June 18, 2026
By Allen David Simon and Sneha Banik
A significant feature of globalization is the interchange of ideas and cultures via the internet, linking people beyond borders with the ease of access to media and content, providing new mediums for expression and interaction. The “Hallyu Wave” referring to the consistent and exponential growth in popularity of South Korea’s cultural exports, including pop-culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas, movies, series, etc., worldwide.
The cultural phenomenon was epitomized by the popularity of Korean television dramas in East and Southeast Asia evolving into a robust and deliberate foreign policy strategy. This transnational spread of Korean pop culture has increasingly been institutionalized and strategically deployed by the South Korean government as an instrument of soft power, influencing not only public perception but also bilateral and multicultural relations. Despite its historical position between major Sino and Japanese civilizations, South Korea has been successfully using its cultural exports to build global influence.
Namaste India!
The global popularity of Korean pop culture or K-pop exploded in the 2010s with the viral hit of PSY’s Gangnam style. With the onset of the pandemic, soap operas such as Autumn in my Heart and Full House, gathered attention as a cultural force in India. The Zindagi channel aired K-dramas like Descendants of the Sun, Boys over Flowers, Snowdrop, etc. The surge in popularity of K-pop incentivized both Indian streaming networks like Zing, VH1, Zee Café, Jio Hotstar, and international platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc., along with user-generated content on YouTube to respond to changing consumption preferences of the Indian audience. While India became one of the biggest Hallyu markets with a solid K-pop fandom, it has remained peripheral to Hallyu research, with East Asian countries like Japan, China, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam having gained much of the attention in this regard.
From the stomach to the heart
Across cities such as Imphal, Shillong, Gangtok, Korean restaurants, ramen stalls, kimchi sales, kimbap, gochujang-based dishes became increasingly common, giving a tight competition to authentic Japanese cuisine in Indian restaurants. In Manipur and Mizoram in particular, Korean cuisine blended easily with local food practices due to similarities in rice-based meals, fermented foods and the use of vegetables and meats. This culinary integration reflected how Hallyu in the North East is not merely consumed but adapted to local tastes. What started as an interest in K-dramas and K-pop is now reflected in everyday dining choices especially among millennials and GenZ. GenZ has been playing a significant role in this trend, accounting for 27% of all Korean food orders, along with search patterns showing that dishes such as Korean fried chicken being the most looked-for items on the internet.
Fandoms & Fanhood
While Emperor of the Sea was the first Korean series telecasted on DD-I (National Channel) in 2006, K-dramas had already been broadcasted in states like Manipur and Mizoram. Manipur became the starting point of Hallyu, in the early 2000’s followed by restrictions on Hindi satellite television imposed by insurgent groups, Korean dramas were circulated through DVDs and later via cable and the internet, making them as widely popular. K-dramas such as Jewel in the Palace and Boys Over Flowers found eager audiences particularly among the North-eastern Indian youth and women. Sensational K-pop bands such as BTS, EXO and BLACKPINK inspired local dance crews, music cover bands and fan clubs in Nagaland and Mizoram. Annual K-pop contests organized in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre became major events in cities like Kohima, Aizawl and even in Kolkata.
Korean as Aspirational
Prerna Tiwari, the admin to the Korean Culture India Fan club, emphasized the energy and passion of Indian fans in engaging with Korean culture. Highlighting the emotional impact of K-pop idol’s messages on body, confidence and self-esteem amongst the Indian youth which has sensitized the Indian audience on body positivity encouraging an open mindset in perceiving oneself.
Shattering the normative perceptions of masculinity and femininity of Bollywood, K-pop criticized the worst attributes of masculinity such as misogyny or violence portrayed in silver screens of Hindi cinema, i.e., the Ekta Kapoor archetype, while keeping the familiar protagonist-centric storylines of Bollywood. Korean actors are styled to look different from the western portrayals of “macho” men portrayed as a muscular, emotionally distant and daring, who wearing violence on his sleeves or even damsel-like women. This also coincides with GenZ notions of “pookie” characters, where men are gentler and softer in daily life.
Beyond this, what made Korean content beloved to the Indian pallet was its alternative form of modernization, i.e., showcasing a hybrid culture, between western liberalism and traditional collectivism, and its conflicts. Similar to the prismatic culture of South Asia, K-dramas showcase classic conflict between generational values between social responsibility, individuality and youths’ pursuit of happiness. Korean commodities have captured the imagination of the young and the neo middle class in India which is fueled by globalized consumer preferences, awareness and choices. Korean cultural products have become a new aspirational category for Indian GenZ.
North by North-east
K-pop especially caught the attention of the youth of North-eastern states, over the years, in due course of misrepresentation of the North East in mainstream Bollywood or Hindi films, dramas and cinematography, like Mary Kom, Tango Charlie , Chandni Chowk to China etc. K-pop came in as a shelter for the North-eastern youth, coupled with cultural affinity by virtue of belonging to the same racial stock conjoining with identical social tastes invading borders. The South Korean government has successfully used its media industries not only to entertain but also to influence, connect and reframe global perceptions of Asia, creating a Korean conscious audience as a vehicle of economic export and cultural diplomacy.
In Das 2025, Sourish Ghosh states that that Hallyu “It wasn’t just pop culture — it was identity.” Therefore, ‘Korea-fication’ of global pop-culture is more than a trend it is a deliberate, strategic extension of cultural diplomacy, rooted in what can be called a distinct branding of ‘Oriental cultural diplomacy.’ South Korea has used its media industries not only to entertain but also to influence, connect and reframe global perceptions of Asia.
Often seen as an extension to mainland India; having been consistently marginalize in Indian politics and policy, and an underlying motion of racism and discrimination against North-east Indian citizens due to their ‘Asian’ physique. Our chapter titled Korea-fication: Korean Media(s) in the ‘Hallyu’ Wave, Impact on Indian Youth, Asian Affinities and Oriental Modules” (2025) in Media, Soft Power & Diplomacy: Framing Global Narratives by Eds. Mahul Brahma, Kankana Ghosh & Arunima Dey argues that the often ‘otherized’ region struggling to attain full ‘cultural’ citizenship in India. The broad racial affinity between Korea and North-east Indians on their ‘Mongoloid’ features creating a phenomenological belonging, i.e., a sense of identity transient beyond space and time. This is also associative with how identities have come to be enmeshed in the West. As diasporic populations have become representative of what an ethnicity and the country theory originate from is viewed from the eyes of the Occidental, the emerged ‘Asian’ category is a synthesis of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Philippine, and other ethnic minorities form the Asia-Pacific. As these ethnic diasporas have amalgamated into an Asian identity, the representation of Hallyu commodities as an Asian-designate product, has similarly created a sense of Asian solidarity amongst youth in North-east India.
About Allen David Simon
Allen David Simon is a political commentator writing on the intersection between political culture and governance. Currently engaged as Postgraduate Researcher & Deputy Head of Academics Deputy Head of Academics at the International Association of Political Science Students (IAPSS); and Editor at Forum of Global Studies (FGS). He has written research articles for university journals, and his commentaries have been featured in national and international media, with several chapters in edited volumes and essays in student magazines. He has an MA Political Science and BA Political Science Honors with Mass Communications and Journalism from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata [University of Calcutta].
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About Sneha Banik
Sneha Banik has an MA Political Science candidate at the Postgraduate and Research Department of Political Science, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata (University of Calcutta); and has graduated valedictorian with a BA Political Science Honors from Loreto College, Kolkata. She has been awarded the Ratan Lal Dasgupta Memorial Gold Medal and Lina Law Memorial Scholarship for her academic merit. She served as the Vice President of Student Council of Loreto College, Kolkata between 2023-24. Her research interests lie in public policy and government legislation.
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