HALLYU INDIA!

The third edition of India's largest Korean cultural festival, Rang De Korea, explains the craze for Korean culture with K-pop performances, K-beauty booths, food stalls and a talent contest that is the golden ticket for young Indians to be the next K-pop idol. TMS decodes the Hallyu wave at its peak.

- PRIYAMVADA RANA

IN 2012, when most of the millennials and Gen-Z were in school, no one could have predicted the ripple effect that Korean star PSY's viral Gangnam Style' would create.

Watching classmates mimic the 'horse-riding' dance step became many young Indians' first brush with Korean culture. Cut to a decade later, India is swept by Hallayu a Chinese term for the Korean Wave. Korean language learning has surged by 75 percent year-on-year in the country as per language-learning platform, Duolingo. K-drama and Kpop sensations like BTS, Way V, Super Junior, EXO, BLACKPINK, and Itzy, have become a part of subculture for Gen Z. Spicy Korean ramen brands are now found in prominent Indian street-side markets while the K-beauty industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.4 percent from 2021 to 2026, as per a report by Mordor Intelligence.