“The K-Culture Effect”

Introduction by series curator Victoria Kim, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Camera, lights, action! Hunter/X (also known as Huntrix) from “KPop Demon Hunters (2025)” performed live at the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026), bringing a beloved animated film phenomenon to life. The three-member crew consisted of singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who provided the vocals for the fictional group in the animated movie, the most-watched Netflix film ever. Their mashup of “Golden” with traditional Korean melodies and dance was outstanding; “Golden” became the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. It also made history as the first K-pop song to win a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. This achievement marks a significant milestone for K-culture.

Korean popular culture, or K-culture, encompasses K-music (often called K-pop), K-drama, K-film, K-literature, K-beauty, K-food, and more. Its global popularity is known as the Korean Wave (Hallyu). K-culture, particularly K-pop, has gained global recognition since the early 2000s, expanding its reach through social media, technological advances, and platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. It’s now common to hear K-pop on U.S. radio stations or to see K-pop artists appear on American talk shows. Given its longstanding presence, why discuss K-culture and its effects in 2026?

While K-pop was initially seen as a popular trend, it has recently gained critical attention, even winning awards at major events like the Oscars. Physical: Asia (2025), a reality competition featuring athletes from eight countries, and two seasons of Culinary Class Wars (2024 and 2025), a reality cooking show, topped Netflix’s global rankings, drawing millions of viewers. In February 2026, Can This Love Be Translated?, a K-drama TV show, was ranked third, and Single’s Inferno: Season 5, a Korean reality dating show, was ranked second among the top 10 non-English Netflix shows.

In other words, K-pop and, more broadly, K-culture, have expanded beyond South Korea to become a cultural and identity marker for many, including American youth. In essence, K-culture has evolved from merely a “Korean thing” into a global phenomenon that shapes international cultures and discourse.

This four-essay series explores how K-culture affects different fields, focusing on journalism, language, and higher education.