This paper takes “Hallyu” (the Korean Wave) as its core analytical perspective and systematically explores the development logic, practical strategies, and global impact of South Korean cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy. It provides a typical case for the study of the integration of culture and diplomacy. The research first outlines the historical context of South Korean cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy, presenting its evolution from the late 1990s, when the “cultural nation-building” strategy began to take shape (such as the enactment of the “Cultural and Artistic Promotion Act” and the establishment of the Sejong Institute), to the 21st century, when the globalization of “Hallyu” achieved diversified development (with cultural products such as films and music being exported globally), and ultimately transformed South Korea from a “cultural importer” to a “cultural exporter”. Based on this, the paper focuses on analyzing the multi-dimensional strategy system South Korea built, which consists of a “government-led, enterprise-participation, and civil society collaboration” model. The government formulates cultural industry policies, establishes specialized institutions (such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s Cultural Exchange Department), and signs international cooperation agreements to create a top-down framework. Enterprises, represented by Samsung, YG Entertainment, and others, drive global tours of K-pop groups and the overseas distribution of Korean dramas, turning cultural products into dual carriers of both commercial and diplomatic value. Civil society leverages fan communities and social media platforms (such as Twitter and TikTok’s K-pop fan support activities) to create spontaneous networks of cultural dissemination, serving as the “capillaries” of public diplomacy. The study reveals the unique value of “Hallyu”: In terms of national image, it breaks the traditional perception of South Korea as a nation with “war trauma” and shapes a national label of “youth, creativity, and vitality”. In cultural exchange, events such as BTS’s United Nations speech and global discussions triggered by Squid Game have helped build a cross-cultural dialogue bridge. In economic terms, it has led to South Korean cultural industry export revenues ranking among the top in the world, forming an economic growth chain of “cultural exports, followed by tourism, beauty, and other related industries”. The paper also highlights three core challenges facing this model: the communication barriers caused by cultural differences (such as some regions’ skepticism of the “over-commercialization” of K-pop), the sustainability crisis triggered by a lack of content innovation (such as the aesthetic fatigue from the “idol industry assembly line”), and the intensification of global cultural competition (such as market pressure from Japanese anime and Chinese fantasy dramas). Finally, the paper distills practical lessons and proposes that China can reference South Korean experiences, including “combining policy guidance with market vitality,” “integrating cultural symbols with modern communication technologies”, and “coordinating official diplomacy with civil society interactions”, to provide concrete paths for the upgrading of China’s cultural industry, international communication capabilities, and civil diplomacy mechanisms.
References
[1] Nye, J. S. (2019) Soft power and public diplomacy revisited. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 14(1-2), 7-20.
[2] Adoui, A. (2023) International higher education as a soft power tool: Promoting Intercultural understanding and diplomacy in foreign policy. International Higher Education and The Rise of Soft Power as Cultural Diplomacy: A Comparative study of Morocco and South Korea, 51-80.
[3] Ścibiorska-Kowalczyk, I., Cichoń, J. (2021) The significance of cultural policy – case study of South Korea. Sustainability, 13(24), 13805.
[4] Çiçek, A. (2022) Soft power, public diplomacy and public diplomacy techniques: A conceptual evaluation. Turkish Business Journal, 3(6), 103-119.
[5] Ramli, A., Rahman, Z. S. A. (2025) The soft power of South Korea: Analysing the global impact of Squid Game (2021). International Journal of Creative Future and Heritage (TENIAT), 13(2), 57-70.
[6] Elder-Vass, D. (2019) Realism, values and critique. Journal of Critical Realism, 18(3), 314-318.
[7] Roh, T., Kim, S., Kim, T., Yoon, S. H. (2025) Unravelling the key topics of Hallyu: A cultural branding perspective from South Korea. Asia Pacific Business Review, 1-30.
[8] Shujaat, H., Sherazi, S. J., Elahi, K. (2025) Existential strains in Parasite: an analysis of class, power, and despair. Journal of Social Signs Review, 3(06), 126-132.
[9] Parc, J. (2021) Business integration and its impact on film industry: The case of Korean film policies from the 1960s until the present. Business History, 63(5), 850-867.
[10] Kim, Y. (2021) Introduction: Popular culture and soft power in the social media age. The Soft Power of the Korean Wave, 1-38.
[11] Parc, J., Kim, S. D. (2020) The digital transformation of the Korean music industry and the global emergence of K-pop. Sustainability, 12(18), 7790.
[12] Ayhan, K. J. (2020) An exploration of Korean discourses on public diplomacy. Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia, 19(1), 31-42.
[13] Kunkunrat, K. (2024) Korean cultural diplomacy: Uniting society through soft power. Best Journal of Administration and Management, 2(3), 157-162.
[14] Ganghariya, G., Kanozia, R. (2020) Proliferation of Hallyu wave and Korean popular culture across the world: A systematic literature review from 2000-2019. Journal of Content, Community & Communication, 11(6), 177-207.
[15] Uysal, N. (2019) The rise of diasporas as adversarial non-state actors in public diplomacy: The Turkish case. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 14(3), 272-292.
[16] You, W. U. (2018) The rise of China with cultural soft power in the age of globalization. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 8(5), 763-778.
Share and Cite
Yue, Y. (2025) The Strategic Innovation and Global Impact of South Korean Cultural Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy Driven by the Hallyu. Journal of Social Development and History, 1(5), 1-18.