The results of the 2025 Overseas Hallyu Survey were released, naming the favorite K-pop singers, and Korean dramas, movies, food, beauty, webtoon, fashion, publishing, animation and games.

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) released the results based on an online survey conducted from Nov. 29, 2024 to Dec. 27, 2024.

The respondents were 26,400 people with experience of Korean cultural content in 28 countries and territories.

They were from the Philippines, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Australia, Hong Kong, US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and South Africa.

The cover of the 2025 Overseas Hallyu Survey (Photo from MCST)

Hallyu (Korean Wave) refers to the rise in popularity of Korean pop culture content.

The results of the survey showed that 68.2 percent of the respondents would recommend Hallyu to someone they know. In addition, overall, 70.3 percent of the respondents said they liked Hallyu.

For the eighth consecutive year, K-pop (17.8 percent) ranked first among respondents who were asked the first image that came to their mind when they thought of South Korea.

K-pop was followed by Korean food (11.8 percent), dramas (8.7 percent), beauty (6.4 percent), and movies (5.6 percent), while information technology (IT) products/brands (5.1 percent) ranked sixth, falling out of the top 5 for the first time since the 2012 survey.

By region, the Philippines recorded the highest favorability (88.9 percent) for Korean Wave followed by Indonesia (86.5 percent), India (84.5 percent), and Thailand (82.7 percent).

However, along with the increasing popularity of the Korean Wave, negative perceptions of the Korean Wave are also increasing, the MCST said.

A total of 37.5 percent responded that they agreed with the negative perception of the Korean Wave, which is 4.9 percentage points higher from last year. By region, India (52.7 percent) and the United Arab Emirates (52 percent) showed high rates of agreement with negative perceptions in places where interest in the Korean Wave is high and consumption is active.

The average monthly consumption time of Korean cultural content per person with Hallyu experience was found to be 14 hours, an increase of 2.3 hours from the previous year.

The Philippines registered the highest average monthly consumption time of Korean cultural content with 24 hours followed by Thailand (20.1 hours), and the United Arab Emirates (19.2 hours).

On the perception of South Korea, the overall score was “positive” at 72.8 percent.

The percentage of “positive” perceptions was high in the United Arab Emirates (88.4 percent), Philippines (87.1 percent), Saudi Arabia (86.4 percent), and Indonesia and Egypt (85.7 percent).

MCST reported that “food” and “visiting Korea” topped Korean products and services the respondents wanted to experience the most.

The respondents were asked which category reached the threshold of “mainstream popularity,” meaning it is widely known to the general public and related products sold in the respective countries.

Korean food placed first with 53.7 percent, followed by music (51.2 percent), beauty (50.8 percent), and dramas (49 percent).

“It seems that direct access to Korean cultural content increased with expanding exposure to Korean culture on social media and streaming platforms,” the MCST explained.

In addition, 58.9 percent of the respondents with Hallyu experience said that they were willing to pay for Korean products and services, a 14.8 percentage point increase from 44.1 percent in 2020.

Based on overall purchase intention for Korean products/services, “food” was the highest with 66.2 percent, followed by “beauty products” (57.1 percent) and “home appliances” (55.3 percent).

By service, “visiting Korea” (64.1 percent) ranked first, followed by “dining at restaurants” (64 percent) and “experiencing traditional culture” (54.1 percent).

On why they purchased Korean products and services, the most common reason among the respondents was “quality” (61.5 percent), followed by “price” (43.4 percent) and “convenience in use” (32.6 percent).

“Appearance in movies and TV shows” was cited as the reason for purchases by for 22.1 percent of the respondents, a 5 percentage point increase from previous year’s 17.1 percent.

By country, “appearance in movies and TV shows” was mentioned most in Thailand (33.1 percent), India (31.1 percent), UAE (27.5 percent), China (26.9 percent), and Vietnam (26.9 percent), indicating that Korean cultural content is influencing the purchase of Korean products/services, the MCST said.

FAVORITE KOREAN SINGERS/GROUPS

The respondents were asked who was their favorite Korean singer/group and their next favorite at the time of the survey.

Grammy-nominated group BTS ranked first with 24.6 percent, their seventh consecutive year to top the survey.

Girl group BLACKPINK took second place with 12.3 percent, their sixth consecutive year.

Solo artist IU placed third with 3.1 percent followed by rapper Psy with 2.2 percent, and girl group TWICE with 1.8 percent.

According to the MCST, BTS recorded the highest preference in the Americas (34.2 percent), and BLACKPINK showed the highest preference in the Asia/Pacific (16.2 percent).

In the Middle East, BTS Jungkook (3.2 percent) and Jimin (1.3 percent) ranked third and fourth, respectively, while BLACKPINK’s Lisa (2.6 percent) ranked fifth in Asia/Pacific, and Rosé' (1.0 percent) ranked fifth in the Middle East for the first time.

(Clockwise from top left) BTS, BLACKPINK, IU, Psy, TWICE and BTS’ Jungkook (Facebook, X, Instagram)

Top 10 Favorite Korean Singers/Groups (12,624 respondents)

1. BTS - 24.6%

2. BLACKPINK - 12.3%

3. IU - 3.1%

4. Psy - 2.2%

5. TWICE - 1.8%

6. BTS’ Jungkook - 1.8%

7. BLACKPINK’s Lisa - 1.7%

8. EXO - 1.4%

9. Big Bang - 1.4%

10. Big Bang’s G-Dragon - 1.4%

FAVORITE KOREAN ACTORS

“Pachinko” star Lee Min-ho maintained the top spot as favorite Korean actor despite the glut of talents.

A total of 26,400 respondents from the 28 countries and territories were asked, “Who is your favorite Korean actor right now?”

Lee Min-ho emerged as No.1 with 7 percent, his 12th consecutive year since 2014 to top the survey.

“Squid Game” star Gong Yoo placed second with 2.4 percent, followed by “The Glory” star Song Hye-kyo (2.4 percent), “Queen of Tears” star Kim Soo-hyun (2.3 percent) and Lee Jong-suk (2 percent)

(Clockwise from top left) Lee Min-ho, Gong Yoo, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Jong-suk and Hyun Bin (X, Instagram)

Top 10 Favorite Korean Actors (26,400 respondents)

1. Lee Min-ho - 7%

2. Gong Yoo - 2.4%

3. Song Hye-kyo - 2.4%

4. Kim Soo-hyun - 2.3%

5. Lee Jong-suk - 2%

6. Hyun Bin - 1.8%

7. Jun Ji-hyun - 1.5%

8. Ma Dong-seok - 1.5%

9. IU - 1.5%

10. Cha Eun-woo - 1.4%

FAVORITE KOREAN DRAMAS AND MOVIES

The respondents answered the question “What is your favorite Korean drama (movie) you watched this year?”

“Squid Game” and “Parasite” were selected as the No. 1 favorite Korean drama and movie, respectively.

(Clockwise from top left) "Squid Game," "Queen of Tears," "Crash Landing on You," "True Beauty," "Lovely Runner" and "The Judge from Hell" (Netfli, tvN, SBS)

Top 10 Favorite Korean dramas (12,698 respondents)

1. Squid Game - 9.7%

2. Queen of Tears - 6.5%

3. Crash Landing on You - 2.2%

4. True Beauty - 2.1%

5. Lovely Runner - 1.8%

6. The Judge from Hell - 1.7%

7. The Glory - 1.6%

8. Love Next Door - 1.5%

9. Mr. Plankton - 1.4%

10. Marry My Husband - 1.4%

Korean films "Parasite" (top) and "Train to Busan" (KOFIC)

Top 10 Favorite Korean Movies (12,867 respondents)

1. Parasite - 8.3%

2. Train to Busan - 6.5%

3. Exhuma - 4.1%

4. Escape - 1.5%

5. Wonderland - 1.5%

6. Badland Hunters - 1.4%

7. Oldboy - 1.2%

8. Officer Black Belt - 1.1%

9. The Roundup: Punishment - 1%

10. The Roundup - 1%