South Korean cultural exports drive India's economic engagement and investment

For decades, South Korea's biggest exports to India were easy to identify: Samsung smartphones, LG televisions and refrigerators, Hyundai cars and Kia SUVs.

Today, South Korea is selling India far more than electronics and cars. Korean skincare fills shelves at Nykaa and Tira. Kimchi, ramyeon and gochujang are now stocked by supermarkets and quick-commerce platforms. BTS concert screenings are drawing packed multiplexes.

Much of this shift can be traced back to seven young men singing in a language most Indians did not understand.

In January 2020, BTS ranked just 68th among English music listeners on JioSaavn, with around 780,000 streams. By October that year, as the pandemic pushed millions towards streaming platforms, the South Korean boy band had climbed to eighth place with more than 2.3 million streams, according to the Korean Cultural Centre India. India later emerged as BTS' second-largest YouTube market globally, generating nearly 778 million views in 2023, according to Statista.

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However, reducing India's Korean obsession to BTS alone misses the bigger story.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to New Delhi in April this year was more than a routine diplomatic meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It highlighted India's growing push to attract large-scale foreign direct investment (FDI) from South Korea, particularly in advanced manufacturing, technology and infrastructure.

During the visit, India and South Korea agreed to resume talks on upgrading their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as both countries seek to boost trade, strengthen supply chains and deepen cooperation in critical technologies.

PM Modi had said the two countries are working to build resilient ecosystems "from chips to ships", covering technology, energy and advanced manufacturing.

For South Korean companies, culture has become more than soft power. It has become a powerful commercial engine.

When culture becomes commerce

Long before BTS became a household name, South Korean companies had already built a formidable presence in India.

The momentum is still visible on Indian roads, where Hyundai and Kia together account for roughly one in every five passenger vehicles sold, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) wholesale sales data, underscoring how Korean brands have become deeply embedded in the country's consumer landscape.

Samsung, meanwhile, remains one of India's largest smartphone makers and manufacturers, using the country as both a major market and an export base.

India-South Korea bilateral trade has climbed to around $25.6 billion, while Seoul has emerged as a significant long-term investor with cumulative foreign direct investment exceeding $10 billion, spanning automobiles, electronics, steel and consumer goods, according to data published by the Indian Embassy in Seoul.

Myong Kil Yun, Regional Director – India & SAARC Countries, Korea Tourism Organization, said in March at an event that India remains an important and high-potential market for Korea’s tourism industry and they aim to welcome around 270,000 Indian visitors in 2026.

Companies such as LG are already expanding their manufacturing footprint in India, reinforcing the country's position as a long-term production and export base rather than just a consumer market.

India-Korea talks in April also explored fresh investment opportunities for other Korean manufacturers, particularly in electronics and components.

Shipbuilding emerged as another key area of cooperation. India is looking to work more closely with HD Hyundai to strengthen its shipbuilding industry by developing modern shipyards, expanding maritime manufacturing and creating port-linked industrial hubs. The partnership is expected to focus on building manufacturing capacity within India instead of simply importing vessels.

The two countries had also discussed expanding cooperation in clean energy and industrial decarbonisation, with South Korean companies expected to play a bigger role in supporting India's transition to a greener manufacturing sector.

Food companies such as CJ Foods, Bibigo, Nongshim, Lotte and Orion are expanding their retail footprints in India. Beverage companies are introducing Korean drinks to Indian consumers. Beauty companies continue to launch products tailored for Indian skin types, while travel operators are reporting growing interest in South Korea as a holiday destination, fuelled by locations made famous in dramas and films.

India's skincare & cosmetics imports rose to $171.9 million in FY25, with South Korea among the largest suppliers. K-beauty demand has surged alongside the Korean Wave.

When cinemas stopped being just cinemas

For India's multiplex industry, the Korean Wave has fundamentally changed what audiences expect from the big screen. Concert films were once viewed as niche programming.

Today, they are among the fastest-growing segments of event cinema.

PVR INOX first recognised the potential during BTS' Permission to Dance on Stage screenings in 2022. Since then, the chain has steadily expanded its Korean offerings, including last year's remastered Love Yourself: Speak Yourself – London concert and, most recently, the live screening of the BTS World Tour | Arirang Live Viewing Experience from Goyang, South Korea.

Fans arrived dressed in purple, carrying official lightsticks, chanting lyrics in Korean, singing in unison and turning multiplex halls into miniature concert arenas.

"Traditional films remain our core business, but BTS has pioneered and solidified a high-intensity event cinema model," said Aamer Bijli, Lead Specialist, Innovation, Film Marketing and Digital Programming at PVR INOX. "These screenings consistently drive high occupancy rates because the fandom already exists. It's passionate, organised and incredibly diverse."

Demand no longer comes only from metropolitan centres.

Cities such as Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Agra and Raipur—markets traditionally overlooked for international concert programming—are now reporting strong occupancy during BTS screenings, reflecting how deeply Korean popular culture has travelled into India's smaller cities.

"K-pop is more than just a fandom; it's almost a frenzy in India," Bijli said. "The craze goes way beyond the screen."

"The viewer today isn't bound by language," he said. "They're bound by emotion and experience. Our cinemas are increasingly becoming lifestyle hubs rather than just places to watch films."

From skincare shelves to supermarket aisles

Once considered niche imports available only through specialty retailers, names such as Laneige, COSRX, The Face Shop and Beauty of Joseon have become staples of skincare routines among India's Gen Z and millennial consumers. Retailers including Nykaa, Reliance's Tira and dedicated K-beauty platform Maccaron have steadily expanded their portfolios as demand has surged.

On July 21, Reliance Retail's beauty platform Tira brought South Korean skincare brand Dr. Melaxin to India through an exclusive launch. The move adds another Korean beauty label to the country's fast-growing premium skincare market and reflects the rising demand among Indian consumers for K-beauty products.

Industry estimates, as reported by ANI, suggest India's K-beauty market, valued at roughly $400 million in 2024, could grow to nearly $1.5 billion by the end of the decade, making it one of the fastest-growing beauty segments in the country.

The influence extends well beyond beauty counters.

A decade ago, finding kimchi or gochujang in India often meant visiting a specialty import store. Today, both are stocked by premium supermarkets, neighbourhood Korean grocery stores and increasingly, quick-commerce platforms promising deliveries within minutes. Instant ramyeon, seaweed snacks, Korean beverages and frozen dumplings have quietly entered Indian kitchens, while Korean fried chicken, bibimbap and tteokbokki have become menu regulars in restaurants across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Learning Hangul, chasing Korea

Across India, Korean has emerged as one of the fastest-growing foreign languages among young learners.

Language-learning platform Duolingo has repeatedly reported sharp growth in Indians learning Korean over the past few years, particularly after the pandemic-driven surge in K-pop and K-drama consumption.

According to the platform's blog, Korean learners in India grew 75% year-on-year in 2023, making Korean one of the top 10 languages studied in India. Korean also climbed to No. 6 globally, overtaking the Italian language.

The demand is equally visible in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), the official Korean language certification examination recognised by universities and employers worldwide. The Korean Education Centre in India and the Korean Cultural Centre have steadily expanded testing capacity and centres in response to growing demand, with registrations routinely filling within hours of opening. Additional centres outside Delhi, including Bengaluru and Imphal, have been introduced to accommodate candidates from across the country.

South Korea's long-standing corporate presence in India has created genuine employment opportunities for Korean speakers.

Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, POSCO and dozens of smaller Korean companies operating across manufacturing, electronics, automobiles, logistics and consumer goods require professionals proficient in Korean for roles ranging from engineering and procurement to interpretation and business development.

For many young Indians, learning Hangul is no longer simply a hobby. It is becoming a career choice.