Radio interview on Korean pop culture

Thank you to Lance Alexander and Soo Sien Tay for having me on CNA938 radio yesterday to chat about the impact of Korean pop culture on our local Singapore culture.

I’ve been observing the growth of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) for over 20 years – Winter Sonata was 22 years ago (!!) – and there are many lessons on how you package and market soft power.

For one thing, you need a tangible target. The Korea government has a clear goal to grow its cultural exports from $15 billion USD in 2023 to $22 billion USD in 2027. The ambition must be made concrete before other things can happen.

Also, it’s hard to keep making hit shows and songs. Culture should be transmitted in parallel through cuisine and consumables. Maybe that’s why I have kimchi stew every week and I only use Samsung phones :).

Here’s the link to the radio interview.