The Global Dynamics of Hallyu

This volume offers an innovative rethinking of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) as a dynamic global phenomenon shaped not only by Korean cultural industries but also by the creative agency of international audiences. This volume offers an innovative rethinking of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) as a dynamic global phenomenon shaped not only by Korean cultural industries but also by the creative agency of international audiences. Global Dynamics of Hallyu moves beyond Korea centric and production focused interpretations to conceptualize Hallyu as a “third culture” and “regulative mode,” a framework that reveals how global audiences co produce meanings, aesthetics, and affective communities around Korean popular culture. Through comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives, the contributors trace Hallyu’s evolution across K pop, K drama, K literature, K beauty, and cultural policy. The chapters highlight its deep entanglement with digital technologies, transnational fandoms, and post COVID cultural shifts. With case studies from China, Bangladesh, France, and the wider digital platform economy, the volume demonstrates that Hallyu is not a one way cultural export but an evolving communicative ecosystem that continually negotiates identity, technology, and globalization. Empirically rich and analytically sharp, Global Dynamics of Hallyu is an essential reference for understanding contemporary global culture through the lens of media convergence and transnational exchange. It will appeal to scholars and advanced students in media and cultural studies, Korean studies, transnational communication, and global popular culture, as well as professionals working in cultural policy, creative industries, and international cultural relations.