"Aish," K-Entertainment Boom Takes Korean Slang Across Borders

As the Netflix original series 'The Glory' gains popularity worldwide, it seems that even Korean profanity has become a universal language. On April 6, Bloomberg News published an article titled 'Inside the Korean TV Boom That Has Global Streamers Piling Into Seoul,' which explores the impact of Korean content on international audiences.

The article tells the story of Shanette Thompson, a makeup artist who lives in Los Angeles (LA), USA. Despite not speaking Korean, Thompson has started using Korean slang when things don't go well, such as "Aish (when you're frustrated)" and "Jen-jang (damn)." She attributes this to her newfound passion for Korean media and most recently ‘The Glory,’ which she watches regularly. Thompson has even started frequenting Korean restaurants and plans to visit Korea in 2025.

Thompson's experience reflects the increasing popularity of Korean culture worldwide, with Korean dramas and music gaining a large following outside Korea. 

According to the Bloomberg report, Seoul has solidified its position as a global entertainment hub, fueled by the recent success of the Netflix series 'Squid Game' and the critically acclaimed film 'Parasite.' Netflix now considers Korea as the top producer of hit content outside of the United States. In the past year, over 60% of Netflix subscribers tuned in to Korean programming, making South Korea a crucial player for the streaming giant.

'The Glory' is the latest Korean content to make waves on Netflix. It was the most-watched program on the platform for two consecutive weeks in March 2023 and set a record in the 'Top 10' of Netflix's popular series in 90 countries, including Argentina, France, and India.

To capitalize on this trend, Netflix had a budget of 500 million USD for Korean content in 2021 and plans to showcase at least 34 original Korean works in 2023. Market research firm Media Partners Asia estimates that Netflix's annual investment in South Korea has now reached 1 billion USD.

Netflix initially focused on Japan to expand its business in the Asian market. However, the company soon realized that Korea was the key country to attracting Asian subscribers due to the country's vibrant entertainment industry and a global audience eager to consume Korean content.