When Fandom Turns Fragile: How Korean Cultural Wave Captured India’s Youth

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 16:33 IST

The Korean Wave- known globally as Hallyu- did not crash into India overnight. Its earliest tremors were felt in the early 2010s.

The Korean wave with its flawless idols, glass-skin trends, and sharp fashion has further cemented the idea that youthfulness equals beauty (Image: Instagram)

The deaths of three teenage sisters in Ghaziabad cast a harsh light on a phenomenon that has been quietly reshaping India’s youth culture for over a decade. The girls’ father told police his daughters had grown consumed by Korean pop culture, rejecting their Indian identity and expressing a desperate desire to go to South Korea. Investigators are still piecing together the many strands behind the tragedy- family stress, financial strain, phone addiction, emotional isolation- but the case has reignited a difficult conversation: how deeply has Korean culture embedded itself in young Indian minds and why does it hold such power?

This is not the first warning sign.

In January 2024, in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, three 13-year-old schoolgirls left their village with a single, audacious goal: to reach Seoul and meet BTS. With no passports, no visas and just Rs 14,000 between them, the girls boarded a train to Chennai, convinced they could somehow find a ship to South Korea. They had memorised everything about their idols- clothes, shoes, routines- and believed proximity alone could transform their lives.

Police intercepted them after missed connections and mounting concern. Child Welfare Committees later counselled the girls and their families, noting that unhindered access to smartphones had fuelled obsession in homes already under strain.

How Korean Wave Reached India

The Korean Wave- known globally as Hallyu- did not crash into India overnight. Its earliest tremors were felt in the early 2010s, when Psy’s Gangnam Style went viral in 2012, introducing millions of Indians to Korean pop aesthetics for the first time.

Globally, Hallyu was no accident. South Korea cultivated pop culture as soft power, blending music, television, fashion, beauty and food into a highly exportable package. Scholars such as Doobo Shim have described its strength as “hybridity"- the ability to feel novel yet emotionally familiar.

The real inflection point came with the smartphone boom and cheap data. Korean content was no longer merely available; it was algorithmically pushed. YouTube, Netflix, Instagram and later short-video platforms collapsed geographic distance. One click led to another and feeds quickly became Korean corridors.

The pandemic accelerated this shift. Confined indoors, Indian viewers turned to K-dramas and K-pop in unprecedented numbers. By 2024 and 2025, Korean shows ranked among the most-watched non-English titles on Netflix India. Series like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Squid Game and later Squid Game 2 became cultural reference points, not just entertainment.

By the mid-2020s, Korean pop culture crossed decisively from niche fandom into mainstream youth culture. What was once confined to fan pages moved into malls, colleges and offline events, not just in metros but in tier-2 cities. Korean entertainment companies began treating India as a core market rather than an experiment. BTS-related activities played a major role. Jungkook’s solo exhibition in Mumbai and brand launches linked to BTS members brought unprecedented visibility. Artists such as IU, Jungkook and SEVENTEEN’s Joshua and Mingyu fronted campaigns tailored for Indian audiences.

K-dramas reinforced this emotional investment. Throughout 2024 and 2025, Korean series consistently featured among Netflix India’s top non-English titles. Gradually, Korean popular culture stopped being just something to watch. It became something to live. Fashion choices, skincare routines, food habits, language learning and even social behaviour began to reflect what young Indians saw on screen.

The relationship is no longer one-sided. South Korean singer Aoora, known for performing Hindi classics in places like Mathura, has built a following through his immersion in Indian culture. Shreya Lenka from Odisha became a member of the K-pop group Blackswan after a global audition, signalling a new phase: Korean pop culture is now recruiting from India.

Hallyu is no longer just influencing India; it is being shaped by Indian participation.

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