[K-wave] Korea’s cultural rise revisited on 80th Anniv. of Liberation

Few may know that Korea's national hero, Kim Gu, even amid the turmoil of Japanese colonial rule, envisioned a future where the nation would rise as a cultural powerhouse. Today, that vision has become reality.

Marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation, Arirang's Han Da-eun looks back on Korea's remarkable journey to becoming a pillar of the world's cultural stage.

35 years under Japanese colonial rule. Koreans could only hold their culture close in their hearts.

Then came the Korean War, a tragedy that saw compatriots turn their guns on one another.

It was nearly 30 years after the war that Korean culture first caught the world's attention.

In 1987, actress Kang Soo-youn won Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival for her role in "The Surrogate Womb" directed by Im Kwon-taek.

"I decided to take the role because I had absolute trust in Director Im."

By the late 1990s, Korean dramas like "Winter Sonata" sparked a sensation overseas, giving rise to the term Hallyu, or the Korean Wave.

In the 2000s, Korean pop stars expanded across Asia, cementing K-pop fandom across the region.

And then came Psy's record-breaking 2012 hit Gangnam Style, which thrust K-pop beyond Asia and onto the global stage.

"Wow, it's Oxford. Beautiful. With Gangnam Style, I'm living in a dream."

The rise of BTS opened new horizons for K-pop and Korean culture, proving limitless potential.

They made history as the first Korean artists to top Billboard's main singles chart, the Hot 100.

"No matter who you are, where you're from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak (for) yourself."

Director Bong Joon-ho became the first to win the Academy Award for Best Picture with a foreign-language film,

"So it's the first for a foreign-language film, huh? But why?"

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk also rewrote K-culture history with "Squid Game," which remains the most-watched series in Netflix history.

"We unexpectedly found ourselves representing Korean dramas on the global stage"

K-culture success goes beyond popular culture.

Last year, Korea's acclaimed author Han Kang became the first Korean, and the first Asian woman, to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature.

"I hope my daily life remains much the same as before. I wish to stay connected to the world and to readers through my writing, as I always have."

And now, the smash-hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" is taking the world by storm with its uniquely Korean yet universal appeal, opening a whole new chapter in the global K-pop phenomenon.

Rising from the ashes of war, K-culture now stands at the forefront of Korea's national strength.

Han Da-eun, Arirang News.