Why everybody’s eating Kimchee.

Soccer, barbecue & kimchee

In the early 2000s, I was working at Octagon for the Korean brand Hyundai, activating their soccer partnerships with FIFA and UEFA. From the start, it was clear that Hyundai was looking for world domination, and the key to getting there was soccer. Their sponsorships most certainly helped raise their brand awareness but world domination was perhaps a bridge too far.?

During those years, I learnt a few things about Korea and Korean culture. I was able to visit South Korea multiple times, yet it was all but popular then. My best souvenir was a Korean barbecue with the Octagon Seoul staff, where we first learned about Kimchee - some kind of spicy fermented cabbage with garlic and ginger. My colleagues and I had so much of it at the time, we vowed never to eat it again.?

Flash forward to today. Everybody’s talking about Netflix’s hit show Squid Game. A Korean series that seems to build on a booming high for all things (South)-Korean. Since the movie Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho won numerous awards last year, K-pop is on every channel,

everybody's loving Kimchee and Korean cosmetics are booming... We can't help but wonder, what's going on here?

A bit of history

To put things in perspective it’s good to first take a look back. I'm not a historian, so forgive me for not going into details. Between 1910 and 1945 the Japanese Empire ruled over Korea. To suppress the country they tried to wipe out all Korean culture and history. The annexation was terminated at the end of World War II by the Russians and the Americans.

Korea was partitioned at the 38th parallel. The North part came under Soviet occupation and the South part under American occupation.

In 1948 two sovereign states were installed, who were both claiming the whole territory. The three years of the Korean war between ’50 and ’53 counted more than 3 million deaths and ended with the installation of the DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone. Yet, technically the North and the South are still at war. What followed in the South was a period of democracy, autocracy and military rule for over 40 years. The land was among the poorest in the country and got only moved to liberal democracy in the eighties, which was followed by an incredible boost in GDP and welfare.

Rebuilding economy and culture

During the period of Japanese domination, and the more or less permanent military rule, Korean culture had been demolished to the ground. The liberal democracy installed at the end of the eighties started rebuilding both economy and culture:

The Economy?by reorganizing the “Chaebol”, the large industrial conglomerates that are run and controlled by a person or family in South Korea. (The top 4: Hyundai, LG, Samsung and SK group make up 50% of all South Korean export). The Chaebol had and still have a strong link with the government, politics and all economical decisions.

The Culture?by stimulating and protecting Korean culture by introducing quota and stimuli never seen before.

Today South Korea has a Minister of Culture that manages the Popular Culture Industry Division.

This division focuses on Korean pop music, fashion, mass entertainment, comic books, cartoons, and other key products. The budget of this division is no less than 5.5 billion dollars! The objective? Simply to boost economic growth particularly through growing the country’s cultural industry export.

Hallyu – Introducing a Korean Wave

So, is this all part of a big plan? It sure is.

Where our short term plans in Europe are 2-3 years and our long term plans are 4-5 years, here’s a plan with a 30-years perspective!

Hallyu is a Chinese term which, when translated, literally means “Korean Wave”. A term used to refer to the incredible growth of Korean culture and popular culture encompassing everything from music, movies, drama to gaming and Korean cuisine. Hallyu started around 2000, first in Japan and China, and later the “soft power” continued its journey all over the world.

But why exactly? Well, the Korean Government wants to make people look at South Korea differently. In the nineties, the history of war and poverty still were the first things that popped to mind and that had to change. The GDP of Korea was less than that of Ghana in 1965. Today Korea is the 12th world largest economy, and Hallyu had an estimated USD 12.3 billion boost on the Korean economy in 2019! The Korean government works together closely with the Chaebols, entertainment industry and large event organizers to make sure all efforts are aligned.

So what's Korean out there, and what is coming?

What's in it for you dear readers, what's in it for us with Indiandribble ? Well the first thing, never underestimate the power of culture when building a brand, second : Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was Korea. If you are consistent in your strategy and your end goal is clear, there's chances that you will reach your objective, third : keep an eye on all things Korean, the brand Korea is not done yet. So here's what to see :

Movies

Squid Game, Parasite and:?https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/south-korean-certified-fresh-movies/

Music

K-Pop bands like BTS, Big Bang, Super Junior, PSY or Girls’ Generation

Entertainment park

K-culture-Valley is coming to Korea in 2024, a theme park celebrating Hallyu

https://www.koreaboo.com/news/korea-building-stadium-bts-k-culture-valley/

Cosmetics

Korea is big on cosmetics, for both men and women.

Of all cosmetics for men sold in the world, 20% is sold in South Korea. Numerous Korean cosmetics brands are on the rise, and the packaging looks amazing.

Food

Kimchee - is here to stay.

Bibimbap – A Korean rice bowl, starting to pop up quite frequently.

We’re tipping:

Real Korean Barbecue - please start opening restaurants who do this !

Kimbap – the Korean (sweeter) version of Sushi.

Hoeddeok - sweet syrupy pancakes. Originally being street food, this circular dough is filled with cinnamon, honey, brown sugar, and peanuts and is too good to be true !