9.1 The Beginning of Hallyu: From a Spark in the Northeast to Nationwide Expansion, a 370% Explosion in OTT Viewership

In September 2000, a strange silence fell over the theater districts of Imphal, the capital of Manipur in Northeast India. The Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), one of the region's oldest separatist militant groups, had imposed a total ban on Hindi films and satellite channels. Cinema doors were shuttered, and the face of Shah Rukh Khan vanished from television screens. The RPF's logic was simple: Bollywood was a tool of 'Indianisation' and a form of cultural imperialism aimed at grafting the feudal values of the Hindi heartland onto Manipur. The rebels seized and burned between 6,000 and 8,000 Hindi film video cassettes and CDs.

The cultural vacuum did not last long. Chinese, Thai, and South Korean electronics were flowing through Moreh, a border trading town on the frontier with Myanmar, and among them were pirated CDs and DVDs of Korean films and dramas. No one imagined that these bootleg discs—costing just 10 to 30 rupees, or roughly 200 to 500 Korean won—would completely transform the cultural landscape of Manipur.

Why Korea? The seven states of the Northeast, known as the 'Seven Sisters,' are distinct from mainland India in terms of race, language, and culture. People in this region, who possess Mongoloid features, routinely experienced racial discrimination in major cities like Delhi or Mumbai, and they never saw faces that looked like theirs on Bollywood screens. The faces of Korean actors were different. Their eyes, noses, and skin tones felt familiar to the people of the Northeast. The emphasis on family, respect for elders, and restrained romance in Korean dramas resonated deeply with traditional Manipuri values. Manipuri sociologist Otojit Kshetrimayum explains the phenomenon: "The racial similarity and commonalities in clan-based community culture reduced resistance to Korean content to virtually zero."

In 2008, Hallyu moved beyond pirated DVDs and into mainstream media as Arirang TV began broadcasting on Manipur's cable networks. Family dramas, romance films, travel programs, and cooking shows flooded in, and the youth of Manipur could not take their eyes off the screen. In the markets of Imphal, posters of Korean singers pushed aside those of Bollywood stars. In hair salons, photos of Song Hye-kyo and Bae Suzy were displayed as style guides. In 2008, the government of neighboring Nagaland officially hosted the Indo-Korean Music Festival in Kohima, drawing thousands of young people to performances by Korean musicians.

Yet, mainstream Indian society remained largely unaware of this phenomenon. In the media of Delhi and Mumbai, the Korean craze in the Northeast was dismissed as a mere 'subculture.' No one expected that a trend in a peripheral region inhabited by only tens of millions would eventually shake the entire nation of 1.4 billion.

There were two turning points: the Modi government's 'Digital India' policy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2016, Mukesh Ambani of the Reliance Group launched the telecommunications company 'Jio,' bringing 4G data prices down to virtually zero (see Chapter 4, Section 4.3). Behind this revolutionary price disruption was the Modi government's nationwide investment in fiber-optic infrastructure. As the price of 1GB of data dropped to 10 rupees (approximately 170 Korean won)—the lowest in the world—YouTube and Netflix were placed in the hands of 1.4 billion Indians. On the digital highway that Prime Minister Modi emphasized by saying "data is the new oil," Hallyu—once a tempest in a teapot in the Northeast—began to race across all of India.

The decisive catalyst was COVID-19 in 2020. The nationwide lockdown imposed by the Modi government was one of the longest and strictest in the world. Confined to their homes, 1.4 billion people flocked to smartphones and OTT platforms. As English-language content began to run dry, platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and MX Player aggressively pushed K-dramas, which were fresh and emotionally resonant. 'Crash Landing on You,' 'It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,' and 'Itaewon Class' conquered the living rooms of the Indian middle class. Then, in 2021, 'Squid Game' exploded.

During this period, viewership of K-dramas on Netflix India surged by more than 370% compared to the previous year. For Indian viewers tired of Bollywood’s characteristic exaggerated direction, three-hour runtimes, and mandatory song-and-dance sequences, Korean dramas—with their sophisticated 16-episode structures, restrained emotional lines, and polished cinematography—represented a completely new grammar. OTT platforms began offering dubbing services in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, expanding the Hallyu consumer base from the English-speaking urban elite to the masses in small towns and rural areas. MX Player even created a separate 'K-Drama' category. Korean dramas were no longer a 'niche taste'; they had become a third pillar alongside Bollywood and Hollywood.

When the rebels in the Northeast banned Bollywood, they created a cultural vacuum. Korean content filled that vacuum, and the Modi government's digital revolution carried it across the nation. It took 20 years for an alternative that started with a ban to become the mainstream.

9.2 BTS, BLACKPINK, and Gen Z: 15 Million Consumers, Creating Cover Dances and Fan Art

On a stage at a university festival in Mumbai, five seventeen-year-old girls are perfectly recreating BLACKPINK’s choreography. The cheers from the crowd are indistinguishable from those at a K-pop concert. In the dressing room behind the stage, one participant says, "We learned the choreography from YouTube. We've even memorized most of the Korean lyrics. When our teacher asks why we're learning Korean, we say, 'My dream is to go to Seoul.'"

This scene is repeated across India. India is a young country, with a median age of 28 and 65% of its population under the age of 35. According to Facebook analytics data, there are approximately 15 million active consumers of K-pop and K-dramas in India—a number equivalent to the entire population of some countries. In terms of the size of global K-pop fandoms, India is already ranked within the top six.

To India’s Gen Z, BTS is more than just a musical group. Their 'Love Yourself' message has created an unexpected resonance within the specific context of Indian society. Indian youth face some of the most intense academic competition in the world. The acceptance rate for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) is a mere 1–2%, and student suicides following exam failures have become a grave social issue. The shadows of the caste system, patriarchal family structures, and homophobia still permeate daily life. BTS’s message to "love yourself" has become a psychological escape for Indian youth living in this oppressive environment. As one Indian fan put it, "Until I met BTS, I thought I wasn't good enough."

BLACKPINK delivered a different kind of impact to female fans. In Indian society, women’s self-expression is still heavily restricted. The poise, confidence, and stylistic autonomy BLACKPINK displays on stage have become a visual model of 'self-determination' for Indian girls. BLACKPINK's fashion and makeup have gone beyond mere imitation to become tools for declaring "this is how I want to live" in a conservative society.

What is noteworthy is that Indian fans do not remain passive consumers. They are active 'prosumers'—consumers who also produce. Thousands of teams participate in the 'All India K-Pop Contest' held annually by the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI). Preliminary rounds are held in cities across the country, and more than 1,200 teams advance to the finals. Winning teams represent India at the global competition in Korea.

This activity extends beyond cover dances. Instagram and YouTube are flooded with BTS fan art, creative fan fiction, and reaction videos for Korean idol music videos created by Indian fans. On Telegram and Discord, organized fan clubs plan streaming campaigns and engage in charitable activities for idols' birthdays. In 2022, when a video of BTS member Jungkook humming 'Naatu Naatu' from the Indian film 'RRR' was released, Indian ARMYs went into a frenzy, filling social media with excitement. A bidirectional cultural circulation has begun, where Korean pop stars consume Indian culture and Indian fans reciprocate with passion for Korean stars.

This craze has even broken down language barriers. On the global language-learning app Duolingo, Korean is cited as one of the fastest-growing foreign languages in India. The desire to understand the lyrics of favorite songs and watch live broadcasts without subtitles has led hundreds of thousands of Indian youth to Korean language classrooms. The number of Korean learners in India is growing exponentially, and according to Duolingo data, Korean is among the top foreign languages with surging demand in India. In 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) announced by the Modi government adopted Korean as a recommended second language for Indian schools, placing it on the same level as French and German. While this decision was supported by joint recommendations from the Korean Cultural Centre and the Indian Embassy in Seoul, the decisive factor was the explosive demand from the ground up (see Chapter 7, Section 7.1).

K-pop is also playing an unexpected role in Indian society. In a society constantly fragmented by caste, religion, region, and language, K-pop fandom has become a 'neutral cultural space' that ignores all these boundaries. A Brahmin (highest caste) girl and a Dalit (untouchable) boy dance in the same cover dance team, and Hindus and Muslims participate in the same fan clubs. Before the common denominator of K-pop, India’s chronic social barriers momentarily melt away. In the words of one Indian cultural researcher, "For Indian youth, K-pop is a symbol of 'equal taste' that anyone can enjoy, regardless of class."

The number 15 million might just be the beginning. India has over 800 million internet users, and smartphone penetration is rising sharply every year. Hundreds of millions of Indian youth who have not yet encountered K-pop are waiting as potential consumers. This is exactly why Samsung Electronics uses K-pop imagery in its Galaxy smartphone marketing and why Korean companies are focusing on target marketing for Gen Z.

9.3 K-Beauty, K-Food, and K-Fashion: Spreading Across the Entire Lifestyle

The admiration that began with dramas and music has moved beyond the screen and into the vanity tables, dining tables, and closets of Indians. Affinity for Korean culture has begun to change consumption patterns across the entire lifestyle.

Let’s start with K-beauty. The surge of Korean brands in the Indian cosmetics market can be summarized in two words: 'Glass Skin.' Traditionally, the Indian beauty market has been dominated by Western brands emphasizing heavy makeup, strong eyeliner, and bright skin tones. The transparent, dewy skin of actors in K-dramas has flipped this formula. The Korean skincare philosophy of "making the skin itself healthy rather than covering it with color" has begun to fundamentally change Indian women's concepts of beauty.

The numbers prove this. The Indian K-beauty market is projected to grow from approximately $400 million in 2024 to $1.5 billion by 2030. With an average annual growth rate of 25.9%, it is more than double the growth rate of the overall Indian beauty market (12%). The number of K-beauty buyers is also predicted to increase from about 11.9 million in 2024 to over 27 million by 2030. On Nykaa, India’s largest beauty platform, Korean brands have recorded a growth rate 2.5 times higher than the platform average. Brands like COSRX, TONYMOLY, The Face Shop, and LANEIGE have secured a place in Indian women's skincare routines.

One reason Korean cosmetics have succeeded in India lies in an unexpected point of convergence. For consumers familiar with Ayurveda, India’s traditional medicine, Korean cosmetics emphasizing natural ingredients like ginseng, green tea, snail mucin, and Cica were accepted without resistance. The K-beauty philosophy of "natural ingredients over chemical ones" aligned with the naturalistic tradition of Ayurveda. Product categories like the 10-step skincare routine, sheet masks, essences, and toner pads quickly became mainstream through introductions by YouTube beauty influencers.

The spread of K-food is even more dramatic. Scenes of drama protagonists boiling ramyun in nickel-silver pots or clinking soju glasses stimulated both the appetite and curiosity of Indian viewers. A key factor behind the success of Korean ramyun in India is the Indian preference for spicy flavors. To Indian palates seasoned by masala and chili, the spiciness of Korean ramyun was not an alien challenge but a familiar pleasure.

Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeum Myeon (Fire Noodles) is a symbol of this connection. The 'Fire Noodle Challenge' that started on YouTube spread like a rite of passage for YouTubers and influencers across India. Samyang Foods' overseas sales in 2024 reached 1.34 trillion won, a 65% increase from the previous year. Buldak Bokkeum Myeon has become a global hit with over 1 billion units sold annually in 100 countries, and India is one of the core markets for this growth.

Korean ramyun, which used to be found only in the import sections of large supermarkets, is now delivered within 10 minutes via quick-commerce apps like Blinkit and Zepto. Tteokbokki, gimbap, and kimchi-jjigae have appeared on the menus of restaurants in Delhi and Mumbai. Localization to suit India’s unique food culture is also progressing rapidly. Considering the significant vegetarian population, vegan kimchi without fish sauce and vegetarian ramyun without meat components have been released. For Hindus who do not eat beef, Korean menus based on chicken and mutton are being developed. Eating Korean food provides cultural satisfaction beyond the culinary experience, allowing fans to say, "I am eating the same food the protagonist in the drama ate."

The speed at which K-fashion is spreading is also formidable. Park Seo-joon's style in 'Itaewon Class,' the tracksuits in 'Squid Game,' and BLACKPINK’s stage costumes had an immediate impact on the Indian online fashion market. Categories like 'K-Drama Style' and 'K-Pop Fashion' have appeared on major fashion e-commerce sites like Myntra and Ajio. Oversized T-shirts, bucket hats, pastel-toned clothing, and cargo pants have become the uniforms of Indian university campuses. The neat, minimalist aesthetic of Korean fashion, which contrasts with the vibrant and primary-colored traditional Indian attire, is becoming the standard of 'sophisticated modernity' for urban youth.

At the foundation of this lifestyle expansion lies the brand trust built over 30 years by large Korean corporations like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai (see Chapter 8, Sections 8.1 and 8.3). The sight of a Samsung TV in the living room, an LG refrigerator in the kitchen, and a Hyundai car in the garage of an Indian home has effectively reduced resistance to 'Made by Korea' to zero. This trust naturally migrated to the new domains of cosmetics, food, and fashion. Indian consumers, who once perceived Korea as a 'country that makes good products,' have now begun to perceive it as a 'country with a lifestyle to emulate.'

9.4 Historical Ties and the Reduction of Psychological Distance

The cultural affinity between Korea and India did not emerge overnight. From the legend of Queen Heo Hwang-ok dating back to AD 48, to the poem Rabindranath Tagore sent to Korea in 1929, and First Lady Kim Jung-sook's invitation as the chief guest at the 2018 Ayodhya Deepotsav festival, the threads connecting the two nations are woven in multiple layers (this is covered in detail in Chapter 7, Section 7.1).

What is noteworthy here is the practical impact this historical foundation has on modern Hallyu.

In cultural reception, there is a concept called 'psychological distance.' No matter how attractive content is, if it comes from a completely alien culture, resistance to its reception arises. The legend of Queen Heo, Tagore's poetry, and friendly exchanges between the heads of state have led Indians to perceive Korea not as a 'complete stranger' but as something akin to a 'distant relative.' The success of K-dramas in India is rooted in this deep-seated reduction of psychological distance.

An emotional common denominator is also at work. Korea’s culture of 'Jeong' and its Confucian values are surprisingly similar to the sentiments of India’s large-family-centered society. While Hollywood content often deals with individualism and free-spiritedness, Korean content packages values like family conflict and reconciliation, pure love, and the triumph of good over evil with modern sophistication. It is no coincidence that Indians discover values they hold dear in Korean dramas and resonate with them deeply.

The theory that hundreds of similar words like 'Umma' (Mom) and 'Appa' (Dad) exist between Tamil in South India and Korean adds an academic basis to this affinity. Scholars studying the phonological and grammatical similarities between the two languages raise the possibility of exchanges via ancient maritime trade routes. While not scientifically confirmed, this theory itself instills a perception among the people of both nations that "we are closer than we thought."

Food is a specific place where this cultural fusion occurs. There is a natural common denominator between the Indian diet, which enjoys spiciness, and Korean food culture. Kimchi is placed next to Indian roti or naan, and Korean seasoned chicken sauce is applied to Indian paneer dishes. This is not a one-way cultural transmission, but a fusion based on mutual understanding and respect.

In November 2018, in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh—one of the holiest cities in Hinduism—First Lady Kim Jung-sook attended the Deepotsav festival as the chief guest. Inviting the Korean First Lady to a site of Hindu nationalism, where tens of thousands of oil lamps lit the banks of the Sarayu River, was an unprecedented move. Through this event, Prime Minister Modi delivered the message that Korea and India are family linked by blood from 2,000 years ago. This narrative, connecting Ayodhya—the presumed home of Queen Heo—with Gimhae in Korea, is becoming a psychological gateway through which Indians embrace Korean culture beyond mere diplomatic rhetoric.

9.5 Economic Ripple Effects: 84.5% Favorability (2nd in the World), Over 70% Purchase Intent

Numbers do not lie.

According to the 2024 Overseas Hallyu Status Survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) among 25,000 people in 26 countries, India’s favorability toward Korean cultural content reached 84.5%. This is the second highest in the world, following Indonesia (86.3%). This means more than eight out of ten Indians have a positive image of Korean culture. The percentage of respondents who said their perception of Korea turned positive after experiencing Korean culture was 85.3%, ranking second in the world after the UAE (85.9%). This figure is overwhelming compared to Japan (38.8%) or Italy (48.7%).

This favorability directly translates into spending. In the same survey, the intent to purchase Korean products or services among those who have experienced Hallyu was 70.7% in India, ranking it in the top five globally after Egypt (75.6%), Saudi Arabia (73.0%), the UAE (72.9%), and Vietnam (72.1%). The Korean products they wished to purchase were food (64.7%), travel to Korea (61.8%), visiting Korean restaurants (61.4%), cosmetics (54.0%), and clothing (52.8%). The percentage of respondents who said that consuming cultural content leads to the purchase of related industries reached 57.9%.

Let’s apply what these figures mean to the reality of Korean companies.

Samsung Electronics maintains a firm position as a premium brand in the Indian smartphone market. Hyundai and Kia hold the second largest share of the Indian automobile market, dominating the SUV segment. LG Electronics is a leading group in the Indian white goods market. The achievements of these companies, built through 30 years of technological prowess and localization strategies, are clear. However, Hallyu has provided these companies with an invisible asset: the 'Korea Premium.'

When LG and Samsung first entered India in the late 1990s, Korea's image was roughly that of a 'country that makes good-value appliances.' Differentiation from Chinese or Japanese products was not easy. Hallyu changed this perception. Korea is now a 'sophisticated, hip, advanced country with a lifestyle to emulate.' Using a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, driving a Hyundai car, and using LG appliances has gone beyond being a 'rational choice' to becoming a 'trendy choice.' In a situation where Chinese products are launching low-price offensives and resistance to Chinese products has grown due to India-China border conflicts since 2020, Korean products have established themselves as an attractive alternative.

The institutional support of the Modi government is also noteworthy. The Indian government established 'Korea Plus,' a one-stop service dedicated to Korean companies, and set up a system to quickly resolve investment difficulties. When Prime Minister Modi personally attended the completion ceremony of Samsung Electronics' world-largest smartphone factory in 2018 and praised it as a "success model for Make in India," it was a national-level certification of Korean products. The two countries have set a goal to achieve $50 billion in trade by 2030 (see Chapter 7, Section 7.2).

The economic ripple effects of Hallyu are not limited to large corporations. Krafton’s mobile game 'Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)' has become a national game in India. Orion’s Choco Pie has become a national snack. The K-beauty market is expected to grow to $1.5 billion by 2030, and K-food is rapidly encroaching on the premium segment of India’s massive processed food market. Opportunities for Korean companies to enter service industries such as edutech, webtoons, and gaming are also widening.

However, there are shadows behind these rosy figures. In the same KOFICE survey, the percentage of respondents in India who agreed with negative perceptions of Hallyu was 52.7%, the highest among all 26 countries surveyed. The main negative factors cited were that it is "too provocative/suggestive (24.9%)", "monotonous and cliché (22.0%)", and "too commercial (21.1%)". As the popularity of Hallyu increases, so does the backlash. This paradox—where 84.5% favorability and 52.7% negative perception coexist—is also a signal that Hallyu has entered a period of maturation in India. As the initial freshness fades, the next level of challenges, such as 'content quality' and 'cultural sensitivity,' are emerging.

Competition with Bollywood, India's massive entertainment industry, remains fierce. Prime time on TV and radio is still dominated by Indian film music, and it is realistically difficult for K-pop to replace the mainstream Indian music market.

Nevertheless, the 84.5% favorability and over 70% purchase intent tell a clear truth. Hallyu, which has touched the hearts of 1.4 billion people, is not a passing fad but a structural driver redrawing the economic map between Korea and India. More than eight out of ten Indians like Korea. That number may point to the future of the two countries more accurately than any political declaration or diplomatic rhetoric.