By Darcy Arnold | Contributor
Korean pop, food, sport and media has been capturing the attention of the UK recently. Known in Korea as ÔÇÿhallyuÔÇÖ (translated as ‘Korean Wave’), Korean creatives are being celebrated by this international cultural wave.
Sport
Major sporting names like Tottenham HotspurÔÇÖs Son Heung-min, whose own national flag was waved most recently in ManchesterÔÇÖs Etihad Stadium by Spurs fans, are making an impact on British sport too. An extremely talented player, Son has not only proved himself as one of the Premier LeagueÔÇÖs most valuable strikers but also as a South Korean ambassador, who is pushing the boundaries of his nationÔÇÖs culture as it blossoms, in both Britain and on a global scale.
Music
When it comes to music, boyband BTS are paving the way in the UK charts. Formed in 2013, the band boasts over 12 million subscribers on YouTube. They also currently hold the record for the most viewed music video within 24 hours. Their messages of global unity and self-love throughout their discography have captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide, selling out arenas from London, England to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. BTSÔÇÖ Korean language programme ÔÇÿLearn! KOREANÔÇÖ has also helped to bolster the use of their native language amongst fans, itÔÇÖs a recent addition to the languageÔÇÖs explosive growth internationally in recent years.
Food
The Korean wave has also reached super-markets, with almost all major supermarkets in the UK stocking staple Korean ingredients such as Kimchi in their world food aisle. Korean food has become increasingly popular nationally, with restaurants popping up across the country in Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Film and TV
Most recently, the Korean Netflix series ÔÇÿSquid GameÔÇÖ has been capturing the hearts of viewers. The programme centres on Seong Gi-Hun- a man struggling to make ends meet and a debt squad on his back- who is invited to participate in a mysterious game that ends up being more deadly than he could have ever realised. A fascinating concept, gripping dialogue and characters with depth has meant the show has become the most popular on Netflix worldwide, despite being filmed entirely in Korean.
A similar phenomenon occurred in 2019 with Bong Joon-HoÔÇÖs ÔÇÿParasiteÔÇÖ. The film gripped western audiences and went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Bong famously stated in his acceptance speech that ÔÇÿonce you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.ÔÇÖ Thanks to the Korean cultural wave, the country has enjoyed significant economic and social benefits. It continues to be championed across the world by its citizens.
[mks_button size=”small” title=”Comment” style=”squared” url=”https://cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/gairrhydd/comment/” target=”_self” bg_color=”#920000″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″]
