Overview
- The ministry’s 2025 trend report analyzed about 1.5 million foreign media and social posts from 30 countries covering October 2024 to September 2025, with the United States generating the most articles at 725.
- K-pop captured the largest share of coverage across regions, accounting for 31.8% in Asia, 24.5% in Europe, 32.3% in North America and 38.1% in Latin America.
- Within K-pop coverage, BLACKPINK led global media attention at 14.2%, followed by BTS at 7.3% and NewJeans at 3%.
- Attention is widening beyond music, with Korean literature ranking highest in Africa and film leading in Oceania, and K-food gaining visibility through Netflix titles such as Culinary Class Wars and Squid Game.
- Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters was the most prominent title of 2025, with its theme song Golden topping the Billboard Hot 100, while Squid Game Season 3 and When Life Gives You Tangerines also drove streaming and tourism effects.