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How Korean Culture Went Global : Throughline From BTS to Squid Game to high-end beauty standards, South Korea reigns as a global exporter of pop culture and entertainment. How does a country go from a war-decimated state just 70 years ago, to a major driver of global soft power? Through war, occupation, economic crisis, and national strategy, comes a global phenomenon - the Korean wave.

Throughline

How Korean Culture Went Global

How Korean Culture Went Global

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  • Members of the South Korean pop group BTS visit the White House on May 31, 2022.
    Members of the South Korean pop group BTS visit the White House on May 31, 2022.
    Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
  • South Korean singer Psy performs his hit single "Gangnam Style" during a concert in Istanbul on February 22, 2013.
    South Korean singer Psy performs his hit single "Gangnam Style" during a concert in Istanbul on February 22, 2013.
    OZAN KOZE/AFP/OZAN KOZE/AFP via Getty Images
  • Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wear masks costumed in the Netflix series Squid Game for a march to Seoul City hall during a rally against the government's labor policy on October 20, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea.
    Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wear masks costumed in the Netflix series Squid Game for a march to Seoul City hall during a rally against the government's labor policy on October 20, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea.
    Chris Jung/NurPhoto/Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images
  • Kwak Sin-ae, Bong Joon-ho, cast and crew of Parasite at the 92nd Oscars in February, 2020.
    Kwak Sin-ae, Bong Joon-ho, cast and crew of Parasite at the 92nd Oscars in February, 2020.
    Eric McCandless/Eric McCandless via Getty Images

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From BTS to Squid Game to high-end beauty standards, South Korea reigns as a global exporter of pop culture and entertainment. How does a country go from a war-decimated state just 70 years ago, to a major driver of global soft power? Through war, occupation, economic crisis, and national strategy, comes a global phenomenon - the Korean wave.