Korea Connect - From Content Craze to Consumer Flywheel

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Korea Connect - From Content Craze to Consumer Flywheel

India | Themes & Tactics EquityJuneResearch24, 2026

Exhibit 1 - India and South Korea to host India-Korea Connect - From Content Craze to

Korea friendship festival

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a joint press statement with South Korean President LeeConsumer Flywheel Jae‑myung, announced that India and South Korea will host a bilateral India-Korea Friendship festival to

celebrate cultural ties between the two countries.

Source: Media articles, JefferiesKorean culture in India has shifted from a niche interest to mainstream .

consumption, anchored by K-pop and K-dramas, driving rapid adoption Exhibit 2 - Snippet from media article

across beauty, food, fashion, & lifestyle. K-beauty is one of the fastest-

growing BPC segments, fueled by Gen Z & Gen Alpha, K-food has evolved

from novelty to scaled adoption across FMCG & QSR. Entertainment serves

as the flywheel, reinforcing consumption across categories.

Niche to lifestyle: Korean culture in India has transitioned into a broad-based lifestyle

phenomenon, with the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a key inflection point. Unlike other global

cultures (Chinese, Japanese, Italian and French) that influence India in silos, Korea spans

beauty, food, fashion & entertainment, creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem that resonates

deeply with younger consumers. This has been driven not just by social media influence but

also by active promotion by the Korean Tourism Organisation.

Entertainment: K-pop & K-dramas are the primary drivers of the Korean wave, amplified by

streaming platforms & social media. Squid Game marked a structural turning point by pushing

Korean content into the mainstream, enabling brands across categories to ride the 'Hallyu'

wave (i.e.