What is South Korea mostly known for?

South Korea is known for many things, namely its food, K-dramas, K-pop, crime drama thriller movies, and technological prowess, such as with brands like Samsung and KIA and its parent company, Hyundai.

While some countries have military, economic or political advantages over others, South Korea’s weapon of choice is its soft power.

The historic divide between the two halves of the peninsula remains a speculation to this day. It depends who you ask, for some historians attribute the divide to military advantages while others would say that it was due to the Soviet occupation of the northern peninsula after Japan lost the WWII. Soon after the Soviets wanted to move to and occupy the rest of Korea, and the South prevented it, leading to the civil war.

However, South Korea is mainly known for its culture that has spread far and wide with its soft-power diplomacy.

South Korean food such as bulgogi, ramyeon, Korean fried chicken, mandu (Korean dumplings), bibimbap, and not to forget kimchi has taken over the world.

Many among the youth of any country’s population, mostly the Gen Zs, were responsible for the rise of Korean food, which went along with K-dramas and K-pop.

K-pop bands such as BTS, EXO, BLACKPINK, Seventeen, GOT7, Stray Kids, BIGBANG have influenced music culture worldwide which is its own genre of music, which takes bits and pieces from pop, R&B, rap, EDM, rock, and many others.

K-dramas with their cute and sweet, mostly romantic and funny, tones have attracted viewers from all over the world which has influenced the learning of korean language among foreigners and boosted tourism in the country.

At this point, you won’t be surprised to catch teenagers in remote villages vibing to korean tunes and watching their shows on Netflix.

Korea is one of the epitomes of globalisation and what it is to be a global village, as you’d see bits and pieces of it in every corner of the world.