K-pop Culture Trends and Their Impact in Indonesia

   South Korean culture has developed rapidly and expanded globally in the last two decades. Its existence tends to be accepted by people from all walks of life, giving rise to the Korean Wave phenomenon, also known as Hallyu.

    We can find the Korean Wave phenomenon in Indonesia and its impact is felt in everyday life, especially among the millennial generation. The massive development of information technology due to globalization is the main factor causing the high public enthusiasm for the Korean Wave in Indonesia. The Korean Wave itself is very synonymous with the world of entertainment such as music, drama, and variety shows which are neatly packaged to present Korean culture.

    One of the Korean Wave products that are in great demand by millennials is pop music. Indonesia, which is currently the fourth most populous country in the world, is home to millions of K-pop lovers. The current existence of K-pop influences the preferences of millennials in several ways. For example, the increasingly widespread use of Korean skincare and make-up products, Korean style, consumption of Korean food, and so on. Apart from that, the presence of K-pop has also made various Indonesian products continue to compete to make South Korean artists their brand ambassadors. For example, Tokopedia is working with BTS and BLACKPINK to encourage people to shop on the platform. 

    However, the entry of Korean culture into Indonesia is like two sides of a coin, on the one hand, it brings a positive side. Such as increasing people's love for music, and creativity, and changing people's perspectives to become more open to various aspects of life. This can broaden their horizons about other countries. Due to advances in technology and a large number of fans of Korean bands who often visit Indonesia to perform concerts, of course, this will attract international media to cover it. This can be used as an arena to promote Indonesia to the world. In addition, fans of Korean artists usually form a fanbase or community spread across various regions in Indonesia. Call it BTS, which successfully gave birth to loyal fans around the world known as ARMY. This can create a sense of solidarity, tolerance, mutual respect, mutual cooperation, and mutual support.

    On the other hand, Korean culture has had a negative impact on Indonesia, causing a significant cultural shift and changing the mindset of the younger generation to always follow and emulate all aspects of Korean life. This can also lead to a negative direction in the form of waste. Fans are willing to spend money to buy concert tickets, albums, merchandise, and various other things that are not cheap, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah. Fanaticism towards an idol can also lead to the desire to have even "halu" excessively.