7 in 10 non-Koreans fond of Korean culture as 'K-pop' stays on top: Survey

Musicians perform a K-Pop song on stage during the Korean Culture Festival in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, on July 25, 2023. [SAFIN HAMID/ AFP]

Seven in 10 non-Koreans feel positive about the country's cultural content, according to an annual survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released Tuesday.

Among 25,000 individuals from 26 countries, 68.8 percent said they were fond of Korean culture encompassing dramas, game shows, films, music, animation, books, webtoon, games, fashion, cosmetics and food.

People from Indonesia felt most favorably about Korean culture with 86.3 percent answering they overall "liked" Korea's cultural offerings, followed by India with 84.5 percent, Thailand with 83 percent and Vietnam with 82.9 percent, according to the survey, conducted by the ministry and the Korean Foundation of International Exchange in November.

Nearly 9 in 10 respondents — 89.4 percent — said their interest in Korea either increased or stayed the same compared to a year ago. Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia saw big jumps in K-interest, with 67.6 percent, 67.1 percent and 65.1 percent, respectively, answering that they have become more interested in Korean cultural content over the past year.

'K-pop' was the first word that came to most people's minds when they thought of Korea, according to the survey, marking the seventh consecutive year K-pop has come out on top. This year, it was followed by food, drama, technology-related products and brands, and beauty products.

About two-thirds — 66.1 percent — of respondents said their perceptions of the country "changed positively" after coming in contact with Korean culture while 30.1 percent said there was no change and 3.8 percent said it "changed negatively." Japan and Italy in particular saw negative changes in perception — 38.8 percent and 48.7 percent, respectively.

Among respondents, 32.6 percent agreed that Korean cultural content carried a negative perception, with 24.9 percent saying it was too provocative or violent; 22 percent that it was one-dimensional and obvious; and 21.1 percent saying it was overly commercial.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]