“Many of the things we think of as ‘Korean’ are actually quite distant from our lives. We need to think about how to define K and how to utilize it.”
Big data expert Song Gil-young said during a lecture at the ‘ChosunBiz 2025 Consumer and Retail Forum’ held at the Westin Josun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on 11th, “What we eat, apply, and use at this point is what is truly Korean. We can no longer cling to the old culture.”
Song noted, “When foreigners come to Korea, most Koreans think they need to introduce the Korean culture they are proud of. For example, they try to show Gyeongbokgung Palace.”
However, he explained, “These days, what foreigners want is not tourist attractions but rather places where actual Koreans go, along with locations that have good content. These spaces may be part of our daily life, but they serve as a fantasy for them.”
Song said, “We need to accurately understand which aspects of our lifestyle are accepted and coveted abroad,” adding, “In fact, Korean-related content that has garnered high view counts abroad often includes places like Starfield Suwon, which many Koreans do not pay much attention to.”
Song also emphasized the influential content of Korean cuisine. He said, “The greatest power of food is that it needs to be experienced directly,” adding, “It’s like the desire to visit the restaurants of the contestants in Netflix’s ‘Culinary Class Wars’ to try their food.”
He also mentioned, “Takamatsu in Japan is known as the birthplace of Sanuki udon. These days, tourism products like ‘Udon tours’ have even emerged here. This is a representative example of how local content can create added value,” stressing, “Korean cuisine content has potential to generate significant economic effects like this.”
Song highlighted the power of local content, stating, “Videos of successful travel YouTubers like Pani Bottle and KwakTube contain the ‘real lifestyle’ of the countries they visited. They succeeded because they went to places that others did not and did things that others did not.”
He continued, “We need to consider what unique things I, as the most unique person, can create in this most unique land,” saying, “Content that comes from such consideration is something that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Ultimately, the local will become global.”
Song emphasized, “K has just begun to rise. It is now time for our unique brand to not simply remain on this land but to strive for meaningful results globally.”