The Role Of BTS To Squid Game, Spreading South Korean Culture Selling Well Globally

The idol group BLACKPINK became the first Asian artist to fill the main stage of the Coachella music festival, America. (Instagram)

JAKARTA The South Korean drama (Drakor) Squid Game has completed the third season. Despite reaping a number of criticisms, the Squid Game series that has gained global popularity still deserves thumbs up.

Since the first season aired on September 17, 2021, Squid Game immediately stole the world's attention. The series, starring Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun), Lee Byung-hun (Front Man), and Gong Yoo (Salesman), managed to top the list of the most-watched non-English Netflix loyals.

According to various sources, Squid Game S1 broke through 265.2 million views, followed by Squid Game S1 with 192.6 million views.

Squid Game is also said to be able to follow in the footsteps of the Korean bands BTS and BLACKPINK, as well as the film Grammy Awards Parasite which won global success.

The public is also wondering why South Korean culture is now popular around the world. According to experts, the Korean Wave or Hallyuini phenomenon has succeeded in dominating the global creative industry because the economy of the Ginseng Country has been strong.

In recent years, South Korea's creative industry has succeeded in surprising the public. In 2023, BLACKPINK succeeded in becoming the first Asian artist to be selected as the main star of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. This is the largest music festival in North America.

The BTS Idol Group has also been nominated for Grammy Awards several times. Not to mention the film Parasite by Bong Hoon Ho, which won the 92nd Best Picture Academy Awards. Parasite became the first non-English film to win the award.

Parasite's success has had a huge impact because it gives new views on the development of Asian films, especially to viewers of the United States and Europe. Previously, this community group tended to avoid Asian films because they had to use subtitles.

Apart from Parasite and the Squid Game series, the influence of BTS is also very strong in the globalization of K-Pop. The skyrocketing K-Pop fans to more than 100 million is one proof that this HYPE Labels directional group also contributed greatly. BTS also managed to occupy the Billboard TOP 200 to five times.

Whereas in the previous decades, South Korea was only known as a country that excelled in the technology and automotive sectors, but was left behind in the creative economy.

For television, film, and music programs, Japanese products are first global, while South Korea is only enjoyed by spectators in the Asian region. But at this time, it is arguably that the South Korean creative industry has gone global.

"Korea is now one of the world's leading exporters of popular culture with the United States (US), Britain, and Japan," said international study expert from the University of Korea, Andrew Kim in 2022, when attending a workshop held by the Foreign Policy Indonesia (FPCI) and the Korea Foundation.

The current Hallyu phenomenon cannot be separated from South Korea's success as a developed country. As is known, South Korea is the 10th largest economy in the world with a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than US$1.3 trillion.

This fact allows investors to dare to spend capital to help creative industries produce attractive and high-quality products.

Andrew also likens the creative industry in South Korea to the United States. According to him, many people like blockbuster films from Uncle Sam's country because their film studios have the capital or money to invest.

Andrew also highlighted the role of the South Korean government behind the global Hallyu phenomenon. In 1994, the South Korean government proposed that the creative industry become a national strategic industry.

The proposal was inspired by the success of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park film, whose profit is equivalent to the sales figure of South Korea's proud car, Hyundai.

"It's enough to make Korean and public policymakers aware of cultural ideas as an industry," he said.

The Hallyu phenomenon is also assisted by the role of the South Korean entertainment agency. Andrew explained how entertainment agencies there can manage all important aspects independently, ranging from finding talent, training artists, producing works, to promoting them.

"It means, unlike in the West, in Korea if you are appointed by the entertainment agency everything will be done for you, starting from written songs, choreography, publicity, everything. So that's the strategic factor," Andrew concluded.