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Kritika Kultura

Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0000-6610-760X; 0009-0009-1486-3118

Abstract

Over the past decade, Korean pop culture (including K-pop and K-drama series) has conquered the world and left its mark on the European market. Today, the number of fans of Korean culture exceeds 225 million. This study examines this fan phenomenon through a European sample. It focuses on fans who are not only consumers but also content creators, producers, and shapers of culture in digital media. The study is based on a multi-country dataset from Europe. The authors’ primary survey, conducted in 2024, targeted fans of Korean culture in twelve European countries. The research explores fans’ interest in Korean entertainment content, including their favorite genres, the digital platforms they use (e.g., YouTube, Instagram), and the diversity of their creative activities (e.g., fanfiction, fan art, dance covers, blogging). The study concludes that cultural identities are not a barrier to fansumers but are a new level of Hallyu, a process of co-creation. In the fandom, the fan’s own culture and the culture that is the object of their fanhood are intertwined, creating a new phenomenon. This phenomenon transcends the category of fansumer and requires a new concept named the “transculturator.” The transculturator, as a mediating and recreating individual, can place the cultural values of Hallyu in a new context and combine them with local cultural contents.

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