Korean Wave

The Korean Wave or Hallyu (Korean: 한류; Hanja: 韓流; RR: Hallyu; lit. Flow/Wave of Korea; listen^ⓘ) is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-pop and K-dramas, with keystone successes including BTS, BLACKPINK and Psy's "Gangnam Style", as well as Jewel in the Palace, Winter Sonata, and Squid Game. The Korean Wave has been recognized as a form of soft power and as an important economic asset for South Korea, generating revenue through both exports and tourism.

Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the end of military censorship over the South Korean entertainment industry, South Korea emerged as a major exporter of popular culture. The Korean Wave was first driven by the spread of K-dramas and Korean cinema into China and parts of Southeast Asia, following the rise of satellite media in the late 1990s. Taiwanese journalists first coined the term "Korean Wave" in 1998 as hanliu (Chinese: 韓流; pinyin: hánliú; lit. 'Korean wave'), referring to the success of South Korean television in the country. During the 2000s, Hallyu evolved into a global phenomenon, expanding rapidly into South Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. By 2008, the value of cultural exports from South Korea surpassed the value of cultural imports for the first time. This expansion was fueled by the advent of social media and the internet, which played key roles in allowing the Korean entertainment industry reach overseas audiences, as well as the endorsement of the phenomenon by the South Korean government.

As a result of the Korean Wave, new critical attention has been brought to the Korean culture industry, including on the use of slave contracts in the idol industry and widespread sex trafficking in the Burning Sun scandal. A variety of programs and figures in the Korean entertainment industry have been criticized for racism, colorism, and misogyny, while a series of high-profile suicides by Korean actors and idols highlighted the industry's harsh working conditions. In addition, Korean historical dramas have been increasingly scrutinized by Korean viewers for historical negationism and otherwise inaccurate portrayals of Korean history, leading to Snowdrop being boycotted and Joseon Exorcist being cancelled.