HALLYU(K홀릭) (How Korea Captivated the World)

장대환

Chang Dae-whan
Chang Dae-whan is the head of Maekyung Media Group, a leading media company in Korea. Maekyung Media Group encompasses the Maeil Business Newspaper, Korea’s largest paid-circulation economic newspaper; MBN, a broadcasting network; Maekyung Economy, a weekly magazine; Luxman, a monthly magazine; Maekyung Internet, an online news channel; and Maekyung Publishing, a book publishing company.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester in 1973, a master’s degree in international politics from George Washington University in 1976, and both a master’s and doctoral degree in international business administration from New York University in 1987. He served as Prime Minister of Korea in 2002, Chairman of the Korea Newspaper Association from 2005 to 2010, and Chairman of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from 2008 to 2011.
In January 1993, he became the first Korean selected as a next-generation leader by the World Economic Forum, and has presenting national agendas at the Vision Korea National Reporting Conference since 1997, as well as leading global knowledge sharing as Executive Chairman of the World Knowledge Forum for 20 years.
He has written and translated numerous books, including The Republic of Korea We Don’t Know, International Business Negotiations, Forecast for the 21st Century (editor), New Product Millennium (co-author), Knowledge Driver, and One Asia Momentum.

Preface

PART 1 KOREAN IDIOSYNCRACIES THAT FASCINATE FOREIGNERS
Koreans Don’t Take Unattended Wallets
K-food Extravaganza
Deliveries at The Speed of Light
Jeonse, Korea’s Unique Housing Solution That Even Angelina Jolie has Used
Fast Wi-fi Everywhere!
K-medical Service Wins the Hearts of Foreigners
Korea: The World’s Fastest Aging Country
Getting Around Smartly with Korea’s Public Transportation

PART 2 KOREANS MAKING THEIR MARK IN THE WORLD
Korean Leaders at International Organizations
From a Sports Periphery to a Powerhouse
Riding the Korean Wave With BTS, B-boys, Dancers, and Musicians
Did We Miss the Nobel Prize? Fear Not, We Have the Fields Medal!
Koreans Featured in Time Magazine

PART 3 The Power of Culture
From Squid Game to The Glory, K-Content Captivates Viewers Worldwide
K-Content: Soft Power Superstar
Getting to 64.3B K-pop Content Views
Blackpink Boasts the Most YouTube Subscribers Among Artists Worldwide
Korea: The Birthplace of Webtoons
A Nation that Distinguishes Itself in Global Sports
Taekwondo: From Korea’s National Sport to a Global Phenomenon
The Power of the Korean Passport: Visa-free Entry to 192 Countries
Overseas Koreans Agency Supports 7.32M Korean Expats

[Take a break] 10 Reasons Why Korea is an Attractive Destination

PART 4 KOREA, A COUNTRY THAT NEVER GOES DARK
From Aid Beneficiary to Science and Technology Benefactor
K-Power on Display at the Olympiad
Went to Catch Fish, Ended Up Building an Antarctic Science Base
Korea Poised to Become a Space Powerhouse
Powering Korea Via Nuclear Plants
Waiting for a Nobel Prize

PART 5 KOREAN COMPANIES THAT MADE THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE
Small Korean Companies That Conquered Global Niche Markets Worldwide
The Authority of Korean-Made Semiconductors
Korean Cars: Come So Far, Got so Far to Go
From a Clunker to a Luxury Car
One Out of Two Electric Vehicles Worldwide Uses a Korea-Made Battery
Korea's Defense Industry: Largest Arms Export Since the Nation's Founding
The First Korean President to be Invited to the NATO Summit
A Country That Owns the A380 Super-large Passenger Aircraft
Korean Construction Companies Building Landmarks in the Middle East and Asia
Korean Bio Industry Joins the Ranks of Big Pharma
Not an Oil-Producing Country, but the World’s Largest Exporter of Petroleum Products

Discovering Korea’s allure,
as a country of infinite opportunity and dynamic passion

The image of Korea, as perceived by people around the world, is a marvel in itself. Foreigners are often amazed by the civic consciousness of Koreans, exemplified by their reluctance to take wallets left unattended in cafes. For Koreans, enjoying a ‘public transportation system that incorporates IT technology’ and ‘easily accessible free Wi-Fi’ everywhere is a part of daily life, but to foreigners, these are nothing short of wonders.
This book thoroughly captures the unique allure of Korea, a charm unmatched anywhere else in the world. It showcases K-content and K-culture, including Korean dramas and music, as well as K-sports and K-companies. It also proudly highlights Korea’s resilience and strength during the pandemic that swept across the globe.

The Korean Wave That Has Become a Reference for the World!

HALLYU comprises five distinct parts. The first topic is ‘Korean life as seen through the eyes of foreigners.’ Part 1 explores K-food and the unique delivery culture, often featured in global social media’s ‘reaction videos,’ along with the world’s most advanced, fast, and comfortable wireless Internet environment, highly accessible Korean medical services, and public transportation integrated with IT technology.
Part 2 focuses on Koreans making their mark on the global stage. This section highlights the achievements of notable Koreans, including BTS and many others, who excel in various fields. It features sports stars like Son Heung-min and Kim Yuna; ‘time traveler’ pianist Lim Yun-chan; dance team Just Jerk; Lee Seung-hoon, known for his prowess in paper airplane flying competitions; and former Vietnam national soccer team coach Park Hang-seo. Additionally, it introduces ‘small giants’ such as Lee Jong-wook, WHO Tuberculosis Eradication Director; Philip Kim, a scientist contender for the Nobel Prize; and Fields Medal-winning mathematician Professor Huh June.
Part 3 delves into K-content products captivating the world, including Korean dramas, music, and webtoons. It also explores the creative content format ‘Webtoon,’ originating and gaining popularity in Korea; Taekwondo, a martial art loved globally; and the powerful K passport, which allows visa-free entry to 192 countries.
Part 4 illustrates Korea’s evolution from a recipient to a supporter of science and technology. Finally, Part 5 showcases Korean companies excelling in defense, automobile, battery, construction, and semiconductor industries around the world. This section highlights small yet mighty Korean companies, not widely known to the public, that lead the global market with unique technologies developed in challenging environments.


The Korean Conscience that Surprises Foreigners

Long known as a land of etiquette in the East, Korea is a country where belongings left unattended often remain untouched. This aspect of the Korean moral compass is seen as reliable human capital, earning global trust. Part 1 of the book recounts an anecdote from the TV entertainment program “Hankook Saram” involving a hidden camera experiment. In the experiment, a wallet left on an empty table for about four hours was largely ignored by customers, even those sitting right next to it. Eventually, a male customer picked up the wallet, but only to hand it in at the counter. Non-Korean guests on the show were surprised by the locals’ disinterest in the unclaimed wallet. While this behavior might be routine for Koreans, the episode’s demonstration of ‘Korean Conscience’ left a deep impression on foreigners.


The Power of K-content Recognized Worldwide

A range of content products, utilizing the intellectual property (IP) of Korean music, movies, dramas, webtoons, and games, are creating a global buzz. Dramas and movies based on webtoons are becoming box office hits, indicating that Korean webtoons are emerging as a new pillar of the Korean Wave, following K-pop. With the rise of global OTT (online video streaming services) platforms like Netflix, which have transcended borders, various Korean content including dramas, movies, entertainment shows, and animation, are captivating audiences worldwide. Part 3 of the book delves into the power of K-content, highlighted by Netflix’s $2.5 billion investment promise.


The Reason ‘K’ is Included in the Name of Vietnam Science and Technology Research Institute

Part 4 introduces the story behind the establishment of the Vietnamese version of KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology). Established in 1968 as Korea’s first comprehensive science and technology research institute with $10 million received from the U.S. government in exchange for sending Korean troops to the Vietnam War, KIST is synonymous with the history of Korean scientific and technological development. It has played a pivotal role in achieving immediate commercializa