Beyond Entertainment: Korean Popular Culture and its Associations With Cultural Engagement and Perceptions of South Korea among International Audiences

The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, has emerged as a significant global cultural phenomenon, yet relatively less is known about how engagement with Korean entertainment relates to broader cultural participation and perceptions of South Korea. This study examined the associations between Korean entertainment engagement and broader Korean cultural engagement, Korean language interest, social and emotional engagement, and country image of South Korea among international audiences aged 15–34. Drawing on soft power theory and uses and gratifications theory, a cross-sectional, multi-country online survey was conducted with 298 participants from 35 countries. Composite scores were calculated for each construct, and data were analyzed using correlation, regression, mediation, and moderation analyses. The findings indicated that Korean entertainment engagement was positively associated with broader Korean cultural engagement, Korean language interest, emotional engagement, and country image of South Korea. Broader Korean cultural engagement partially mediated the association between entertainment engagement and country image, suggesting that cultural engagement represents an important pathway in this relationship. However, age group did not significantly moderate these relationships, and exploratory geographic region comparisons did not reveal statistically significant differences. These findings contribute to scholarship on cultural globalization, transnational media consumption, and soft power by empirically examining the relationship between entertainment engagement and country image rather than assuming that cultural popularity automatically translates into soft power. The results suggest that Hallyu engagement extends beyond entertainment consumption and is associated with broader cultural interests and favorable country perceptions among the international audiences represented in this study. The findings have implications for educators, policymakers, and industry professionals seeking to better understand global audiences of Korean popular culture.

Korean Wave, cultural engagement, soft power, country image, youth

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