, Ramyeon and Air Purifiers. The clothes worn by the leads and ‘Hanbok’ (the traditional clothing) are also most sought after from the various online retail stores like Korikart while at the same time, the obsession with the Korean ‘Glass skin’ has only increased. The language barrier that people face has also been merged by the King Sejong Institute which aims to teach Korean at the beginner and Intermediate levels with the assistance of K-Drama and K-Pop.
The government has been actively involved in turning the various pop culture resources into actual soft power. There have been many instances where the idols and their fandom were actively involved in fighting for a cause and for being a diplomatic channel of communication. Firstly, the White House briefing held on 31 May 2022 garnered a lot of attention because of BTS, the boy band, where they brought up the topics of Asian representation and Anti-Asian crimes happening in various places around the world.
The K-Pop fandoms have also been involved in many issue based global activism, including the Black Lives Matter, and Chile protests against Human Rights violations which were later mentioned by Chile’s Ministry of Interior’ as protests due to international influences, especially the K-Pop Fandom. The BTS fandom in India were also involved in raising money for the Assam floods that occurred during the Pandemic.
The Seoul Promotion of the Hallyu wave in India is not only an example of Cultural diplomacy but is a method to diversify its markets in Asia, as part of its New Southern Policy. The two countries, India and Korea have often connected more on their cultural roots, than any other area. Korean King Kim Suro was married to the princess Heo Hwang OK from Ayodhya, which is a point of connection that the two countries have had over centuries.
The South Korean Government has tried various ways to appeal with their soft power including the stars, study abroad programs and the tourist destinations. To a large extent, it has been successful as well. However, it is necessary that they try to stick to deliberate goals and strategies like trade promotion, security, and health for improving their diplomatic relations with countries rather than just focusing on celebrities for promotion and mere engagement. There is a clear distinction between nation branding and soft power and the countries need to focus on both in order to move forth and gain the necessary outcomes.
