Hallyu Exports Near $19 Billion... Led by "K-Pop Demon Hunters"

Hallyu Expands in the West,
Declines in Thailand and Vietnam

Last year, Korean Wave (Hallyu) exports reached nearly 19 billion dollars.

Scene from KCON.

According to the report "2025 Hallyu Ecosystem Study" published on July 7 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the total value of Hallyu exports last year was 18.975 billion dollars, a 15.9% increase from the previous year. Of this total, cultural content accounted for 10.188 billion dollars, while consumer goods and tourism made up 8.788 billion dollars. Notably, both music and tourism saw sharp increases—84.0% and 37.8%, respectively—driven by the Netflix "K-Pop Demon Hunters" phenomenon.

The production inducement effect reached 48.28 trillion won, and the employment inducement effect amounted to 242,370 jobs. Over the past ten years since 2015, the growth rate of Hallyu exports has been nearly double that of overall goods and services exports.

There were clear regional differences. According to the Hallyu Status Index and Sentiment Index, which reflect the popularity and growth momentum of Hallyu, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates all saw increases. The number of countries where Hallyu has become mainstream also expanded to 13. In contrast, both indices declined in key markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

In these countries, a growing number of users are concentrated on specific types of content, leading to stagnation in the consumer base. An official from the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange suggested, "There is a need to foster interactive exchange policies and develop 'mega IPs' to address anti-Korean sentiment in Southeast Asia."

KCON现场.

In the Middle East, each country embraced Hallyu in its own way. Saudi Arabia adopted a "strategic type" approach combined with its "Vision 2030," the United Arab Emirates showed a "preference-based type" driven by individual tastes, and Egypt demonstrated a "livelihood-based type" linked directly to employment.

In Japan, Hallyu consumption was sustained against a backdrop of ambivalence, with both favorable and unfavorable sentiments coexisting. Even among respondents with a negative image of Korea, 23.8% maintained or increased their consumption of Hallyu content.

Among K-pop users, 50.1% preferred the original Korean versions of songs, while 51.8% of drama viewers favored the original language or subtitled format. Analysts noted a shift from "hard localization," which focused on translation, to "soft localization" utilizing platforms and fandoms.

Park Chang-sik, President of the Foundation, stated, "We analyzed not only the benefits but also the warning signs underlying Hallyu," adding, "We will further develop our policies by deepening research into economic ripple effects and local studies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.