We are living in the realm of K-culture. Open Netflix and you’ll find Korean drama trending there, sign in to Twitter and you’ll see BTS ARMY dominating the trends, and scroll through Facebook you’ll find hundreds of posts of Korean dramas.
The Korean wave or Hallyu (Korean word for K-culture popularity) is an umbrella term used for the popularity of Korean dramas, fashion, food, and music.
Korean dramas are gaining popularity day by day. Pakistani youth is obsessed with them due to their unique content, engaging storylines, beautiful cinematography and strong characterization.
k- Dramas like ‘‘Crash Landing on You’’ (2019), ‘‘Pinocchio’’ (2014), ‘‘Heirs’’ (2013), and ‘‘Descendants of the Sun’’ (2016) remain youth’s favorite, even years after their release.
Despite the popularity of Pakistani Dramas, K-content is carving out a place in Pakistani society because of its similarity with Pakistani culture. Both Pakistan and Korean cultures are conservative and in them, family holds the central position. The familiarity between the both cultures makes, Korean content more popular than Western content.
Another reason for the k-dramas’ immense popularity is their modest clothes and use of appropriate language. Unlike Pakistani dramas which often portray female victimization and toxic masculine character, Korean dramas showcase strong female leads and exhibit soft masculinity.
Another factor that makes Korean dramas more appealing is their unique topics and diverse themes. Pakistani dramas often revolve around marriage and romance but one can enjoy different themes in Korean dramas like education, science and technology, self-love, friendship, class inequality, mental health and many more.
Aneeba, a student and admirer of Korean dramas, says she loves watching Korean drama series because of their positive and unique content. She adds that Korean dramas are based on unique subjects from which one can learn.
It is the richness of content that makes Korean series, like Vincenzo, trend on Netflix.
In addition to Korean dramas, Korean music is also growing in popularity in Pakistan.
Korean bands like BTS release a song and within no time it becomes popular in Pakistan.
According to data revealed by Spotify, on world music day 2022, k pop bands like BTS, BLACK PINK, TWICE, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Stray Kids, are all avidly streamed by Pakistani listeners.
Pakistani youth enjoy Korean music because of its easy and relatable lyrics.
Safa Khalid, a mass communication major at Punjab University and a BTS fan says I like BTS the most because I enjoy their music and it brings me so much happiness. I like K-pop because I can cry, vibe, rock out, sing along, learn a dance with, and so much more. In general, K-pop music is peaceful and refreshing.
Overall, Korean content has become a source of cultural exchange, and youth in Pakistan are highly engaged with it because it is something they can relate to.
