According to a 2023 survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, South Korea’s favorability among foreigners reached 82.3%, marking the highest level since the survey began in 2018. This represents a 3.3 percentage point increase from the previous year, highlighting a significant positive shift in global perceptions of Korea. Nearly half of respondents cited cultural content such as K-pop, dramas, and films as the main reason for their favorable view, underscoring the vital role of K-content in enhancing the national image. The survey covered 13,000 people across 26 countries and was published as the 2025 National Image Survey Report.
By country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showed the highest favorability at 94.8%, followed by Egypt (94.0%), the Philippines (91.4%), Türkiye (90.2%), India (89.0%), and South Africa (88.8%). Thailand and the UK saw notable increases of 9.4 and 9.2 percentage points, reaching 86.2% and 87.4% respectively. The UK, in particular, surpassed the average favorability for the first time among European nations. While China (62.8%) and Japan (42.2%) reported lower favorability, both saw positive shifts with increases of 3.6 and 5.4 percentage points. Meanwhile, Koreans’ self-assessed favorability stood at 60.4%, up 8.2 percentage points from the previous year but still lower than the foreign average.
Cultural content (45.2%) was the most influential factor in shaping Korea’s image, followed by modern lifestyle (31.9%), products and brands (28.7%), and economic status (21.2%). The impact of cultural content was especially strong in the Asia-Pacific region, with the Philippines (69.3%), Japan (64.4%), Indonesia (59.5%), and Vietnam (58.4%) leading the way. In the Middle East and Africa, economic factors also played a significant role. The main channels for encountering Korea were video platforms (64.4%), social networks (56.6%), internet sites (46.7%), and broadcasting (32.8%), with YouTube (77.4%), Netflix (65.1%), and Instagram (63.7%) being the most used.
Over the past year, global perceptions of Korea have expanded from a focus on security and K-pop to include culture, economy, society, and politics. Korea’s democratic resilience and civic engagement were particularly praised. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to conduct further expert discussions and in-depth analyses based on these findings, aiming to apply the results across various fields. Looking ahead, Korea’s national image is expected to grow even more positively, driven by K-content and economic factors.
The survey clearly demonstrates that K-content is a key driver in elevating South Korea’s national image worldwide. The strategic use of video platforms and social media has amplified Korea’s cultural influence, resulting in higher favorability across diverse regions. Moving forward, leveraging cultural industries and digital media will be crucial for Korea to further strengthen its soft power and global brand.