Kulture Issue_Taking a look back at the development of hallyu ahead of APEC summit

Gyeongju is hosting this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The APEC summit takes place in late October to early November this year.

As a city that can best showcase South Korea's unique identity, Gyeongju may be seen as the root of hallyu.

With that in mind, today we want to take a look back at the history of the Korean Wave from the period Korea joined APEC in 1989 until today.

We're going to do that with Professor David Tizzard at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University, who is now connected with us.

Hello Professor Tizzard!

Korea joined APEC in 1989. Back then, no one really spoke about the "Korean Wave", like we do today. (There may have been a few Korean songs that had become known overseas after the 1988 Seoul Olympics ) So, could you first give us an overall assessment of Korean culture before and after the late 1980s?

In the late 1990s, the Korean Wave began to take off. Why did it take off around this time?

Now let's travel to year 2005. South Korea hosted its first APEC summit in Busan back then.

And it's also around this time that the Korean Wave really started to get going. What triggered this?

So, which Korean content was popular around that time?

And two decades later, that's this year, 2025, Gyeongju will host another APEC summit in the fall.

Gyeongju was the capital of the Kingdom of Silla and is often referred to as a "museum without walls". How would you describe the city of Gyeongju?

Professor Tizzard, please tell us about your own experience in Gyeongju.

(Any differences you felt between your first and most recent visit?)

What are some must-visit places or attractions there?

Comparing Korea's culture from when the first APEC summit took place in 2005 to now in 2025, how has it evolved and how much has Korea's status on the international stage changed? (I'm also curious about whether the increase in tourists due to hallyu has impacted big cities in terms of infrastructure, new attractions, renovations, etc.)

Do international events like APEC have an impact on the rising popularity of hallyu?

Thank you Professor Tizzard for your insights. Have a great rest of the day.

Thank you Walter, see you back tomorrow.