On the Crest of a K-Wave

South Korea, under constant threat of war, has taken over world entertainment. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-Chon reveals how

- TOM O'CONNOR

SOUTH KOREA'S TOP OFFICIAL TASKED WITH Promoting the seemingly miraculous campaign of exporting entertainment to international audiences has revealed to Newsweek the secret recipe to success in the hands of a nation still divided after nearly eight decades.

The phenomenon, known as the "K-Wave," or Hallyu in Korean, first began to rise across East Asia in the late 1990s, amid an explosion of cultural expression as the country emerged from a regional financial crisis and rigid military leadership. Today, a vibrant and democratic South Korea has become synonymous in households around the world with some of the most popular music, television series and cinema, producing megastar performers like BTS, binge-worthy shows like Squid Game and universally acclaimed movies like Parasite, the only foreign-language film so far to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The outsized impact for the emerging soft power giant comes despite the nuclear-charged threats of neighboring North Korea that loom from a yet unresolved conflict now intensifying over inflamed geopolitical frictions.

"The war is not over yet. It is in a state of rest," South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-Chon told Newsweek in an exclusive interview at the grand opening of the eight-story Korea Center New York. "So, you may say, 'Well, does that mean it's dangerous?" "Well, it is true that you always have to be aware that there is tension," the famous actor-turned-politician said. "But as artists, people will sort of rise over that and use that for another way to express their creativity."

Turning Crisis Into Opportunity