”BTS” is the most favorite singer chosen by foreigners...Actor Lee Minho is No. 1

For the eighth year in a row, foreigners who have experienced the Korean Wave chose "K-POP" as the first image that comes to mind when they think of Korea.
According to the "2025 Overseas Korean Wave Survey" (based on 2024) released on the 7th, the first image that comes to mind when thinking of Korea is K-POP (17.8%).
has maintained its No. 1 position as the image that represents Korea since the 2017 survey, followed by Korean food (11.8%), TV series (8.7%), beauty (6.4%), and movies (5.6%).
Among K-POP singers and groups that foreigners like, "BTS" (24.6%) and "BLACKPINK" (12.3%) have been on the list for 7 and 6 consecutive years, respectively.
They took first and second place. Among actors, Lee Min-ho (7.0%) has been ranked first for 12 consecutive years since 2014. New releases in 2024 are also attracting attention as they are ranked highly in the list of favorite TV series and movies.
Among TV series, "Squid Game" (9.7%) was the most popular for the fourth consecutive year, while last year's works such as "Queen of Tears" (6.5%) and "Run with Seongje" (1.8%) were also ranked.
Among movies, "Parasite" (8.3%) and "Train to Busan" (6.5%) ranked first and second, respectively, for the sixth consecutive year.
The percentage of people who said they liked Korean cultural content was 70.3%. The favorability rating for "Korean language," which was included in the survey for the first time, was 75.4%, higher than the average (70.3%).
In a survey on the intention to recommend Korean cultural content, 68.2% answered that they intended to recommend it. Among those who have experienced the Korean Wave, the percentage of those who intend to purchase Korean products and services was
However, as the popularity of the Korean Wave has increased, negative perceptions of the Korean Wave have also increased. When asked whether they agreed with the negative perceptions of the Korean Wave, 37.5% said they agreed.
The survey was conducted online from November 29 to December 27 last year, targeting 26,400 people from 28 countries who have experience with Korean cultural content.