Ramyeon Mogole?

How the Korean aesthetic took over the Indian market and mindspace

- Rakhi Bose

IT’S December 2012 in Kolkata and the same song blares from pubs, nightclubs and wedding parties across the city— on repeat. That year, every disc jockey and the inevitable musician cousin in charge of music at family events were grooving to the same beats: “Oppa Gangnam Style…”

“It was a huge hit in Kolkata,” city resident and K-pop enthusiast Arghya Mukherjee recalls.

The smash-hit song by South Korean rapper PSY shattered all conceivable records of popularity, becoming a global phenomenon and the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube. Celebrities across the globe—from MC Hammer to Amitabh Bachchan—shook a leg to its campy choreography.

While PSY might remain a one-hit wonder, Gangnam Style achieved something bigger than the artist could have imagined. It opened the floodgates for Hallyu, the great South Korean cultural wave that has continued to grow ever since. “I remember not really liking the song at the time, but looking back, it was probably the first major Korean export to go viral in India. BTS was formed in 2013 and everyone knows what happened next,” says Mukherjee, a proud member of BTS’ Army fandom.

The 33-year-old now runs a Korean eatery named ‘Yum Yum Korea Corner’ in Kolkata’s coveted Gol Park neighbourhood, offering a menu that spans corndogs, tteok-bokki, ramen, kimbap, bibimbap, bulgogi, soju and, of course, kimchi. “The popularity of K-culture started with K-pop and then K-dramas. Now, everything Korean is in vogue,” says Mukherjee.

It took him over two years to perfect the menu. “I realised that many people became interested in Korean food because of the K-dramas that gained popularity in 2020. I wanted to offer an affordable way for K-culture fans to taste the food they see on these shows.”