Soft Power for International Diplomacy through K-Pop Lens

K-pop, or Korean popular music, has spread throughout South Korea and the world in recent decades. Due to the constant expansion of K-pop in many countries, there is a growing scholarly debate about its potential as a soft power instrument of foreign policy. This paper looks to define the concept of K-pop music diplomacy, and the strategies and measures put into practice. It explains how the Korean government has instrumentalized K-pop and supported its foreign promotion as part of a wider public diplomacy strategy aimed at increasing the country’s power and prestige. It assesses the areas that contributed to K-pop's internationalization. In approaching the topic from the perspective of K-pop, the paper therefore highlights contemporary methods of soft power in popular cultural diplomacy. The paper shows how state and non-state actors use cultural industries such as K-pop to promote national interests, interact with foreign audiences, and foster the growth of the creative economy. The author analyzed the change, success, and usefulness of music diplomacy as exemplified by K-pop and found best practices for cultural diplomacy.