K-Wave 3.0

At the end of November last year, the '2025 Korea Game Week' was held at the OEG Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam. This event, now in its third year, aims to foster exchange between the gaming industries and cultures of Korea and Vietnam, and attracted a crowd of over 5,000 people. During the three-day event, preliminary and final rounds were held for three esports competitions?League of Legends (LoL), PUBG Mobile, and CrossFire?all of which enjoy high popularity in both countries. Ragephil (real name: Tran Bao Minh), who plays for the Korean esports team DRX, also attended the event to meet his home country’s fans. Local game enthusiasts enjoyed a talk show with Ragephil, asking questions they had always wondered about, and, as if meeting their idol, requested autographs and commemorative photos, creating a joyful atmosphere. Ragephil is the first foreign player to participate in the League of Legends Champions Korea Cup (LCK), the top-tier e

#Lotte Mall Westlake Hanoi, facing West Lake, the largest lake in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. The fountain in the plaza in front of the entrance changed its lights and water jets in real time to the rhythms of K-pop hits like Psy's "Gangnam Style" and Big Bang's "Haru Haru." Young women dressed up in their best and parents with young children repeatedly pressed the shutter on their mobile phone cameras, capturing the fountain and the mall in the background. Inside, from the white-toned interior to familiar storefronts such as the unlimited tteokbokki buffet "Dookki," the Chinese restaurant "Yeongyeong," and the snack shop "Sibwonppang," the mall appears to be a direct transplant of a Korean shopping mall. Since opening in September 2023, Westlake Hanoi Mall has entered its fourth year and has established itself as a local landmark, encompassing both Korean shopping culture and the everyday lives of local residents. Transplanting the Full Korean Shopping Experience... The Spread

The Lotteria Lac Long Quan branch offers a view of West Lake, the largest lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. When ordering the Chicken Ball Rice for 46,000 dong (about 2,500 won), a plate arrives with about ten pieces of popcorn chicken, a serving of rice made with Indica rice, a fried egg, tomato, and cabbage salad. Taking a bite of the popcorn chicken, coated in a glossy sauce, a strong sweetness spreads in the mouth. Woojoo Lee, Head of Operations at Lotteria Vietnam, explained, "Our research and development team, made up of local staff, has localized the sauce consistency and chicken seasoning to suit the Vietnamese preference for rice and chicken combinations at quick service restaurants (QSR), rather than burgers." In Korea, burger sales account for more than 70% of Lotteria's total sales, while chicken items make up less than 5%. In Vietnam, however, chicken menu items account for more than 50% of sales. This is because local consumers prioritize satiety and value for money when choosing d

Jaeseon Uh, Head of Cosmax Japan Corporation, warned, "If no action is taken for K-beauty by the first half of this year, its growth momentum will decline from the second half onward." In an interview with The Asia Business Daily conducted last month at the Cosmax Japan office near Nihonbashi Station in Tokyo, Uh stated, "Approaching the Japanese market with the complacent belief that K-beauty is 'doing well' here could be disastrous." He explained that while K-beauty has become a daily consumer product in Japan, there is a need for vigilance, as Japanese cosmetic brands with strong cost-effectiveness could flood the market by emulating K-beauty. Cosmax Japan is the Japanese subsidiary of Cosmax, an original design manufacturer (ODM) specializing in cosmetics, producing products for local brands. As the world's largest cosmetics ODM, Cosmax operates manufacturing plants in Shanghai and Guangzhou in China, New Jersey in the United States, Jakarta in Indonesia, and Bangkok in Thailand. D

Last month, Japan's largest beauty select shop, Atcosme Tokyo (@come TOKYO), was bustling with a long queue of people waiting to enter the popup store for the Japanese beauty brand Yunth. Located in Harajuku, a shopping district frequently visited by Japanese Millennials & Gen Z and tourists, the store featured a large photo of BTS member V, which instantly caught the attention of visitors. Yunth appointed V as its ambassador on October 29 last year. As a result, some visitors mistakenly thought Yunth was a K-beauty brand. Even a staff member at the Yunth popup described it as a "Korean brand." At the popup, Ms. Shibata (22) said, "I thought it was a Korean brand because V is the model," expressing her surprise. This is an example of how, as K-beauty gains popularity in Japan, even local brands are being mistaken for Korean cosmetics. In fact, at the Shibuya branch of Matsumoto Kiyoshi, one of Japan’s three major drugstores, K-beauty brands occupied about 10 out of 30 displays, and at

After driving about an hour and a half from Tokyo Station, we arrived at the 'CJ CheilJedang Chiba New Factory.' The familiar logo stood out on the massive building situated amid quiet farmland. With the CJ Food logo and a 'Bibigo' sign, this facility is the first local dumpling production plant established by CJ CheilJedang in Japan, the 'land of gyoza,' marking a first for the Korean food industry. The building covers an area of 8,200 square meters (2,486 pyeong), roughly the size of a soccer field. Since acquiring the local company 'Gyoza Keikaku' in 2020, CJ CheilJedang has operated a total of four dumpling factories in Osaka, Gunma, Akita, and Fukuoka. However, this is the first time the company has built its own production facility. The local factory construction project, which began in December 2022, was completed in September last year. The investment alone amounted to about 100 billion won.From ingredient preparation to packaging... Bibigo's Forward Base in JapanThe factory pr

"Global demand for K-food shows no signs of cooling down." On January 18 (local time), the U.S. economic news channel CNBC highlighted the global expansion of Korean food, stating this trend. The broadcast specifically identified instant noodles as a key product driving the growth of K-food. As ramen frequently appears in globally popular K-pop and Korean dramas, demand is spreading not only in the United States and Europe but also in Central Asia and the Middle East. The report also noted that rising prices and the increased cost of living are fueling demand for ramen, which is a relatively affordable meal option. In fact, exports of K-food, including domestic instant noodles, to the United States are surging. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea International Trade Association on January 20, exports of Korean food to the United States reached 1.8 billion dollars (approximately 2.6541 trillion won) last year, up 13.2%. By category, snacks acco

At 7 p.m. on January 15 (local time), Korea Town on 32nd Street in Manhattan, New York, was bustling. The Korean fried chicken brand BBQ was packed with locals eager to enjoy "chimaek" (chicken and beer). The tables in the basement level were already full early in the evening, and young professionals and university students in their 20s and 30s clinked beer glasses over plates of chicken, enjoying their dinner time. It was also common to see customers ordering a variety of Korean dishes, such as tteokbokki and kimchi fried rice, alongside the chicken. Madison, a university student who frequents the store, said, "There is a BBQ store near my school, so my friends and I visit about twice a month. My interest in Korean food grew after discovering K-food online, and now I enjoy not only chicken but also various Korean dishes, experiencing a whole new food culture." Despite being a weekday evening, Korea Town in Manhattan was lively with locals eager to enjoy Korean cuisine and K-culture. M

"Popular culture can disappear quickly, like a 'brilliant fountain.' To sustain the vitality of K-brands and industries for over 30 years, we must ensure that 'everyday culture' continues to flow like groundwater." Lee Ilyeol, former director of the French Cultural Center in Paris, shared these insights on the global sustainability of K-brands in a recent interview with The Asia Business Daily. He stated, "K-content such as BTS and Blackpink can serve as powerful entry points, but they are highly volatile," adding, "Given that the bubble could burst at any moment, the current situation is more like an extended period of infatuation." According to Lee, Paris is currently in the stage of having a favorable impression of Korean culture, and cultivating dedicated Korean culture enthusiasts will be key to achieving sustainable growth. At present, the Korean Wave in France is led by popular culture, including K-content and K-pop. The core consumers are young people in their teens and twent

"I'm going over to my brother's house and planning to prepare pork ribs for dinner." At the end of last year, at the well-known Korean supermarket "Kmart" located in the Opera district (Rue Sainte-Anne) of Paris, France, I met Maxim Carbon (27 years old). He filled his shopping basket with gochugaru labeled "100% Taeyangcho," pine mushrooms, radish, gochujang, and tempura flour. Carbon, who first encountered Korean cuisine during a year living in Sillim-dong, Seoul, couldn't forget the flavors even after returning to France, so he continued to seek out Korean restaurants in Paris. However, as most local Korean restaurants were run by Chinese owners, he found the taste lacking in authenticity. Eventually, he began making kimchi himself, frying chicken, and cooking various stews at home. Recently, he even made jokbal by following recipes on YouTube. Carbon's parents' favorite food is Bibigo frozen dumplings by CJ CheilJedang. They always keep them stocked in the freezer. He explained, "