Digiryu: Spreading Korean Culture Online

The internet has helped spread Korean pop culture faster than Manchester United's famed Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung runs down field. Sites like Soompi and All Kpop have helped expose many people in the West to Girls' Generation, Big Bang, bibimbap and BB Cream for the first time. Malaysia and Japan have their own sites dedicated to Korean pop culture as well.

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On YouTube, K-Pop videos have been viewed more than 23 billion times, according to a recent article in the Hankook Ilbo. That's enough for every person on the planet to have seen 3.5 videos.

But it's been thanks to global social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter that Korean superstars have really been able to connect with their fans abroad. It took singer BoA five years to become a hitmaker in Japan, but Super Junior - possibly the most social media savvy band in the world - achieved similar success almost overnight. (They have more than 4 million Facebook fans.)

According to the previously mentioned article, social media is a major force in promoting K-pop globally, especially since people are increasingly more open to entertainment from other cultures and countries. Giant entertainment agencies have also played a role in popularizing Korean pop music, movies and TV shows, determining what people want and delivering it consistently, time and time again.

One way social media has been important is in allowing fans in their teens and twenties create their own content related to the Korean pop culture. There are countless YouTube videos of K-Pop fans around the world sing cover songs or dancing to K-Pop music.

Love of one Korean cultural export may lead to people trying others, or even buying Korea's more traditional exports like electronics and automobiles. "Wider choice in content for fans could lead to more brand awareness for Korean goods in fashion, beauty, food and electronics. (Who haven't had a good ramen after watching a Korean television program and who doesn't own a television from Samsung or LG?)", said the article.

Are you a fan of Korean music, culture, food, products, movies or TV? What's your favorite and why? Tell us in the comments?