From K-Pop to Democracy: Why Over 82% of the World Now Likes South Korea

More than eight out of ten foreigners report a favorable view of South Korea, marking the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2018.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 2025 National Image of Korea survey found that foreign favorability toward South Korea reached 82.3%, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from the previous year. This represents the highest score in the survey’s history.

By country, the United Arab Emirates recorded the highest favorability rating at 94.8%, followed by Egypt (94.0%), the Philippines (91.4%), Türkiye (90.2%), India (89.0%), and South Africa (88.8%). The United Kingdom and Thailand showed notable year-on-year increases, rising by 9.2 and 9.4 percentage points to 87.4% and 86.2%, respectively.

China and Japan, which have historically shown lower favorability levels, also recorded increases. China’s favorability rose to 62.8%, while Japan’s reached 42.2%, more than double its 2018 level of 20.0%, according to the ministry.

Cultural content was identified as the most influential factor driving positive perceptions of South Korea, cited by 45.2% of respondents. The impact of Korean cultural exports was particularly strong in Asian countries, including the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Other contributing factors included modern lifestyle culture, products and brands, and overall economic level.

Video platforms were the most common channel through which foreigners encountered Korean content, followed by social media and internet websites. YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime were the most frequently used video services, while Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook were the leading social platforms.

In-depth interviews with foreign students and international journalists living in Korea highlighted positive evaluations of the country’s democratic resilience. Participants noted that despite visible political challenges in 2025, Korea demonstrated institutional stability and democratic adaptability.

The survey was conducted online between October 1 and 31, 2025, targeting 13,000 respondents aged 16 and older across 26 countries.