Music, series, cinema: why Korean culture is invading the world

Marie Gicquel with Julien Holtzer 1:12 p.m., November 23, 2021

Korean culture is sweeping the western world!

The successes are numerous on the small and big screen, as evidenced by the series on Netflix "Squid Games", with worldwide repercussions, and the film "Parasite", awarded in particular by a Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Music is also becoming a must since the group BTS, the new locomotive of South Korean soft power, has just been named best artist of the year 2021 by the famous American Music Awards.

This phenomenon is called the "Hallyu", translate "the Korean wave".

Remember the very first global success, which dates from 2012, with the singer Psy and his title Gangnam Style.

>> Find the morning show of the day in podcast

Since then, South Korea's soft power has grown.

Barthélémy Courmont, research director at IRIS, the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, looks back on this meteoric rise.

"Who would have believed that a Korean television series which, in addition, is about Korean society, would be as phenomenally successful as Squid Game? And who would have believed that a group like BTS would come to be invited to the podium of the United Nations General Assembly? "

"There is this ability to be part of a globalized culture"

To successfully export its cultural products, South Korea is pulling out all the stops, notably with state-of-the-art production studios.

But it also opened up to a wider audience.

"There is also this ability to be part of a globalized culture. In this K-pop phenomenon, almost all of the titles are in English", decrypts Barthélémy Courmont.

Last nugget to discover: the series "Hell Band", which takes place in Seoul.

Broadcast on Netflix since last weekend, it is already one of the most watched programs on the Netflix platform.