Today, this price tag can easily top one billion South Korean won (about $850,660). Two decades ago, the budget for one K-drama episode was estimated to be approximately $30,000. Over the years, avid K-drama fans have seen the Korean wave grow exponentially. This has culminated with K-pop acts such as BTS, the biggest pop group in the world, and K-dramas such as 2019’s Crash Landing On You and Squid Game accomplishing success on an unprecedented global scale.īut for those familiar with South Korean cultural exports prior to the success of BTS and Squid Game, this global craze has not come as a surprise. Pop culture is big business in South Korea, and the government invests heavily in cultural productions – earmarking $440m in 2021 to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which funds and oversees shows, games for mobile and virtual reality platforms, fashion, animation and other endeavours. But it is merely the crest point of “hallyu”, the Korean wave of pop culture – and there is more to this phenomenon than meets the eye.įor at least three decades now, South Korea has been gradually increasing its soft power by stepping up exports of its pop culture in the form of K-dramas, K-pop and K-beauty, among others.
WATCH TRAIN TO BUSAN ENG SUB FULL MOVIE SERIES
The dark drama exploring themes such as capitalism and class disparities is Netflix’s most-watched series to date. The sweeping success of the South Korean show Squid Game is undeniable.