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Thecontemporaryculture of South Korea developed from the traditionalculture of Korea which was prevalent in the early Korean nomadic tribes. By maintaining thousands of years of ancient Korean culture, with influence from ancient Chinese culture,South Korea split on its own path of cultural development away fromNorth Korean culture since thedivision of Korea in 1945. Theindustrialization,urbanization andwesternization of South Korea, especiallySeoul, have brought many changes to the wayKorean people live. Changingeconomics and lifestyles have led to urbanization—a concentration of population in major cities (and depopulation of the rural countryside), with multi-generational households separating intonuclear family living arrangements. Today, many cultural elements from South Korea, especiallypopular culture, have spread across the globe and have become some of the most prominent cultural forces in the world.[1][2][3][4][5]
Prior to the 20th century, Korean literature was influenced byClassical Chinese literature.Chinese calligraphy was also extensively used by Koreans for over one thousand years in Korean literature. Modern literature is often linked with the development ofHangul, which was created by the fourth king ofJoseonSejong the Great and promulgated in the textHunminjeongeum. The publication of the Korean alphabet in 1443 was a surprise to many as there are no records of King Sejong working on it, concluding that the king was doing it in secret.[6] This move was initially made to help spread literacy from the dominant scholarly-official class, theyangban, to the common people— including women. Before the creation of Hangul, the common text being read wasHanja, which are Chinese characters; only those from wealthy families who could afford an education were able to learn it. Furthermore, like any other language, Hanja was not able to capture the entire meaning of words that were spoken in Korean, so it was hard to decipher what citizens were attempting to say.[7] Hangul, however, only reached a dominant position in Korean literature in the second half of the 19th century, resulting in a major growth in Korean literature.
In modern poetry, there were attempts at introducingimagist and modern poetry methods particularly in translations of early American moderns such asEzra Pound andT. S. Eliot in the early 20th century. In the earlyRepublic period, patriotic works were very successful.
Lyric poetry dominated from the 1970s onwards.Poetry is quite popular in contemporary South Korea, both in terms of number of works published and lay writing.
South Korea has 10 main newspapers and 4 main broadcasters. Top daily newspapers areThe Chosun Ilbo,JoongAng Ilbo, andThe Dong-A Ilbo.The Hankyoreh is a left-leaning newspaper.KBS,MBC,SBS, andYTN are the main TV channels, andEBS is used for student andadult education.
Other magazines areK Scene Magazine,JoongAng Ilbo,Yonhap News Agency, andOhmyNews.The Korea Times,The Korea Herald, andPRKorea Times are English language newspapers for foreigners.
South Korea has for almost a millennium been significantly influenced by China as well as by various neighboring Asian countries to a lesser extent. In recent years, there has been some influence by the Western world, mostly in food. This has changed peoples' eating habits as well; many people now also eatWestern and otherAsian foods in addition to traditionalKorean food.Pizza is one of the favorite foreign foods among South Koreans, though it tends to differ from the pizza served in the west with an Asian tinge, often featuringcorn,sweet potato,mayonnaise,bulgogi and various other ingredients. Manyhamburger,fried chicken,coffee, andice cream chains are also very popular in South Korea. While tea remains a highly popular traditional drink,Coffeehouses operated by 12 majorbrands increased to up to 2,000 locations in 2010,[8] and the term "coffice" (keopiseu 커피스)[9] was coined to describe using a cafe as an office.[10]
Japanese pop culture was banned for decades in South Korea (though not effectively) reaching Korea by way of satellite television channels and youth culture films and magazines.[11] Back in the year 2000, South Korean youth were readingmanga, listening toJapanese rock andrap, andfashion in Korea shared similarities withJapanese street fashion trends fromHarajuku andRoppongi. The ban on Japanese pop culture imports was lifted in 2000.[12]
Pansori is a form of traditional musical art within Korea that dates back to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897),[13][unreliable source?][14] "pan" meaning an open space where individuals come to gather and "sori" meaning sound.[15][14][13] Pansori performances consist of a singer and a drummer, the singer sings out the story using special techniques that require years of training, and the drummer producing beats to help the story flow and also to support the singer.[13][15] Members of the audience are also encouraged to take part in the performance and support the singer.
The purpose of Pansori was to tell tales and stories to individuals who would take the time to listen since most stories range from three hours to eight or nine hours from start to finish. There are five traditional stories that are performed for audiences, but since pansori is mostly orally transmitted, there have been many stories lost throughout history. Each story contains a theme, whether it be about filial piety, love, or the sorrows of individuals releasing their "han". "Han" is an emotion within a person that is negative and usually is tied with grieving, regret, or resentment.[16]
Chuseok, also known as Hangawi, comes from the agrarian era of Korean society, and is considered one of the biggest holidays for the Korean people.[17] Historians believe Chuseok originated 2000 years ago, and was originally a festival that held a weaving competition.[18] Chuseok is recognized as a public holiday, which allows for work to be suspended until the celebration is over.[19]
The holiday is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar.[19][20] It is a celebration of the Korean peoples' ancestors and is used as a time to give thanks for a good farming season. Chuseok lasts for 3 days, and it is a time spent with family to eat tradition food and play tradition games.[18]Songpyeon is traditionally eaten during this time, and is a rice cake that contains a filling.[17]
Seollal, also known as theKorean New Year, is a holiday that marks the start of a new year on the Lunar calendar. The Korean New Year typically falls sometime in January or February. It is believed that Seollal originates from the 3rd century. Evidence of the first Korean New Year can be found in a document titledSamguk yusa.[21] During the Japanese colonization of Korea, Seollal was prohibited from being celebrated, but then became an official holiday sometime between 1945 and 1950.[21] Seollal is now recognized as a public holiday, and work is suspended until the holiday has ended.[19]
Seollal is a time for family members to honor their ancestors and spend quality time together. Korean ancestors are honored during this time through special rituals, and families get the opportunity to enjoy games and food together.[22] It is very common for Korean people to celebrate Seollal by playing a game ofYut Nori.[20]Tteokguk, or rice cake soup, is typically eaten during Seollal, and it is believed that one will turn a year older after eating the soup.[19]
Korean architecture is characterized by naturalistic tendencies, simplicity, and economic feasibility of forms. Sharp angles, strong lines, steep planes, and brilliant colors are all avoided. It typically creates a quiet atmosphere.[23]
An estimated 98% of South Koreans own mobile phones and use them not only for calling and messaging but also for watching live TV, viewing websites and keeping track of their online gaming statuses. South Korean corporations includeSamsung andLG.
Many South Korean phones feature TV broadcasting through Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), which now carries seven TV channels. Over one million DMB phones have been sold, and providers likeKT andSK Telecom have provided coverage throughout many parts of major cities.[citation needed]
South Korea won theLG Mobile World Cup, a texting competition run byLG Electronics.[24]
Korea has many e-sports athletes. As perceptions of games have changed, the Korean game market has grown in size and popularized. Korean companies are expected to spur the mobile e-sports industry, or m-sports.
Video games in South Korea have been growing in popularity since the mid-1980s, however it was not until the early 2000s that their popularity skyrocketed. Their sudden growth was due to immensely popular games, such as "Starcraft 2", "League Of Legends", and "Lineage II". Since then, the Gaming industry in South Korea has been steadily growing every year. Its projected market revenue for 2018 is US$10.5 billion.[25]
The introduction of those games in the early 2000s, as well as the introduction of several new international tournaments, like The World Cyber Games, Electronic Sports World Cup, and Major League Gaming, have allowed the video game industry to grow at a much faster rate. In these tournaments, competitive games would be played for large prizes, some being as much as US$1 million. The tournaments are very popular in South Korea, and attract a large viewership. Researchers have estimated that the eSports industry will reach US$1 billion in revenue by 2019.[26]
Video games are very popular in South Korea, but not everyone is able to afford thegaming PCs necessary to play popular games. These high upfront costs have led to the growth of the "PC bang" industry. Translated as "PC room", PC bangs are public cafés that let customers play popular PC games on powerful, high-end computers at a low cost per hour. There are currently around 25,000 PC bangs in South Korea alone, with hourly rates that ranged from $0.44 to $1.30 per hour in 2007[update].[27]The success of this low-cost model has led to the rise of PC bangs as a popular hangout spot among students, and they generally serve as a place to meet people with similar gaming interests.[28]
As video gaming is becoming much more popular in South Korea, it also bring up worries of the welfare of the nation's youth.Video game addiction has been a concerning issue with in the South Korean government. Considerable amounts of funds have been invested into programs and campaigns to reduce this issue. One action that the government imposed was the "Shutdown Law". This law prevents anyone aged under 16 from playing online from times 10pm until 6am.[29]
StarCraft, the PCreal-time strategy game, was the most popular televised game in Korea.[when?] Games are often broadcast on TV stations such asMBCGame andOngamenet. These tournaments are usually broadcast live and have sizable crowds while they are recorded at shopping malls like COEX, in southeast Seoul. Professional StarCraft players can command considerable salaries in Korea, and are usually noted celebrities, such asLim "BoxeR" Yo-Hwan. In recent years, professional video gaming in South Korea has branched out away from just Starcraft into a variety of different titles, includingDota 2,League of Legends,Starcraft 2,Battle Ground, andOverwatch.
Korean food, or hansik, is characterized by a clear distinction between the main dish (rice, noodles, etc.) and the side dish (calledbanchan), diverse recipes, a balanced mix of animal and plant products, and fermented foods.[30] The Korean people have also believed that food and medicine share the same origin, following the adage that "food is the best medicine."[30]
Fermented foods are the core of Korean cooking. These foods are mostly referred to as "chang". This includes soy sauce (ganjang). soybean paste (doenjang), red chilli soybean paste (gochujang). Green onion, garlic, and red chilli are also the foundations Korean cooking.[31]
Kimchi is one of South Korea's staple foods, normally eaten as a side dish. A meal consisting of steamed rice with one to three side dishes (such as kimchi, more specifically baechan (cabbage)) is common.[32] Kimchi has its own fermented taste not just because of its health functionalities due to its ingredients but also by fermentation products that contribute taste, texture, quality, and health functionality, owing to its special fermentation process.[32]
Sundubu-jjigae is a spicy Korean tofu stew. Unlike typical stews, it is not thick and heavy. It has a deep umami flavor, seasoned with fish sauce, garlic, scallions and mushrooms.[33]
Bibimbap is a rice-based dish with various colorful vegetables and eggs, which are mixed with the addition ofgochujang (red chili paste), making its texture very different from what it was in the beginning.[34] Although bibimbap is usually served with meat, many Korean's eat bibimbap with only eggs as the source of protein in the simple rice dish.[35]
Tteokbokki (Korean rice cake dish) is a popular dish (street food) in South Korea. Historically, tteokbokki was considered a refined food that was eaten by nobles and members of the royal court. But in the wake of the Korean War in the 1950s, it transformed into a different kind of dish, made by boiling wheat flour cakes with fish cakes and vegetables in a red pepper sauce mixture. By the 1970s, it had become the people's snack, enjoyed by people from all walks of life.[36]
Budae-jjigae is a popular stew originating from the Korean War. The base is similar to many traditional spicy Korean stews like soondubu or kimchi jjigae, which are usually made of anchovies, seaweed, and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) steeped together. But its other ingredients set budae jjigae apart from its counterparts.[37] The stew includes spam, baked beans, hotdogs, and ramen noodles with green onions garnished on top.[37]
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South Korean society exists serious bad customs of age hierarchy that is not found in any other country exceptNorth Korea. EvenJapan, which usesJapanese language, a language with linguistic honorifics developed to the same level asKorean language, is not at the same level asSouth Korea.[38]
InSouth Korea, no matter how small the age difference is, if the year of birth is not the same, the hierarchy is determined asHyeong (형),Oppa (오빠) (both meaning "older brother"),Nuna (누나),Eonni (언니) (both meaning "older sister"),Dongsaeng (동생, meaning "younger brother/sister"), and they are not regarded as mutual friends. Even, if the relationship is not very close, the person who is at least one year younger than the other person must uselinguistic honorifics.
Many people think that this is a custom of South KoreanConfucian culture, but that's not true. Until theJoseon dynasty era, unlike today, on theKorean Peninsula, age was not considered as severe, so it was a custom of making friends within a small age gap.[39]
Rather, the educational system ofJapanese colonial rule influenced South Korean society of the contemporary period. TheEmpire of Japan'snormal schools (師範学校shihan gakkou) are the very origin of South Korea's age hierarchy.[40]
The normal schools in theEmpire of Japan adopted an educational method that organically combined modern Western-style school education with military-style to create subjects who would voluntarily submit to theEmperor of Japan. It's a structure in which seniors control juniors in a military manner. This system was also introduced to theKorean Peninsula when it was under Japanese colonial rule. TheGyeongseong (Keijō) Normal School (경성사범학교), established on the Korean Peninsula during the Japanese colonial rule, also adopted a disciplinary system in which older students could control younger students and even inflict corporal punishment on them. Korean older students were even allowed to inflict corporal punishment on Japanese younger students. Considering that Koreans suffered oppression and discrimination from the Japanese, theGovernor-General of Chōsen, and the Japanese government during the Japanese colonial period, this case demonstrates how powerful the age-based hierarchy was in modern Japanese schools before 1945.[41]
With the defeat of theEmpire of Japan in 1945 and the establishment of theUS military headquarters (GHQ) in Japan, the disbandment of the Japanese military, and the comprehensive overhaul of the Japanese educational system, hierarchical order in Japanese society weakened, and age-based hierarchy have become mild or disappeared.[42][43]
However, sincePark Chung-hee, who served in the military ofManchukuo, a puppet state of theEmpire of Japan, became president, South Korea has reinforced this military-style hierarchy of Empire of Japan throughout society. As a representative example, the Park Chung-hee administration published and disseminated theNational Chart of Education (국민교육헌장), which benchmarked theImperial Rescript on Education of theEmpire of Japan. This, combined with the Confucian tradition of respecting seniority, and the distortion of this tradition, has led to the current severe age hierarchy and other bad hierarchical practices inSouth Korea.[44][45]
This bad hierarchical system, which was created during theJapanese colonial period and maintained and strengthened byPark Chung-hee, affected not only the age hierarchy but also middle school, high school, university, and work culture. As a representative example, in middle and high schools, there is one thing where students are asked to form a military-style line.[46] When living in society, there are bosses who force military-style language at work. In fact, the South Korean military has already abolished this military-style language.[47]
In the drinking culture of South Korea often with a group of individuals, drinking games are played. These games begin during university orientation and continue to be played throughout life. A variety of games can be played within the group and can change with every coming round. The type of alcohol can vary, but more than likelysoju, a common Korean liquor, is used when the games are being played. Sometimes people mixsoju and beer and call it "So-Maek," so forsoju, and Maek forbeer, sincebeer is called "Maek-joo" inKorean.[citation needed]
Many Korean pop stars and groups are known throughoutEast andSoutheast Asia. K-pop often features young performers. In the 1970s and 1980s, many musicians appeared, such asCho Yong Pil, a renowned musician from that period. He used many sources such as thesynthesizer. Among his influence, he is well known for popularizingrock music. The popularization of Korean pop music has come from many sources including, YouTube and other video streaming sources. With the growth of social media, it has helped with the expansion of K-pop outside of Asia.[48] The dominant explanation of the global K-pop phenomenon is the "hybrid" view that advances an argument about the combined along with Korean, the Austronesian, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures as a grand Asian Culture (AC) that increasingly countervails the previously dominant Western Culture (WC) as a whole (Chua, 2004). K-pop became one of Korea's top exporting industries with its rapid and widespread popularity around the world, particularly in the East. Korean popular culture has a timely commercial combination of (1) the global liberalization of music markets in Asia and more recently the rest of the world; and (2) the rapid advancement of digital technologies like YouTube which prefers to select and feature perfectly photogenic performers from all over the world, including Korean girl and boy bands (Oh, 391).
The emergence of the groupSeo Taiji and Boys in 1992 marked a turning point for Korean popular music by incorporating elements of American popular musical genres of the 1990s. To illustrate, their popularity was based on innovative hybridization of music as they creatively mixed the genres like rap, soul, rock and roll, techno, punk, hardcore and even ppongjjak, and invented a unique musical form which 'employs rap only during the verses, singing choruses in a pop style' with dynamic dance movements. They showed how Korean rap would sound. Consequently, Seo Taiji and Boys expanded the scope of K-pop.[49]
In 2002,BoA became the first Korean pop star to break through in Japan following the fall of barriers that had restricted the import and export of entertainment between the countries since the end of World War II. For that reason, she was awarded the title of Goodwill Ambassador, and has since contributed to restoring the good relations between Japan and South Korea.
In addition, there is also traditional Korean pop music, ortrot. Appealing to older Koreans, there are many popular singers, includingTae Jin Ah,Na Hoon-a andSong Dae Kwan, mainly in their 50s and 60s, if not older. However, trot has recently experienced a resurgence due to the popularity ofJang Yoon Jeong, a young semi-trot star, who had a breakout hit with "Omona."
Karaoke, a Japanese loan word, is most commonly called "Noraebang" (노래방, literally, "song room") in Korea instead but variousKorean alternatives likeNorae yeonseupjang (노래연습장), orNorae yeonseupshil (노래연습실) are also sometimes used.[citation needed]Noraebang is even conducted in transport vehicles such as tourist buses. Noraebang is the equivalent to theKaraoke-Box in Japan, whereas singing before an audience of a karaoke bar is called Karaoke (가라오케) in Korea. Recently, a coin karaoke, which is a form of payment different from the existing karaoke, appeared.
There are approximately 70,000 Korean students in American colleges every year. Furthermore, increased immigration has reached to booming heights of over a million in 2010 alone. With these migrations have come the spread and expansion of Korean Popular culture. For example, the popular South Korean film titled "Shiri" (쉬리) sold more than 5.78 million movie tickets in the United States alone.[50]
One of the reasons for the success of the Korean Wave comes from the influence that the Korean government has in the production and distribution of popular culture. Recent years have led to changes in access to both enjoying and creating new songs, movies, and other types of popular culture. One example comes from recent collaboration with the Korean Government and others to help achieve glocalization, making hallyu approachable and enjoyable for people from many different cultures and backgrounds.[51]
The popularity of Korean films has risen since the success ofShiri in 1999. South Korea is one of the few countries where Hollywood productions do not enjoy a dominant share of the domestic market, partly due to screen quotas requiring cinemas to show Korean films at least 73 days a year.
Shiri, a film about a North Korean spy preparing a coup in Seoul, was the first in Korean history to sell more than two million tickets in Seoul alone. It also earned $14 million at the Japanese box office alone, helping it to surpass box office hits such asThe Matrix andStar Wars. The success ofShiri motivated other Korean films with larger budgets. Upon release,Shiri attracted 5.8 million theatre-goers; these numbers outscored the local theater attendance for the Hollywood-made film,Titanic. The venture capital firm KDB Capital, the main firm that invested money into the production ofShiri (specifically, around $333,000), would end up earning more than 300 percent in returns (Shim, 33), helping to spark the Korean government's interest in the possible profits that can be awarded through the entertainment industry.
In 2000Joint Security Area achieved huge success, surpassing the benchmark set byShiri. The following sawFriend manage the same. In 2001, the romantic comedyMy Sassy Girl outsoldThe Lord of the Rings andHarry Potter which ran at the same time.Park Chan-wook, the director ofJoint Security Area, has gone on to direct many popular films in Korea and abroad, and is best known forOldboy.Kim Ki-Duk, another well-respected filmmaker who is noted for using minimal dialogue to create an emotional response from the audience, is known especially for3-Iron andSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. As of 2004, new films continue to break records, with many Korean productions achieving greater popularity than Hollywood films.[52] BothSilmido andTaegukgi (The Brotherhood) were watched by over 10 million people, almost a quarter of the Korean population.[53]Silmido is based on a true story about a secret special force, whileTaegukgi is a blockbuster about theKorean War from the director ofShiri. The social satire and monster movieThe Host (2006) broke Korean box office records and grossed $1.8 million in the United States.[54]
This success attracted the attention ofHollywood. Films such asShiri are now distributed in theUnited States. In 2001,Miramax bought the rights to an English-language remake of the successful Korean action comedy movie,My Wife is a Gangster.
Many Korean films also reflect the unique circumstances of thedivision andreunification of Korea.
In 2016,Train to Busan, directed byYeon Sang-ho created a new sub division genre of zombie-like film in South Korea. Unlike many more western-made zombie films, Yeon uses an entirely Korean cast to establish and display a Korean-only film. Becoming a Korean zombie blockbuster film,[55] modeled afterShiri(1999),[56]Train to Busan earned a worldwide grossing of US$93.1 million.[57] The film reflects social and economic challenges in a developing South Korean society,[58] creating a realistic perspective of the future.[59]
In 2020,Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, which depicts theeconomic inequality situation in the country, won four awards at the92nd Academy Awards:Best Picture,Best Director,Best Original Screenplay, andBest International Feature Film, becoming thefirst non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.[note 1]
Korean television and especially the short form dramatic mini-series colloquially called "dramas" by Koreans andK-dramas elsewhere have become extremely popular outside of Korea. Dramas were foremost among cultural exports trend in Asia and elsewhere. The trend has driven Korean stars to fame and has greatly boosted the image and prestige of Korean popular culture. One example that the Korean Wave of drama have come into existence is in 1997, when the nationalChina Central Television Station (CCTV) aired a Korean television drama,What is Love All About?, turned out to be a big hit. Responding to popular demand, CCTV re-aired the program in 1998 and recorded the second-highest ratings ever in the history of Chinese television. In 1999, in Taiwan and China, another Korean television drama serialStars in My Heart, became a big hit. Since then, Korean television dramas have rapidly taken up airtime on television channels in countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, which saw media liberalization beginning in the 1990s.[62]
Dramas showcase a wide range of stories, but the most prominent among the export dramas have been romance (All About Eve,Autumn Fairy Tale,Winter Sonata,My Fair Lady,Stairway to Heaven,Full House,My Name is Kim Sam Soon,Goong,My Girl,Boys Over Flowers,Shining Inheritance,You're Beautiful,Heartstrings,Secret Garden,Dream High) and historical fantasy dramas (Dae Jang Geum,Emperor of the Sea,Jumong,Sungkyunkwan Scandal). Korea has also aired their first blockbuster spy drama,IRIS.
WhileThe Simpsons is the best known back-room product of South Korea, many other popular English-language animation series (Futurama,King of the Hill,Avatar: The Last Airbender,SpongeBob SquarePants,Family Guy) have had the basic animation,in-betweening, and coloring done in South Korea; there has also been some South Korean collaborations and minor contributions onanime from Japan. This work is professional, but not necessarily Korean in tone or manner.
Recently, the animationPororo the Little Penguin became one of the most popular cultural exports of South Korea, being exported to 120 countries worldwide.[63] This little blue penguin has 1,500spin-off products and a section in a theme park. Pororo is so powerful that Koreans call him Potongryong ("President Pororo"). According to the Seoul Business Agency, Pororo will generate global sales of 38 billion won (approximately US$36 million)[citation needed] this year, and the brand is worth 389.3 billion won for Iconix (the firm that created it) and others.[64]
K-pop Demon Hunters is an American animated film set in Korea, released on June 20, 2025. It was directed and conceived byMaggie Kang andChris Appelhan, and animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks. The film was later released on Netflix and achieved global box office success. Immediately after its release, it entered the Netflix Top 10 in more than 90 countries and ranked No. 1 in several of them.[65]
InKorean, the termmanhwa (만화;漫畫), derived frommanhua (simplified Chinese:漫画;traditional Chinese:漫畫;pinyin:mànhuà;lit. 'impromptu sketches'), simply means 'comics' but outside the two Korean states, it generally refers to the comics of South Korea, although some comics come from North Korea as well.
Webtoons are digital comics invented in February 2003 by the website Daum in South Korea. "Love Story" by Kang Full was the first successful webtoon that popularized the industry.[66] Naver founded Line Webtoon in June 2004, and launched their website worldwide on July 2, 2004. Other countries including mainland China, India, Taiwan and Singapore have created their own Webtoon Industries.[67]
