South Korean Government Policy in the Development of K-pop

Abstract

This study analyzes the Korean government’s K-Pop policies by period to shed light on the Korean government’s role and how its policies have contributed to K-Pop’s success.

The Kim Dae-jung government laid the foundation for the Korean cultural industry to grow by establishing laws, systems, and organizations; building necessary infrastructure; and increasing budget allocation. The Roh Moo-hyun government set the development of the cultural industry as a core task and implemented specific, in-depth policies for different areas. The Lee Myung-bak government actively pursued K-Pop–related policies, such as facilitating and hosting K-Pop events, based on the principles of competition and concentration. From the Park Geun-hye administration, policies to transition the existing Korean Wave into the New Korean Wave covering all areas of Korean culture were implemented through the cooperation of diverse agents. The Moon Jae-in government strengthened and expanded the systematic support for different cultural content by deepening the link between the Korean Wave and various industries.

The rise of Korea as a cultural powerhouse was made possible through a cooperative governance approach that connects the government’s vision, active policy establishment and support, cooperation between related ministries and the private sector in policy implementation, and active consumer participation.