If you thought the KPop Demon Hunters bonanza of 2025 represented the peak of Korean culture on the world stage, just you wait. According to TikTok Korea, the sealing of the honmoon was only the beginning.
The Seoul-based arm of the popular video app teamed up with consulting firm Kearney to measure the economic impact of K-culture on TikTok. After surveying 3,300 consumers between the ages of 16 and 49 across 10 countries — the U.S., the U.K., the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, France, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam — TikTok Korea and Kearney connected in-app behaviors to purchases.
Currently, the global economic impact of K-culture on TikTok is estimated at $23.5 billion. By 2030, that figure is expected to jump to $30.1 billion. The United States is the biggest K-culture market among the surveyed countries, and it is expected to maintain that status. By 2030, the direct economic impact of TikTok K-culture in the U.S. is projected to approach $1.5 billion.
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The size of that industry isn’t the only thing that’s changing. The delivery mechanisms that bring K-culture to the rest of the world are different from the vehicles of yesteryear. The study claims that “K-culture 1.0” spread primarily through TV, while “K-culture 2.0” brought fandoms online (and saddled them atop an invisible horse). During the era of “K-culture 3.0,” over-the-top streaming services gave us hits like KPop Demon Hunters.
Now, according to TikTok Korea and Kearney, we’ve arrived at “K-culture 4.0.” Through platforms like TikTok, global consumers now seek snippets of everyday Korean life in addition to K-pop and K-dramas. That shift explains the rise of K-beauty, which is a winner on TikTok Shop and the Korean category with the broadest global economic impact, according to the report. TikTok is also a major player in the world of travel, and K-tourism is the fastest-growing sector measured by the report.
“I can genuinely feel the incredible popularity of K-beauty overseas,” said Korean TikToker Jittomeok during an event in Seoul. “K-dramas and K-pop are already widely loved, but that interest is naturally flowing into fashion and travel. Cultural interest has soaked into the daily routines of creators like me, expanding into a space where people truly understand cultural differences and share real connection.”
The expanding variety of Korean cultural exports will have consumers all over the world seeking their K-beauty faves and Rumi cosplays. According to the report, regions as disparate as Brazil and Indonesia are part of the K-culture boom — and will be for years to come.
