Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) released the results of the 2022 Overseas Hallyu (Korean Wave) Survey.
The survey was conducted online from Nov. 5 to Dec. 8, 2021 among 8,500 respondents in 18 countries and territories: China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Australia, US, Brazil, Argentina, France, UK, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
The respondents were asked to name their favorite Korean drama they watched in 2021, favorite Korean actor, favorite Korean movie they watched in 2021 and current favorite Korean singer/group.
Here are the results of the 2022 Overseas Hallyu (Korean Wave) Survey:
FAVORITE SINGER/GROUP
K-pop superstars BTS emerged again as the No. 1 favorite singer/group in the survey, getting 26.7 percent, followed by BLACKPINK, 10.4 percent; IU, 2.8 percent; BLACKPINK’s Lisa, 2.4 percent and Psy, 2.2 percent.
BTS and BLACKPINK grabbed the first and second places in the same survey in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, the top five favorite singers/groups were BTS, 22 percent; BLACKPINK, 13.5 percent; Psy, 2.9 percent; TWICE, 2.4 percent; and EXO, 2.1 percent.
1. BTS - 26.7%
2. BLACKPINK - 10.4%
3. IU - 2.8%
4. BLACKPINK’s Lisa - 2.4%
5. Psy - 2.2%
FAVORITE ACTOR
“Panchinko” star Lee Min-ho topped the survey for favorite actor again. In the latest survey, Lee Min-ho placed first with 9.3 percent followed by “Crash Landing on You” star Hyun Bin, 3.1 percent; Gong Yoo, 2.8 percent; Song Hye-kyo, 2.2 percent; and Song Joong-ki, 2.1 percent.
The Hallyu report showed that Lee Min-ho topped the same survey in 2018 (9.6 percent), 2019 (7.6 percent) and 2020 (8.6 percent).
1. Lee Min-ho - 9.3%
2. Hyun Bin - 3.1%
3. Gong Yoo - 2.8%
4. Song Hye-kyo - 2.2%
5. Song Joong-ki - 2.1%
FAVORITE KOREAN DRAMA
Netflix’s “Squid Game” was the No. 1 favorite Korean drama among the respondents in the 2021 survey, getting 21.2 percent followed by “Crash Landing on You,” 2.2 percent; “Vincenzo,” 1.9 percent; “The Penthouse,” 1.6 percent; and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha,” 1.4 percent.
In the 2020 survey, the top five favorite Korean dramas were “Crash Landing on You,” 9.5 percent; “It’s Okay to Not be Okay,” 4.1 percent; “Itaewon Class,” 2.8 percent; “The World of the Married,” 2.8 percent; and “Kingdom,” 2.5 percent.
In 2019, the favorites were “Hotel Del Luna,” 8.2 percent; “Descendants of the Sun,” 3 percent; “Jewel in the Palace,” 2.3 percent; “Kingdom,” 2.1 percent; and “Goblin,” 2 percent.
1. “Squid Game” - 21.2%
2. “Crash Landing on You” - 2.2%
3. “Vincenzo” - 1.9%
4. “The Penthouse” - 1.6%
5. “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” - 1.4%
FAVORITE KOREAN FILM
The Oscar-winning film “Parasite” topped the 2021 survey with 10.3 percent followed by “Train to Busan,” 6.8 percent; “Seobok,” 1.5 percent; “Midnight,” 1.3 percent; and “Space Sweepers,” 1.3 percent.
In 2020, “Parasite” was No. 1 with 18.4 percent followed by “Train to Busan,” 10.2 percent; “Peninsula,” 3.5 percent; “#Alive,” 2.1 percent; and “Time to Hunt,” 1.6 percent.
1. “Parasite” - 10.3%
2. “Train to Busan” - 6.8%
3. “Seobok” - 1.5%
4. “Midnight” - 1.3%
5. “Space Sweepers” - 1.3%