The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency, has announced the results of the 2023 Overseas Hallyu Survey, which aims to check the current status and spread of K-culture and content in major foreign countries.
The data for this report was collected through a survey conducted from November 11 to December 7, 2022, among locals aged 15 to 59 in 26 countries abroad, to gather their experiences with Korean cultural content.
Additionally, in 2022, the number of countries surveyed was expanded from 18 to 26 by adding Kazakhstan, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Moreover, the sample size per country was also increased from a minimum of 400 to up to 600 to up to 1,200.
According to the 2023 Overseas Hallyu Survey, "K-pop" still remains the first image that comes to mind when people think about Korea in terms of Korean cultural content abroad. "K-pop" has been ranked No.1 for six consecutive years since 2017, as it had ranked second in this index in 2016.
Among the best Hallyu stars, BTS has been ranked first for five years in a row, while Black Pink has been ranked second for four consecutive years in the "K-pop" singer/group category. Although there are yearly variations, the preference rates for the first and second positions tend to increase each year, while those below the third place tend to decrease. This indicates a positive aspect of the "K-pop" singer/group's solid status, but also reveals a negative aspect of the deepening popularity of the top two singers/groups.
The rankings of K-pop singers/groups in 2022 are as follows: BTS (31.3%) ranked first, followed by BLACKPINK (10.8%) in second place, Psy (2.6%) in third place, TWICE (1.8%) in fourth place, and IU (1.7%) in fifth place.
Regarding regions, "BTS" was the most preferred K-pop singer/group in the Asia/Pacific region, with seven countries choosing them as their favorite. In particular, India had the highest response rate at 42%, and Indonesia, Australia, and Japan also had a high response rate of over 30%. In China, IU (6.7%), BLACKPINK (35.1%), and in the Malaysia, BLACKPINK(28.9%) were ranked first, respectively.
In the Americas, "BTS" ranked first with a high response rate of 36.7 to 49.9%, followed by "Black Pink" and "Psy." Notably, Argentina had a relatively high response rate of 49.9% for "BTS" compared to other countries.
In Europe, "BTS" was ranked first as the best K-pop singer/group. The response rate to Hallyu stars in Europe was found to be lower than in other regions overall, indicating a lower level of interest in Hallyu.
In the Middle East, "BTS" ranked first in the UAE with 39.1% and in Saudi Arabia with 22.2%. "Black Pink" ranked second, while "IU" and "Psy" were listed in the UAE, and "Stray Kids" in Saudi Arabia.
Finally, in Africa, "BTS" was ranked first as the best K-pop singer/group with 44.6% in South Africa and 28.1% in Egypt. "Black Pink" ranked second, followed by "Psy" and "IU" in South Africa, and "Super Junior" in Egypt.
The ranking of the best K-pop singers/groups by country is as follows.
◎ Asia-Pacific
China
1. IU (6.7%)
2. EXO/PY (5.5%)
3. G-Dragon (5.0%)
4. Girls' Generation (4.9%)
5. Black Pink (4.7%)
Japan
1. BTS (30.4%)
2. TWICE (11.7%)
3. Kara (4.8%)
4. BLACKPINK (3.4%)
5. Girls' Generation (2.6%)
Taiwan
1. BTS (12.1%)
2. TWICE (10.2%)
3. IU (9.3%)
4. BLACKPINK (6%)
5. Girls' Generation (4.4%)
Thailand
1. Black Pink (35.1%)
2. BTS (10.3%)
3. Lisa (9.1%)
4. GOT7 (8.1%)
5. Jackson (2.1%)
Malaysia
1. BLACKPINK (28.9%)
2. BTS (26.2%)
3. Big Bang (4.2%)
4. IU (2.9%)
5. TWICE (2.2%)
Indonesia
1. BTS (34.1%)
2. BLACKPINK (25.3%)
3. SUPER JUNIOR (3.4%)
4. NCT (2.5%)
5. EXO (2.2%)
India
1. BTS (42%)
2. BLACKPINK (6.3%)
3. Jungkook (6%)
4. IU (3.4%)
5. Psy (3.3%)
Vietnam
1. BTS (27.6%)
2. BLACKPINK (15.9%)
3. Big Bang (9.3%)
4. Girls' Generation (4.9%)
5. IU (2.9%)
Kazakhstan
1. BTS (19%)
2. BLACKPINK (8%)
3. Psy (3.9%)
4. BOA/Jungkook (1.3%)
5. EXO (1%)
Australia
1. BTS (33.4%)
2. BLACKPINK (10.3%)
3. Psy (1.9%)
4. Girls' Generation (1.4%)
5. Big Bang/Lisa (1.2%)
◎America
the United States
1. BTS (37.2%)
2. Black Pink (10.1%)
3. Psy (2.2%)
4. Rain(0.7%)
5. EXO/IU (0.5%)
Canada
1. BTS (40.6%)
2. BLACKPINK (8.6%)
3. Psy (3.4%)
4. Big Bang (1.1%)
5. Girls' Generation/TWICE/Ailee (0.8%)
Mexico
1. BTS (46.2%)
2. BLACKPINK (11%)
3. TWICE (2.4%)
4. Psy (2.2%)
5. SUPER JUNIOR (1.4%)
Brazil
1. BTS (36.7%)
2. BLACKPINK (8.8%)
3. Psy (6%)
4. EXO (2.2%)
5. TWICE/Sunmi (0.7%)
Argentina
1. BTS (49.9%)
2. BLACKPINK (8.4%)
3. Psy (2.1%)
4. TWICE (1.4%)
5. Jungkook (0.7%)
◎ Europe
Great Britain
1. BTS (30.4%)
2. BLACKPINK (9.2%)
3. Psy (3.5%)
4. EXO/IU (2.5%)
5. Big Bang (1.2%)
France
1. BTS (38.7%)
2. Psy (6.2%)
3. BLACKPINK (5.1%)
4. Lisa (0.7%)
5. MAMAMOO/Stray Kids/G-Dragon/Na Yoon-sun/Jin (0.5%)
Italy
1. BTS (37%)
2. BLACKPINK (3.8%)
3. Psy (4.3%)
4. Stray Kids (1.6%)
5. Icon/Jonghyun (1.1%)
Spain
1. BTS (34.9%)
2. BLACKPINK (7.7%)
3. Psy (3.8%)
4. Stray Kids (1.4%)
5. V(1%)
Germany
1. BTS (32.3%)
2. BLACKPINK (7.9%)
3. Psy (2.8%)
4. Big Bang/Stray Kids (0.9%)
5. EXO/G-Dragon (0.7%)
Russia [classified as Europe based on the report]
1. BTS (22.8%)
2. BLACKPINK (3.2%)
3. Stray Kids/Psy (2.4%)
4. TOMORROW X TOGETHER/EXO (1.3%)
5. HyunA (1.1%)
Turkiye [Sorted to Europe based on reports]
1. BTS (30.8%)
2. BLACKPINK (16.7%)
3. Psy (3%)
4. TWICE (2.3%)
5. Gu Hara/Jimin (2%)
◎ Middle East
UAE
1. BTS (39.1%)
2. BLACKPINK (6.6%)
3. Jungkook (5.5%)
4. IU (4.3%)
5. Psy (3.2%)
Saudi Arabia
1. BTS (22.2%)
2. BLACKPINK (6.9%)
3. Jungkook (4.7%)
4. Stray Kids (1.1%)
5. G-Dragon/Luna/Lisa/Rain/IU/Jenny (0.8%)
◎ Africa
Egypt.
1. BTS (28.1%)
2. BLACKPINK (4.4%)
3. Jungkook (3.3%)
4. Super Junior/Jenny (1.5%)
5. V/Rain(1.1%)
South Africa
1. BTS (44.6%)
2. BLACKPINK (7.3%)
3. Psy (3.5%)
4. Jungkook (2.1%)
5. IU (1.8%)
According to the report, Korean music has become Korea's leading content due to its global popularity. The experience rate (63.2%) and the brand power index (61.7 points) are among the top groups, but the evaluation of experienced people (liability, net recommendation index, etc.) was relatively low.
Looking at the classification of countries based on experience rate and brand power index, it was analyzed that Asia and Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina) had high experience rates and brand power index. India and the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia) had lower than average experience rates, but the brand power index was higher than average.
The main contact path for Korean music is "YouTube" (81.1%) among "online/mobile platforms" (87.7%), and the "YouTube" contact rate between 2020 and 2022 has stagnated in the early 80% range.
"BTS" topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, and the number one singer/group by region can be determined from the rankings. In the Asia-Pacific region, "BTS" ranked first in seven countries, "Black Pink" in two countries, "IU" in one country (China), and "BTS" in all countries. Following last year, in Thailand, "Black Pink" (35.1%) beat "BTS" (10.3%) and recorded an overwhelming preference.
The main popular factors are "because the appearance/style of singers/groups is good," in the Americas and Africa it's "because they are not from their own country," in Europe it's "because the chorus and rhythm of music are addictive," and in the Middle East it's "because of excellent performance." Among the factors that hinder favorability are "because Korean lyrics are difficult and unfamiliar" in common regions, "because the genre of music is uniform" in Asia, the Pacific, and Europe, and "because the surrounding response to listening to Korean music is not good."
In response, the report advised that it is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of cultural diversity and crisis management of singers, officials, and related companies, considering that inappropriate words and actions of Korean singers and officials were often mentioned as factors that hinder favorability in the Asia-Pacific. In addition, the report mentioned that in the Middle East, "because it contains content that goes against its social/moral values," and emphasized the need for a response from the perspective of cultural diversity in Islamic culture.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism releases the results of the survey on the spread of K-culture and content in major foreign countries, revealing the preferences for K-pop singers/groups in 26 countries abroad.
Enter your details below to save your shopping cart for later. And, who knows, maybe we will even send you a sweet discount code :)