{"id":425145,"date":"2026-01-20T09:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425145\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:16:14","slug":"koreas-reputation-abroad-reaches-new-peak-powered-by-cultural-content-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425145\/","title":{"rendered":"Korea\u2019s reputation abroad reaches new peak, powered by cultural content: survey"},"content":{"rendered":"

BTS ranked most influential in enhancing Korea\u2019s image, survey finds<\/p>\n

\"Clockwise Clockwise from left: “Kpop Demon Hunters,” “Blackpink,” “Squid Game,” “BTS” (Netflix, YG Entertainment, Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s national image abroad has reached its highest level since the government began tracking the metric in 2018, with cultural content emerging as the single biggest driver of rising favorability, according to a new survey released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The “2025 Korea National Image Survey” revealed that 82.3 percent of respondents held a favorable view of Korea. This marks a 3.3 percentage point increase from 2024 and is also the highest figure recorded in the survey’s history. The poll was conducted throughout October 2025, surveying 13,000 people across 26 countries, the ministry said.<\/p>\n

By country, the United Arab Emirates posted the highest favorability toward Korea at 94.8 percent, followed by Egypt at 94 percent, the Philippines at 91.4 percent, Turkey at 90.2 percent, India at 89 percent and South Africa at 88.8 percent.<\/p>\n

The ministry said the strong results from the Middle East and Africa may reflect a positive environment for cooperation, shaped by increasingly active exchanges between Korea and countries in those regions.<\/p>\n

Thailand and the United Kingdom recorded some of the largest year-on-year gains. Favorability in Thailand rose 9.4 percentage points, from 76.8 percent to 86.2 percent, rebounding after a sharp dip the previous year. The UK\u2019s score climbed 9.2 percentage points to 87.4 percent, marking the first time it has exceeded the overall average and making it the only European country to do so, the ministry said.<\/p>\n

China and Japan posted comparatively low favorability ratings at 62.8 percent and 42.2 percent, respectively, but both improved from a year earlier, up 3.6 percentage points for China and 5.4 points for Japan. Japan\u2019s figure was the highest recorded since the survey began.<\/p>\n

Although Koreans\u2019 favorability toward their own country rose by 8.2 percentage points to 60.4 percent from the previous year, it still lagged well behind the global average, highlighting a continuing gap between how Koreans view their country and how it is perceived abroad.<\/p>\n

\"Korea's Korea’s image abroad <\/p>\n

Asked what most positively shaped their overall perception of Korea, respondents most frequently cited cultural content, including K-pop, dramas and films, with 45.2 percent selecting it as the top factor. Cultural content resonated most strongly among respondents in their 20s and younger, while those aged 50 and above were more likely to mention Korean products and brands.<\/p>\n

This influence was particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific region, with 69.3 percent of respondents from the Philippines citing cultural content as a major reason for their favorable view of Korea, followed by Japan (64.4 percent), Indonesia (59.5 percent) and Vietnam (58.4 percent).<\/p>\n

Other factors that contributed positively to Korea\u2019s image included modern lifestyle and culture (31.9 percent), products and brands (28.7 percent), and economic development (21.2 percent). In the Middle East and Africa, economic factors such as Korean brands and perceptions of Korea\u2019s economic level played a larger role alongside cultural appeal, the ministry said.<\/p>\n

The survey found that people most commonly encountered Korea through video platforms (64.4 percent), followed by social media (56.6 percent), websites (46.7 percent) and broadcast media (32.8 percent).<\/p>\n

When asked which Korean figure had the most positive impact on Korea\u2019s image, respondents most frequently named BTS. Other top answers included football star Son Heung-min, girl group Blackpink and actor Lee Min-ho, followed by Jungkook of BTS and President Lee Jae Myung.<\/p>\n

\"Korean Korean figures who had the most positive impact on Korea\u2019s image (MCST) \"From From left: Football player Son Heung-min, actor Lee Min-ho, President Lee Jae Myung (@hm_son7 on Instagram, Apple TV+, Cheong Wa Dae) <\/p>\n

‘Great place to visit, difficult place to live’<\/p>\n

In addition to the quantitative survey, the ministry said it conducted in-depth interviews with around 70 highly engaged Korea observers, including international students in Korea, foreign correspondents and foreign nationals living overseas.<\/p>\n

While Korea was previously associated largely with security tension on the peninsula and K-pop idols, respondents said their interest has broadened to include the country\u2019s culture, economy, society and politics. Interviewees evaluated Korea\u2019s democracy positively, citing what the ministry described as strong \u201cresilience,\u201d the ability of Korean society to overcome political turmoil through civic engagement.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the report noted that global audiences increasingly see Korea through a dual lens: a dynamic cultural powerhouse, but also a society shaped by intense competition and underlying tensions. Korea received its highest score for being perceived as an \u201cinnovative country with advanced technology,\u201d at 80.3 points, but ranked near the bottom for \u201ccaring for the socially vulnerable\u201d (66.6) and \u201cembracing cultural diversity\u201d (67.7). Social inclusiveness was also identified as a major negative factor affecting favorability.<\/p>\n

While Korea\u2019s convenient infrastructure and public safety perception drew strong responses, foreign observers pointed to signs of social fatigue beneath the surface. International students, in particular, were described as arriving with high expectations shaped by K-content, but later reporting \u201cinvisible barriers\u201d in everyday life \u2014 reinforcing the perception that Korea is \u201ca great place to visit, but a difficult place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on findings from the in-depth interviews, the report suggested that aligning more closely with global standards on labor, human rights, the environment and gender equality \u2014 while strengthening social inclusiveness and reducing barriers faced by outsiders \u2014 will be increasingly important for Korea\u2019s long-term credibility. It also noted that more balanced communication, acknowledging both Korea\u2019s strengths and its challenges, could help sustain international trust and engagement.<\/p>\n

gypark@heraldcorp.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BTS ranked most influential in enhancing Korea\u2019s image, survey finds Clockwise from left: “Kpop Demon Hunters,” “Blackpink,” “Squid…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,57762,13539,405,134,24864,28936,136,435,29474,223331],"class_list":{"0":"post-425145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-big-hit","11":"tag-blackpink","12":"tag-bts","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-k-culture","15":"tag-kpop-demon-hunters","16":"tag-music","17":"tag-netflix","18":"tag-son-heung-min","19":"tag-yg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}