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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Leads the Wave Back to Korea

The megahit movie opens a new chapter for soft power. September 19, 2025, 2:45 PM

Three animated women wag their index fingers.

In 1999, a Beijing newspaper published the first known use of the word hallyu , or Korean Wave, describing the emerging popularity of Korean cultural products abroad. Prior to that time, Korea was an importer rather than an exporter of culture. But following the end of South Korea’s dictatorship in 1987 and the subsequent liberalization of its entertainment industry, Korean television dramas and new K-pop idols swept across Asia.

In the decades since, the Korean Wave has successfully spread beyond the continent, with K-pop groups BTS and Blackpink, K-dramas such as Squid Game , and the Oscar-

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