UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE, AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR VIEWS OF KOREA AND KOREAN CULTURE

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE Asia-Pacific International University UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE, AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR VIEWS OF KOREA AND KOREAN CULTURE A Master thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION by Hye Sung Park April 28, 2020

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE i UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE, AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR VIEWS OF KOREA AND KOREAN CULTURE A Master thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION By HYE SUNG PARK APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE Amanda Simon, PhD Josephine Esther Katenga, PhD Research Advisor Chair of Master Program Kham Khan Khai, PhD Naltan Lampadan Panelist Dean, Faculty of Education Paluku Kazimoto Muyisa, PhD External Examiner

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE ii ABSTRACT Master of Education Emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction Asia-Pacific International University Faculty of Education TITLE: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE, AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR VIEWS OF KOREA AND KOREAN CULTURE Researcher: Hye Sung Park Research advisor: Amanda Simon Date Completed: April 28, 2020 This study examines the impact of students' perceptions of the Korean Wave on Korea and Korean culture. The study analyzed the attractive elements of Korean Wave, how students relate to Korean Wave, and the impact of Korean Wave on students' perceptions of Korea and Korean culture. A mixed research design using qualitative and quantitative research methods was used. The sample for this study consisted of undergraduate students from Asia-Pacific International University in Thailand. This study focused on Korean dramas, movies, and pop, which are the main components of the Korean Wave. The results of the study show that the attractive elements of the Korean Wave were related to 'aesthetic', 'structure', 'message' and ' differentiation'. The nature of the relationship between students and the Korean Wave was placed into 3 categories: 'path of use', 'cultural perspective', and 'acceptance attitudes'. The impact of consumption of Korean Wave content on students’

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE iii perceptions of Korea and Korean culture was analyzed through correlation analysis, and it was found that perceptions of Korean wave content correlated with participants interest in Korean culture. Keywords: Popular culture, Korean Wave, K-pop, K-drama, K-Movie, Transnational

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................ii LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Background to the Study..............................................................................1 Statement of the Problem.............................................................................5 Purpose of the Research...............................................................................5 Research question ........................................................................................5 Significance of the Research........................................................................6 Definition of Key Terms..............................................................................6 Delimitation .................................................................................................7 Limitations...........................................................................................8 Chapters Outline ..........................................................................................8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................9 Media and Culture........................................................................................9 Definition of Hallyu (or Korean Wave).....................................................11 History of Hallyu (or Korean Wave) .........................................................12 Hallyu 1.0 (K-Drama and Movies)....................................................12 Hallyu 2.0 (K-Pop Music).................................................................14 Korean Wave Success Factors...................................................................16 Social and Cultural Perspective.........................................................16 Economic perspective........................................................................18 Technical perspective ........................................................................21 The Impacts of Korean Wave ....................................................................22 Korean Language Learning ...............................................................22 Tourism Industry ...............................................................................25

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE v Purchase Goods.................................................................................27 Global impact of Korean Wave .................................................................28 Conceptual Diagram ..................................................................................29 3. METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................................31 Research Questions....................................................................................31 Research Design.........................................................................................31 Research Setting.........................................................................................33 Sampling Procedure ...................................................................................34 Survey Instrument and Procedure of Data Collection ...............................34 Data Analysis.............................................................................................37 Ethical Issues .............................................................................................38 4. RESULTS ........................................................................................................39 Demographic Representation.....................................................................39 Factors Related to Korean Wave ...............................................................40 Perceptions of Korean Wave - Structured Questions ................................42 Perceptions of Korean Wave in Qualitative Questions..............................47 Attractive Elements of Korean Wave................................................48 Aesthetic.....................................................................................48 Physical Appearance................................................................48 Music& Dance. ........................................................................49 Structure ............................................................................................50 Storylines (K-Dramas/Movies). .................................................50 Lyrics (K-Pop)............................................................................51 Message......................................................................................52 Differentiation. ...........................................................................53 The Relationship Between the Participants and the Korean Wave...................................................................................54 Social Media. ...........................................................................54 Cultural Perspective ...................................................................55 Identity. ....................................................................................55 Diversity...................................................................................56 Acceptance .................................................................................58 Realistic & Practical. ...............................................................58 Escapism. .................................................................................59

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE vi Correlation Between Participants Perceptions and The Impact of Korean Wave ...........................................................................................60 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..........................................64 Conclusions................................................................................................64 Recommendations......................................................................................67 REFERENCE LIST .....................................................................................................69 APPENDIX..................................................................................................................79

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE vii LIST OF TABLES 1. Hangul Schools of the World.............................................................................4 2. Korean Language Education in Thailand ........................................................24 3. Perceptions of Korean Dramas and Movies (N=92)........................................43 4. Perceptions of K-pop (N=92) ..........................................................................45 5. The Impact of Korean Wave (N=92)...............................................................46 6. Correlations (Perceptions of K-Drama/Movie and Impact of Korean Wave)...............................................................................................................61 7. Correlations (Perceptions of K-Pop and Impact of Korean Wave) .................62

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE viii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Number of Overseas Korean Language Education Institutions. (Unit: Number)...........................................................................................................23 2. Overseas Korean Language Course Institution by Region (Unit: Number)...........................................................................................................23 3. Number of Inbound Visitors to South Korea from 2000 to 2018 (in millions)...........................................................................................................26 4. Nationalities of International Visitors for Tourism .........................................26 5. Conceptual Diagram ........................................................................................30 6. Nationality Data of the Participants.................................................................40 7. Level of Interest in Korean Wave....................................................................41 8. Period Interested in Korean Wave ...................................................................41 9. Hours Spent Watching and Listening to Korean Wave ...................................42

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the major components of the study. This study examines the influence of the Korean Wave on the perception of Asia-Pacific International University students who have various nationalities. The following sections explain the purpose of the study, the problem description, the research question, the significance, and the structure of this study. Background to the Study The Korean mass media business, which began with the export of Korean dramas in the 1990s, has spread not only to China, Japan, Taiwan, and South East Asia but also to the whole world. In the beginning, it was called 'Korean Wave' or 'Hallyu'. Today, the world's media and entertainment industry magazines, including the New York Times and other journals, use the term "Korean Fever" (Song S. , 2016). In the early Hallyu, Drama and K-pop were centralized, but recently it has expanded to include various fields such as movies, games, dancing, food, and fashion. There are three explanations pertaining to why the Korean Wave has attracted attention around the world: the social and cultural perspective; the economic perspective; and the technical perspective. First, from the social and cultural point of view of the spread of Korean Wave is based on cultural proximity theory. From this perspective it is suggested that the spread of Korean Wave is due to similarities in the cultural values featured in Korean wave and those of its audiences, such as family values and respect for the elderly. In addition, scholars who advocate for cultural

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 2 hybridity claim that the blend of Asian traditional elements and Western modernity within the Korean Wave, is the key to understanding its global spread. In the internationalized and globalized society, the Korean Wave is based on transnational flows that are not limited to any specific region. Second, from an economic perspective, Michael Porter stated that the higher the competitive consumer's desire, the better the quality of the product and the more competitive it is (Porter, 1990). In light of this idea, it can be said that the drive for Korean wave products to meet the needs of Korean consumers has led to improved quality, thus high-quality Korean Wave products have become competitive not only in Korea but also abroad. Accordingly, the Korean government confirmed the potential of the cultural industry and provided economic support for entertainment. The Korean government's support has greatly improved the value of Korean wave content internationally. Third, the technical perspective highlights recent technological progress. Social Network Service (SNS) for instance, has become an important means of communication around the world, Korean Wave contents have utilized such platforms as promotional tools (Parc & Moon, 2013). The digital-based environment has provided opportunities to spread the Korean Wave by actively changing consumption patterns. In addition, the use of advanced technology using computer graphics (CG) and augmented reality technology has become a factor that has made the Korean Wave more attractive to consumers. One of the effects of Korean Wave is that, many countries have adopted the Korean Language (or 'Hangul') as a second foreign language besides English. According to statistics from the Ministry of Korean Education, the Korean wave trend has steadily increased from 552 schools in 14 countries in 2009, to 695 schools in 22

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 3 countries in 2011. It further increased in 2014 to 1,111 schools in 26 countries and in 2017 it had reached 1,423 schools in 28 countries (Ministry of Korean Education, 2018). About 125,000 young people from around the world are studying 'Hangul' at schools, language institutes, or online learning platforms and there are likely to be more students who are studying independently. Since 1990, the number of students who have enrolled in the Korean language classes in American universities has steadily increased. In addition, Korean has proved popular enough for it to be adopted as a second language in secondary school. This indicates that the status of Korean language has been getting stronger. According to the Wang Report on US college students enrolled in Korean language classes, 81% of participants said that their interest in Korean culture motivated them to want to learn the Korean language. In addition, 97% of directors and coordinators of the curriculum program acknowledged that the increasing predominance of Korean Wave led to an increase in Korean language learners (Wang, 2016). The phenomenon of Korean Wave appears stronger in Asian countries. Table 1 shows the numbers of Hangul teaching schools in different countries across the world (Kim, 2016). Table 1 shows that the country with the highest number of students learning Korean as a second language is Thailand, accounting for 23.3% of a total of 107,199 students (Kim, 2016). Thailand in particular, has 40 universities in which Korean language courses are taught as a second foreign language. The consortium (The Community of Thai Universities presidents and the Thai Educational Evaluation) and Research Center decided to include the Korean language as a second foreign language in the elective course of Professional & Aptitudes Test (PAT) from the 2018 (Kim,

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 4 2017). As a result, Thailand became one of the first ASEAN countries to include the Korean language in college entrance examinations. Table 1. Hangul Schools of the World Countries Schools Rate Japan 542 44.3% United States 139 11.4% Thailand 77 6.3% Taiwan 60 4.9% Others 406 33.1% Total 1,224 100% Note: From http://www.edujin.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=12229 In addition, the Korean Wave has brought about various economic and cultural effects. According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) survey (KITA, 2011), 80% of participants in Japan, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam suggested that Korean Wave influenced Korean product purchases. KITA said that three out of four foreign consumers bought Korean products after exposure to the Korean Wave. The Korean Wave has also increased the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea. The number of foreign tourists has increased from nearly 300,000 in 1998 to 11.8 million in 2014, these tourists are mostly from Asia, the center of Korean Wave (Bae, Chang, Park, & Kim, 2017). The following statistics show that Thailand is the country most affected by Korean Wave in the Southeast Asian region. Based on data acquired from January 1 to December 5, 2011, Joong-ang Daily reported that K-pop music videos on YouTube had attracted people from 235 countries around the world, 2.9 billion views from Asia, followed by 1.1 billion views from the US and 0.7 billion views from Europe.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 5 According to these statistics, Thailand is the third largest consumer of K-pop music after Japan and America. (Jeong & Song, 2012). Statement of the Problem Research on ‘Hallyu’ has been a steadily growing trend since 2000. According to a meta-analysis of about 700 Korean Wave-related scholarly papers published during the period from 2001 to 2016 (Park, Hong , & Park, 2017), most of the studies were focused on business, culture, tourism, and national policy. The reason for this is that the Korean government's budget for Korean Wave research is focused on the promotion of the national image and research on the Korean Wave market. Furthermore, most of the research on Korean Wave seeks to make a connection between Korean Wave and motives for wanting to learn the Korean language and also tend to concentrate on the learners of Asian countries. This study is based on Asia-Pacific International University (AIU) students who are of various nationalities. This study focuses on analyzing the popularity of the Korean Wave in the world and seeks to find out why participants consume Korean Wave products (e.g. K-drama, K-movie and K-pop)? and how Korean Wave influences the audience. Purpose of the Research The purpose of this study is to identify specific elements of the Korean Wave that have captivated the public, and also to explore how the Korean Wave consumers relate to Korean Wave. The study will also seek to discover how consumers’ perceptions of Korea and Korean culture are affected by the Korean Wave. Research question

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 6 Considering the research purpose mentioned above, the research questions are as follows: 1. What are the factors that attract students to Korean wave? 2. How do students relate to Korean wave? 3. What is the impact of Korean wave in terms of students’ perceptions of Korea and Korean culture? Significance of the Research In terms of its significance, this study is able to show how media products from one particular national context are interpreted by people beyond that context and how these products can impact perceptions of the country of origin and its national culture. Hence, it may be helpful for content related workers who are interested in contributing to the continuation of the Korean Wave. Second, the 21st century is the globalization and network era. Whilst culture represents the identity of a country and people, globalization and networks are crossing borders allowing cultures to be transported between countries, therefore audiences are easily exposed to the culture of other countries. This study will present evidence that shows how the Korean Wave has crossed cultural boundaries and has drawn the minds of diverse populations. This study may be helpful to school curriculum operators who wish to teach about the phenomenon of Korean Wave and its influence. Also, students who want to study Korean Wave can use this study as a starting point. Definition of Key Terms * Popular culture: Popular culture, also called ‘pop culture’ is a collection of thoughts, ideas, beliefs, attitudes, views, images that are preferred by the members of

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 7 society. The most common pop culture categories are entertainment (such as movies, music, TV), games, sports, news, politics, fashion/clothing, technology, and slang (West, n.d.). * Korean Wave: The term ‘Korean Wave’ or ‘Hallyu’ means the international spread of Korean pop culture. Hallyu is a compound word of two words and originates from the term ‘Hanryu’. Han refers to a quality or state of being Korean while ‘Ryu’ means "to flow" (Lee, 2013). It includes drama, movies, K-pop, fashion, and food. * K-pop: K- pop is a shortened term for Korean popular music, it is a music genre composed of hip-hop, pop, rock, R & B and electronic music from Korea (Touhami & Fawwaz Al-Abed, 2017). * Transnational: The concept of transnationalism refers to the various connections and interactions that link communities across borders of nation-states (Jung, 2009). Delimitation Korean Wave involves various aspects such as: fashion and beauty and food, however this study delimits its focus to Korean dramas, Korean movies, and K-pop because these are the most popular aspects that are known globally. These aspects are also the easiest for people around the world to access. The study also focuses on university students in their late teens and twenties. This age group have easy access to online platforms and social media where Korean dramas, Korean movies, and K-pop can be found.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 8 Limitations Since there are few non-Asian kinds of literature on Korean Wave, the literature review for this study is concentrated in Asian countries. The sample of participants is also limited because only participants who are interested in Korean Wave can participate. In addition, although AIU is composed of students of various nationalities, the study is still-for-all limited, because it has only been carried out within one school. Chapters Outline Within the second chapter, literature on Media and culture, the definition of Korean Wave, kinds of Korean Wave (mainly drama, movie, and K-pop), the effects of Korean Wave and the context of this research is discussed. The third chapter mainly deals with the methodology used in this study. Within this chapter research topics, sampling, measurement, and data collection processes are described. The fourth chapter contains the results of the data analysis and its interpretation. Lastly, chapter five presents the main research results and provides a discussion of the findings, conclusions and recommendations.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 9 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter presents a literature review which provides important background information on this study. The chapter explores the phenomenon of Media and culture and the definitions of terms relating to Korean wave are presented. K-drama/movies and K-pop, which are major streams of Korean Wave, are also reviewed. In addition, the chapter will review a series of documents about how the Korean Wave has affected populations in Korea and other countries within Asia, and the specific reasons for the popularity of Korean Wave products. Media and Culture Because of globalization, the world has been spatially integrated into a wide range of interdependent networks, and capital, goods, information and ideas are closely linked, regardless of distance or location. This has made it difficult to distinguish the world and the Nation State, with increasing socioeconomic activity across borders, and multiple networks of connections (Jang & Paik, 2012). In addition, consumers of 21st century popular culture who are exposed to the development of digital technology and to various phenomenon from around the world, are ready to digest various cultural contents and materials simultaneously. Therefore, popular cultural products and cultural consumption have become increasingly transnational and complex as national, cultural, and ethnic boundaries around the globe become less clear (Jung, 2009).

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 10 Culture is related to social groups because it is shared by the at least two people, and it includes various concepts, values, ideologies, and beliefs. (Showkat , 2017). Culture is created and developed according to the group experience of people in a particular environment and depending on their members, there is the potential to experience more than one culture in the same space (Burton , 2009). Cultures are dynamic, not static, and they can move between cultures. In this age, cultural exchanges can be liberated from the spatial and geographical objects that they represent, and cultural symbols that can be produced anytime and anywhere are easily transported across geographical and physical boundaries (Showkat , 2017). One of the key areas affected by globalization is culture. The transferring of cultural values from one country or another is achieved through a variety of social media (Burton , 2009) In modern society, changes in the social environment occur more frequently than in the physical environment. Media has an enormous impact on society and is a part of the culture, because it plays an important role in shaping people's sense of reality (Showkat , 2017). Social networking sites like Facebook, user-friendly online platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, and microblogs such as Twitter, handle the interactive process of media formats that enable large media participants to collaborate productively, thus they can be seen to promote sociality (Jin & Yoon, 2015). Scholars who have theorized current trends in participatory culture give new meaning to cultural sharing and communication in the media by emphasizing users' strong preference to share knowledge and culture in the community (Showkat , 2017). Each country has a different culture, so the population decodes and responds to cultural products in various ways (Lee, 2011). In other words, the way in which each population interprets media products is different. According to D'Silva (2001), when decoding the message, the audience could work within the dominant code, use

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 11 the negotiated code, or use the opposite code. Thus, people from different ethnic groups can interpret television programs in a wide variety of ways. (D’Silva, 2001). This appears to be the case in the Dallas study of Liebes & Katz. According to Liebes & Katz, audiences do not analyze the content of objects but used them as a forum to explore how they interact. This means that the same program can have different meanings to different people (1990). Recent scholars have studied the growth and expansion of international consumer culture. The expansion has occurred with the development of a complex global society and the international flow of media and cultural goods (D’Silva, 2001). Popular culture is about the media, products, and attitudes that are the mainstream of a particular culture and that are seen as part of the daily lives of the general population. In modern life, it can be argued that mass media has a close relationship with culture (Showkat , 2017). The Korean Wave is a special form of popular culture introduced as a form of commercial nationalism through the media (Lee, 2011). The popular culture of Korea is based on a transnational flow that creates diverse socio-cultural contacts across national and institutional boundaries (Jung, 2009). Definition of Hallyu (or Korean Wave) The term "Hallyu" began to be used in the mid-1990s by the Chinese media to refer the popularity of Korean pop culture in China. The term ‘Korean Wave’ or ‘Hallyu’ refers to the international spread of Korean pop culture. Hallyu is a compound word made up of two words and the original term is Hanryu. Han refers to a quality or state of being Korean while ‘Ryu’ means "to flow" (Lee, 2013). The word ‘Ryu’ or ‘Lyu’ not only represents the flow of popular culture, but also represents a great wave of transition from a mere political and economic ideology after the Cold War to other cultural and civilization paradigms (Kim, 2015). In other words, Hallyu

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 12 means the flow and spread of Korean popular culture including K-drama, K-pop, movies, fashion, and food. History of Hallyu (or Korean Wave) Historically, Korea culture had temporarily influenced China and Japan. However, Korean Wave has great significance in that various forms of popular culture contents have been shared and consumed by many people in many countries at the same time. Therefore, the global flow of culture from the beginning of the Korean Wave to the present time, can be roughly divided into four parts (Kim, 2015): Korean Wave 1.0 (K-drama and films), Korean Wave 2.0 (K-pop), Korean Wave 3.0 (Kculture), Korean Wave 4.0 (K-style food, fashion). In other words, the popularity of the early Korean Wave, which is dominated by the Korean dramas, movies, and Kpops, has led to the spread of other cultural experiences, including Korean fashion and beauty. In the exploration of the perceptions and impact of the Korean Wave, the study focuses on K-drama/movies and K-pop, which are the central areas of the Korean Wave. Hallyu 1.0 (K-Drama and Movies) Korean TV broadcasts, movies, and music began to be exported abroad in the early 1990s, but they did not attract a lot of attention. However, in 1997, when China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasted the Korean drama 'What is Love all about?' for the first time, it was rerun through several other Chinese networks due to its incredible popularity (Jung, 2009). The drama series showed the conflict between parent and child with different values and thinking in the changing age but ultimately emphasized the importance of family values, so it captured the hearts of the Chinese audience. This series obtained the second highest rating among the foreign programs

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 13 broadcasted and had a viewing rate of 15% (KOCIS, 2011). 'What is Love all about?' raised Chinese interest in Korean dramas and signaled the birth of Korean Wave. The reason for the success of this Korean drama is that viewers were made to form a bond of sympathy through its family-centered Confucian values which differed from those displayed in Western dramas, which held strongly to the value of individualism (Weber, 2001). Since 2000, the Korean Wave phenomenon that started in China quietly began to spread to other countries. Over the years these other countries have expressed interest in different styles of Korean drama. For example, in Taiwan, 'Jewel in the Palace' which had a story of palace food, and Japan was a ‘Winter Sonata’ which had a story based on first love (Lee, 2011). The ‘Winter Sonata’, which was broadcast on NHK TV in 2003, received explosive responses, enough to warrant continuous reruns. This drama series stimulated the feelings and nostalgia lost in the hearts of middleaged women (KOCIS, 2011). In addition, 'Jewel in the Palace' attracted global interest in Korean traditional culture, through aspects such as the beauty of ‘Hanbok’ and gorgeous palace cuisine, and assisted in the expansion of the Koren wave to the Middle East and the world beyond Asia. With regards to K-Movies, as Hong Kong's film industry declined Korean films took over. Hong Kong was dominating most markets in Asia with an icon of culture that was harmonious with East and West. However, as the Hong Kong film industry, which enjoyed a boom, declined, foreign popular culture began to take hold in Hong Kong (Park , 2013). The start of the Korean Wave in Hong Kong was from the success of the movie 'My Sassy Girl' in 2002. The success of the film in Asia, including Hong Kong, attracted the attention of filmmakers, audiences, and critics around the world. This is because Korean filmmakers used a combination of Western

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 14 filmmaking technologies and styles to create unique expressions of emotion and to implement originality. For this reason, Hollywood filmmakers began to either hire Korean actors or to remake Korean films (KOCIS, 2011). Therefore, the Korean Wave 1.0 led to the Korean Wave 2.0 by causing consumption and stimulation of interest in Korean culture. According to Parc & Moon (2013), other reasons why Kdrama /movies began to draw attention in neighboring countries include: the diverse stories and themes that attract different generations and social classes; the attractiveness actors and actresses; the visually beautiful backgrounds; the application of high-tech-based Computer graphics (CG); and the use of social networking services (SNS) as a means of communication. Hallyu 2.0 (K-Pop Music) Following the success of the Korean Wave 1.0 which encompassed K-drama and film, it is K-pop that led the Korean Wave 2.0. In Korea, the term K-pop refers to a variety of music styles, including rock, ballads, and pop music (Tuk , 2012). K-Pop is an acronym for Korean popular music, it is a music genre composed of hip-hop, pop, rock, R & B and electronic music from Korea (Touhami & Fawwaz Al-Abed, 2017). The popularity of drama has also exposed audiences to Korean background music, raising awareness and interest in Korean popular music. K-pop singers such as: BoA, Rain, Big Bang, and Dong Bang Shin Ki, led the Korean Wave in several Asian countries (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan) until the early 2000s, following the great success of HOT ("High Five Of Teenagers") in China in the late 1990s (Jin & Yoon, 2016). For example, ‘Psy's Gangnam Style’ broke global records and was the first music video to reach one billion views on YouTube in 2012, the second highest on the American Billboard charts and the number one on the Chinese music charts

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 15 (Tuk , 2012). The K-pop singers' remarkable achievements served as an opportunity to promote Korean pop music. In the 21st century, the development of Internet technology such as digital technology and social media has brought a new turning point to Hallyu. Hallyu 1.0 is centered on drama so most consumers are middle-aged or older, while Hallyu 2.0 (Kpop) has expanded to younger people who are familiar with social media. This newly modified Korean wave has been classified as "Neo-Korean Wave" (KOCIS, 2011). In other words, the digitized music and music videos of K-pop created conditions for reaching the masses who are familiar with social media. The term "Hallyu 2.0" is intended to express the "new Korean Wave" that began around 2007 and was first used by Japanese media to report on the showcase of 'Girls' Generation', the first digital single in Tokyo in 2010 (Kim, 2015). In 2011, to meet the growing demand of worldwide consumers, YouTube launched a separate KPop music channel apart from its music page, alongside R&B, Rock, Pop, and Rap channels. This was the first time that music from a specific country was introduced as a separate channel (Oh, Baek, & Ahn, 2013). Therefore, Hallyu 2.0 is meaningful in that the culture of Korea, which was previously known only in the Asian context, is expanding all over the world. At its center are various social networking sites (SNS; YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) and a user-generated content (UGC) site, which allows world fans to interact with Korean popular culture (Kim, 2015). The Korean Wave, which started in China, was regarded as a temporary phenomenon, but since then, various cultural products have been exported to neighboring Asian countries and it has spread more widely to world audiences such as the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South and North America. Thus, Korea has emerged as a new center of multinational popular culture (Jang & Paik, 2012). In

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 16 particular, the popularity of the global K-pop music genre has been particularly predominant in Asia. Among the top five countries with the most K-pop video views on YouTube, only one (the United States) is outside of the Asia region. Among the countries within Asia, Thailand is second after Japan (Jeong & Song, 2012). John Lie (2012) said in his research that K-pop's success was driven by people trained in many important aspects of creating the pop music industry, including those involved in music composition, dance choreography, and stage design. Korean Wave Success Factors Korean government agencies, as well as world media and scholars, have tried to understand why the Korean Wave craze is so popular, but they have not been able to understand clearly (Parc & Moon, 2013). Nevertheless, based on a few documents, this section will explore the success factors of Korean Wave from a social and cultural perspective, an economic perspective, and also from a technical viewpoint. Social and Cultural Perspective In the early research on Hallyu, the actors' attractive appearance, acting, beautiful background, tight plot, and skillful editing were considered to be success factors of Korean Wave. Korean TV dramas were embraced by many Asian audiences, especially, due to the similarity of cultures in Asia. For instance, Asian audiences shares similar cultural values such as family and social values such as, respect for old people (Jung, 2009). According to Jang & Paik (2012), Asians enjoy the common traditions and modern lifestyle and trends they are trying to imitate in the historical majestic dramas of Korea, while Westerners like to enjoy fresh humor and fantastic plots. This is referred to as cultural proximity. 'Cultural proximity' is a

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 17 representative concept explaining the use of popular culture among nations. In a globalized world where people have access to an increasingly rich media environment, cultural proximity theory suggests that people prefers media products that are most similar to their own culture. Cultural proximity theory considers language and also other factors such as ethnicity, gesture, body language, humor, storytelling, music tradition, religious elements, gender imagery, lifestyle, knowledge of values, education, and family (Ksiazek & Webster, 2008). In this regard, an online survey of Hallyu fans in 20 Spanish speaking countries shows that while they felt cultural heterogeneity, they also showed a desire for the Korean drama lifestyle (Dani & Bruno, 2015). Despite the differences with regards to the cultural and historical background of the Korean Wave users, the secret of Korean Wave popularity can be found in cultural hybrids. Cultural hybrids were used by conquering countries in the past as a means of cultural hybridization between colonial culture and the colonies to enable colonial rule. However, cultural hybrid is expressed as cultural diversities in the current globalized inteconnected world (Kraidy, 2002). In particular, he argued that hybridity is the key to understanding the proliferation of media globalization. This is because freedom of cultural production and consumption can flourish in the free trade era and succeed in cultural hybridization. In this context, Dani & Bruno (2015) often described a cultural hybrid in terms of the successful modifying and merging of cultural elements of 'Orient' and 'Western' to create new products appealing to audiences in different cultural environments. In addition, Shim (2006) explained that Korean pop culture combines the tempting image of modernized Westernness with the appropriate amount of Asian sentimentality, attracting a wide spectrum of spectators. In other words, Korea took advanced Western cultures, grafted them onto

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 18 its own, and recreated its own unique culture (Jang & Paik, 2012). For example, Korean films show a classic example of globalization and cultural hybrids because they successfully combine Korean stories and emotions and Hollywood skills. In this respect, the Korean Wave can be more accurately described as the ‘Korean-hybrid wave’ (Shim, 2006). Today’s modern society is international and globalized. Some scholars have characterized a multiculture as a flow of culture not limited to one region. The term 'transnational' was first used by Randolph Bourne (1886-1918) in 1916 when he wrote an article in "Trans-National America," after which many scholars began to use it (Jung, 2009). This definition indicates that the concept of transnational means a variety of connections and economic, social and cultural interactions that connect communities across the borders of nation-states. The popular culture of modern Korea is based on an unavoidable transnational flow because multidimensional and multidirectional mobility creates diverse sociocultural contacts that go beyond national and regional boundaries and occur from the outside (Jin & Yoon, 2016). In this context, the Korean Wave has become a popular culture favored by the whole world and not limited to any specific region. Economic perspective According to Michael Porter's diamond model, national competitiveness is determined by the productivity of the domestic industry. He stated that countries with high national competitiveness should be able to achieve high levels of productivity through the capacity of its industry innovating and upgrading (Porter, 1990). He argues that national competitiveness is the result of four interrelated factors and activities: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, firm strategy structure and rivalry. One of the interest factors is the demand

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 19 condition, that considers the "size" and "quality" of the market. The higher the desire of competitive consumers, the better the quality of the product and the more competitive it is. From this point of view, the Korean film market with a population of 50 million seems small. However, according to Parc & Moon’s study, (2013), Korea has the highest number of people who visit theaters, after America and Australia, and the consumers' desires are reflected in the quality of movies. To meet the needs of Korean consumers, Korean media products have become more sophisticated in order to minimize defects and meet customer expectations. The Korean Wave is also the result of strategic planning and promotion by the Korean government. Prior to 1990, the Korean government regarded the media as a useful tool for justifying political oppression and promoting and advertising government policies, including government-led industrialization. The Korean government had put the media under strong government control as a means of securing public support for government policies (Son , 2012). Against this background, the government allocated a movie quota to producers as a way to adjust the number of Korean film productions. It was a system that allowed the screening domestic films for a certain period as a means of protecting local films and promoting government policies. In the late 1980s, the Korean government opened the movie market due to the pressure of the US government and Hollywood (Tuk , 2012), and Hollywood movies were greatly acclaimed by Korean audiences, while Korean movies lost their prominence. Therefore, the Korean film industry was met with market liberalization suddenly, after 20 years of strict government control, without sufficient time to prepare. As a result, the film industry continued to a slump and decline in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The Korean movie industry had maintained its existence through the screen quota system but was seriously damaged

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 20 by the reduction of the screen system in 2006. However, there had been some important changes in the Korean media environment, and these changes had influenced the Korean government's policies on the media and film industry and had brought about a turning point (Shim, 2006). Internally, Korea began to democratize in the late 1980s. Externally, Korea had faced the emergence of new digital media and media globalization that lead to a deregulation of the global media market and an explosive increase in the number of channels (Joo, 2010). With the opening of the movie market, the Korean government gradually begun to alleviate previous strong control over the media industry. As a result, this led to an increase in the number of broadcasting channels, such as cable, and soon there was a shortage of programs (Tuk , 2012). In addition, the Korean government felt the need to cultivate a media industry capable of producing domestic content appealing to domestic viewers and audiences as a way to cope with the globalization of the US-led media (Joo, 2010). In this situation, Korean dramas and movies succeeded overseas, and the Korean government found business potential in the cultural industry. Therefore, the government began subsidizing Korean TV content producers since 2001 to foster overseas markets (Shim, 2006). These measures have greatly improved the value of Korean dramas internationally. In addition, the successful investment of Korean companies in dramas and movies has led to the advertisement of their own products and has helped to facilitate Korean Wave 3.0 and 4.0. This strategy has led to a marketing platform that has helped Korean Wave make Korean trademarks a global brand (Huang, 2011). In the past, the public valued the national culture as traditional, spiritual and intangible, whilst popular culture was treated as low - level entertainment that has a negative impact (Lita & Cho, 2012). In addition, popular culture was utilized as

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 21 political tool to maintain government authority through state control and regulation (Jang & Paik, 2012), but now it is actively supported by the country because it is seen to have profitable economic value. Ultimately, the survival efforts of Korean popular culture in an international, global environment, have become a driving force in Korea's literary revival. Technical perspective Globalization is a major issue today. This term refers to the process and context in which the world is integrated, and is often used in business and education. This globalization has gained momentum with the advent of the network society and it has enabled interconnections between locally restricted cultural phenomena and their impact on the world. In the process, advances in technology have shifted to new forms and consumption patterns, from the use of mobile phones to the Internet (Dani & Bruno, 2015). Recently, Social Network Service (SNS) has become an important means of communication throughout the world, and the entertainment industry in Korea has used this infrastructure as a tool to promote Korean content (Parc & Moon, 2013). Social media has changed the way people access and consume cultural goods. Especially after the late 2000s, the new Korean Wave, which is based on "Social Media platforms " like YouTube and Twitter, and centered on K-pop, has become an opportunity to spread the Korean Wave, previously limited to Asia, to the whole world. As a result, fans of new Korea Wave are rapidly expanding from the middleaged to 10s and 20s who are familiar with the digital environment. The popular group BTS (Beyond The Scene), which has a lot of fandom today, is considered a successful example of social media utilization (Jin, 2018). There is no doubt that Hollywood is dominating the world market in the movie sector, but today, Korea has become one of the few countries where Hollywood

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 22 movies do not dominate the domestic market. Computer graphics (CG) plays an important role in a variety of content areas such as: the image creation process, virtual reality, presentation, film/animation, and games. The development of Korea's advanced technology-based CG stimulated the foreign CG market, and the US, Canada, and Singapore are trying to attract Korean CG studios by offering capital and support tax benefits (Parc & Moon, 2013). Moreover, in 2009, South Korea obtained 10% of the Hollywood movie CG market, earning 12 times more revenue than the previous year. Korea's CG technology is very competitive and popular in international markets (Bang, 2010). In Particular, K-pop's music videos, incorporate 3D visual cubic and 4D sensuous experiences and, show a colorful and sophisticated technique. In 2013, a K-pop concert using augmented reality technology received substantial attention (Cho & Sim, 2013). These technologies have enabled sophisticated and skilled editing of dramas, movies, and K-pop, and have become a factor in the success of the Korean Wave. The Impacts of Korean Wave Korean Language Learning The success of K-drama/movie and K-pop has led to an interest in Korean culture, food, fashion, and language. Breaking the expectation that it was a temporary phenomenon, the Korean Wave brought about a Korean learning craze. Korean fans want to know Korean culture and are eager to learn Korean language or travel to Korea. The scope of Korean language, which in times past was used only for specialist students to fulfil political or diplomatic needs, is has now been widened. As such, the number of schools and research institutes that hold Korean language

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 23 lectures is steadily increasing. Figure 1 shows the number of Korean Language education institutions around the world (Ministry of Korean Education, 2018). Figure 1. Number of Overseas Korean Language Education Institutions. (Unit: Number) Note: From Ministry of Korean Education Figure 2. Overseas Korean Language Course Institution by Region (Unit: Number) Note: From https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180123002600315?section=search 552 695 1,111 1,423 2009 2011 2014 2017 49 397 29 97 10 8 30 12 146 699 132 142 71 39 80 39 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Europe Northeast Asia South Asia North America Latin America Africa & Middle East Russia & Central Asia Southwest Asia & Oceania 2007 2018

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 24 As Figure 2 shows that the number of Korean language institutes in each region has increased significantly, in some cases, more than twice as compared with 2007 (Yonhap News, 2018). In this regard, the number of foreign students and Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) applicants in Korea is also increasing. It is not clear that this phenomenon has been directly influenced by the Korean Wave, but various reports show that this is highly likely. In Thailand, Korean language has become a popular foreign language due to the popularity of Korean Wave products such as Kdrama and K-pop. In Thailand, Korean language departments have been opened and operated at seven universities such as Songkla, Burapha, Silparkorn, Mahasarakham, SrinakarinWirot, Chiang maiRajabhat, Naresuan. In addition, many universities, including Chulalongkorn University, teach Korean as an elective subject or minor. Thai students learning the Korean language, have also shown an interest in Korean culture (Song S. , 2016). This interest may lead to students studying abroad in Korea. The following figure is the number of Korean language schools, Korean language course students, and the applicants for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in Thailand, based on data from the Korean Ministry of Education (2017). Table 2. Korean Language Education in Thailand Items 2010 2016 Language classes 11 82 Students 1,600 30,000 TOPIK exam 1,603 (2013) 4,190 Note. From Ministry of Education 'Motivation' is recognized as an important variable of second language learning because the learner 's learning goals and motive have a considerable

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 25 influence on learning contents and methods. Clement and colleagues argued that the quality of communication among members of different language communities living together, was an important motivation for determining cultural identity amongst second-language learners (Dörnyei, 1998). According to Fukunaga (2006), People with a strong interest in foreign pop culture would develop critical attitudes, cultural knowledge and foreign language skills, and those with the same tendency would use characteristic languages. From this point of view, it is apparent that Hallyu fans are using distinctive languages through the fandom community (Touhami & Fawwaz AlAbed, 2017). In fact, Hallyu fans are learning Korean through K-pop or K-drama, so they feel a sense of homogeneity beyond the language barriers. Touhami and his colleagues comment on why Hallyu fans use the Korean language. The fans indicated that they used it because:, it is expressive, it enables them to better assciate with Korean culture and they use it as a code between them and their friends. This shows that due to the development of social media and the activities of online communities that cross borders, Hallyu fans are forming their own bond (Touhami & Fawwaz AlAbed, 2017). Tourism Industry As the interest in Korea has increased due to the influence of the Korean Wave, the number of foreigners visiting Korea has also increased. According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) survey in 2004, 47% of participants said they visited Korea under the influence of Korean dramas. The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea has risen from 300,000 in 1998 when the Korean Wave began, to 11.8 million in 2014 (Bae, Chang, Park, & Kim, 2017). Figure 3 shows the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea from 2000 to 2017. The number of visitors to Korea

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 26 has increased throughout this period. In 2017, about 13.34 million foreigners visited Korea (Statista, n.d.). Figure 3. Number of Inbound Visitors to South Korea from 2000 to 2018 (in millions) Note: From http://www.statista.com/statistics/709116/south-korea-inbound-visitors/ Figure 4 shows the nationality of international visitors, and they are mainly from Asian countries. Figure 4. Nationalities of International Visitors for Tourism Note: From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_South_Korea China Japan Taiwan U.S.A Hon Kong Thailand

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 27 Due to the Korean Wave, Korea has become a tourist hotspot for foreign tourists, partly because of the drama and movie locations. However, as the Korean Wave has shifted its focus from drama to K-pop, foreign tourists come to Korea to enjoy the K-pop concerts. There is also a growing interest in Korean food, cosmetics, fashion, Korean language learning and Korean culture in general. It is predicted that this will lead to K-pop concert tours, shopping, language training and cultural tourism in Korea (Bae, Chang, Park, & Kim, 2017). Purchase Goods The Korean Wave has raised the value of Korean brand products. According to the report "2014 Economic Impact of Hallyu" by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Foundation for Cultural Exchange, the economic impact of the Korean Wave showed a continuous increase from 2011 to 2014 (Song, 2015). In particular, the medical (cosmetics) tourism, cosmetics and beauty industries have been directly influenced by the Korean wave. Korean stars are leading the trend of consumers as their fashion and styling products are being sold in the countries in the Asian region where Korean Wave is influential, such as China and Southeast Asia. In the cosmetics industry, Korean stars are used as marketing points, gaining the high reputation of getting a good image and leading the latest trends (Bae, Chang, Park, & Kim, 2017). In fact, Korea's skin care cosmetics exports to Thailand had increased by 1000% between 2006 and 2011, reaching 52.2 million dollars in five years (Park, 2014). The popularity of Korean Wave, led by young Korean pop artists, has been increasing in many parts of the world, from Southeast Asia to Latin America, helping boost sales of Korean products abroad (Song, 2015).

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 28 Global impact of Korean Wave As the Korean Wave has become a global phenomenon, scholars and journalists have asked questions about the reasons for the spread of Korean pop culture (Lee, 2011). Early research on Korean Wave focused on the expression of media and the content of the products of Korean pop culture. Some scholars have turned their attention to Korea's cultural policy and cultural industry. At the same time, research has begun to expand beyond case studies dealing with specific areas of the world by building specific concepts and theoretical frameworks and explaining Korean Wave as a hybrid and transnational phenomenon (Jin & Yoon, 2017). These studies are prominent in Asia. Korean cultural products have become a catalyst for curiosity about Korean culture and Korea itself and have had various effects on transactions with other countries. The Korean Wave ultimately improved the image of Korea abroad and changed Korea's economic and cultural status (Lee, 2011). The Korean cultural wave increases the likelihood of purchasing culturally conditioned products or learning about the culture, resulting in a general change in attitude and behavior towards Korea. It also suggests that people's perceptions of Korean wave products have a positive relationship with their willingness to purchase products related to the country producing these products. The reason for this is that cultural audiences tend to seek information on the lives of actors and actresses, follow the lifestyle of their idols, and collect related merchandise (Lita & Yoon , 2012). Despite the widespread and popularity of the Korean Wave, this phenomenon has also started to give rise to anti - Korean wave emotions. These hostile attitudes are portrayed prominently in news reports of certain countries. For example, Chinese media condemned the spread of Korean dramas and Korean companies entering the

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 29 Chinese market, while Japanese media complained about Korea-related issues. The Asian press said that the Korean Wave is not a bilateral relationship of cultural exchange and emphasized the imbalance of the cultural industry in the Asian region with the unilateral influx of Korean popular culture (Lee, 2011). Kaisii explained that the Korean Wave is a cultural invasion that threatens his own culture. According to Kaisii, the Korean culture invasion has steadily raised considerable enthusiasm and interest in style and fashion amongst young people, and is often reflected in the use of language in instant messages (Kaisii, 2017). This shows that spreading Korean Wave with the use of one-sided investment based on economic logic rather than cultural exchanges, can raise resistance and hostility toward Korean popular culture from regional audiences (Ryoo, 2009). Conceptual Diagram Figure 5 below shows a conceptual diagram used in this study. This diagram shows that the success factors of the Korean Wave have enabled global audiences to have access to Korean Wave products, and as a result, these audiences have become interested in Korea and Korean culture.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 30 Figure 5. Conceptual Diagram Success factors of Korean Wave Social & Cultural - Culture proximity theory - Culture hybrids theory - Transnational Economic Factors - Competitive consumers - Korean government' Technical Factors - Social Media - High-Tech Impact of Korean Wave Increased Tourism in Korea Purchase of Korean Goods Interest in Korea and Korean culture Korean Language Learning Global Audiences access and relate to Korean Wave Contents

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 31 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY This chapter describes the research design, data collection, and data analysis processes that were used to investigate students' perceptions of the Korean Wave and the impact of the Korean Wave on their attitudes toward Korea and Korean culture. This chapter begins by presenting the research questions. The chapter also explores the research methods, sampling procedures, questionnaire structure that were used within the research to find answers to the research questions. In addition, the chapter provides information about the validity, reliability and generalizability of the data collection procedures and the ethical elements of the research. Research Questions 1. What are the factors that attract students to Korean wave? 2. How do students relate to Korean wave? 3. What is the impact of Korean wave in terms of students’ perceptions of Korea and Korean culture? Research Design A research design as Ranjit (2011) explained is a procedure plan that is adopted by the researcher to answer questions in a valid, objective, accurate and economic way, thereby, ensuring that the researcher effectively addresses the research problem. This plan involves procedures of strategy such as specific methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. There are three major categories of research design; quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Quantitative research involves

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 32 the collection and analysis of numerical data extracted from samples to identify phenomena, and qualitative research provides information on human behavior or psychology (Creswell, 2009). Quantitative research can make observations clearer and more easily summarize phenomena but can lose the rich meaning of phenomena. Qualitative design research, on the other hand, has the advantage of providing a rich description of a particular phenomenon, although there are limitations in generalizing observed phenomena (Babbie, 2007).This study adopted a mixed research method combining qualitative and quantitative design. According to Crosswell (2009), researchers adopting a mixed approach can better understand the research problem by collecting data in various forms. The reason the researcher chose to use a mixed design is that the attraction to Korean Wave and the manner in which individuals relate to the phenomenon are factors that cannot be measured by quantitative data alone. Data was needed on how the cultural phenomenon of the Korean Wave played a role in consumer psychology. To this end, qualitative data was used to establish participants’ relationship to Korean wave and the attractive elements of Korean Wave. More specifically, unstructured open-ended questions we employed in this regard. The impact of Korean Wave on participants' behavior was analyzed through quantitative questionnaire items. The existing research on the Korean wave is mostly qualitative and involves the collection of data through interviews. This study adopts mixed design where data is collected through surveys. Survey research uses standardized questionnaires or interviews to systematically gather the data about people and their preferences, thoughts and behaviors (Creswell, 2009). Invented by Sir Francis Galton, a questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a set of questions (items) that collects the responses of survey participants in a standardized manner. Questions can

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 33 be structured or unstructured. Unstructured questions allow participants to provide a response in their own words, while a structured question requires the participant to select an answer from a given set of responses (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Closed questions enable easy comparisons between individuals or groups of participants, take less time to complete than open questions, and are easier to code and process. In contrast, open-ended questions are used for more in-depth exploration of the participant’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The survey in this study included closed-ended and open-ended questions. The closed-ended questions were utilized to investigate participants' perceptions of the Korean Wave and the impact of the Korean Wave. The open questions were used to explore opinions of the Korean Wave. Research Setting The study consists of undergraduate students enrolled in AIU in the 2018/2019 school year. AIU is an institution to which researcher belongs and consists of students from many countries around the world from various cultural backgrounds, it is therefore well suited for this investigation. AIU is a higher education school in Thailand and consists of an ESL program, 10 international programs, 4 Thai programs and two Masters programs. AIU has two campuses: Muak Lek campus, where international courses are taught and a Bangkok campus where the Thai nursing courses are carried out. On the Muak Lek campus there are 756 students who are from 32 countries and there are an additional 152 students on the Bangkok campus. More than 50 percent of the 756 students are from Asian countries. There were a total of 908 students enrolled between 2018/2019, including 872 undergraduate students and 36 Master's students. Among them, there are 508 Thai students, and they make up 56% of the total. The gender ratio of the students is 325 males and 583 females. There

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 34 are more women than men at the institution. All of the participants were current students at the university at the time of the study. Sampling Procedure A sample is a subgroup of the target population that the researcher plans to study in order to make generalizations about the target population. The larger the sample, the more likely it is that it will be representative of the population. The difference between the sample estimate and the true population score is called sampling error (Creswell, 2009). This study used purposive sampling, a nonprobability method for the selection of participants. Purposive sampling is a technique widely used in qualitative research to identify and select phenomena and informationrich cases of interest within a limited population (Palinkas,, et al., 2015). Within this study, I chose to focus on the Muak Lek campus, because it is appropriate to investigate the perceptions of Korean Wave held amongst participants from various cultural backgrounds. Data for the study was gathered through an online survey of undergraduates at AIU. The population size was at 718 and did not include students from Korea. The online survey was distributed to a total of 718 students over a period of three weeks from April to May, 2019. The final sample size of the research was 92 students. Survey Instrument and Procedure of Data Collection The questionnaire was produced in two languages: the English version for international students who made up 60.2% of the population, and Thai version for the Thai students, who made up the remaining 39.8 %. The questionnaire consisted of multiple-choice statements with; multi-item scales and also open-ended qualitative questions. The multiple-choice items were used to explore the degree of interest in the

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 35 Korean Wave, how participants were introduced to it, how they accessed it, and their areas of interest. Sections that focused on the extent to which participants could relate to the Korean Wave and how Korean Wave influenced participants' perceptions of Korea and Korean culture, were divided into K-drama/movie and K-pop and used the Likert scale. Likert scales are a common measurement system used for responses to questions or statements, which uses phrases ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Generally, the scale contains an odd number of categories, such as in the 5 point and 7-point scales, which include a medium or neutral category. However, researchers can also use even number scales without the medium or neutral option, to force the responder to select one side (Creswell, 2009). I applied a 4-point scale without a ‘neutral’ option. In order to investigate the perception of Korean Wave, the questionnaire consisted of four parts: 1) Factors for Korean Wave 2) Cultural elements in dramas and movies 3) Cultural elements in K-pop 4) Impact of Korean Wave. Altogether the questionnaire contained a total of 43 items. Demographic information such as gender, age, and nationality was included in the first section of the questionnaire. Apart from the quantitative items, some open-ended questions within the survey, asked participants to express their opinions on the attractive elements of the Korean Wave and how they relate to Korean Wave. The quality of research is usually related to the generalizability of the results and the validity or reliability of the research (Golafshani, 2003). According to Leung (2015), the validity of research refers to the adequacy of tools, processes, and data. The validity of the research is often determined by the research questions/items. To increase the validity of the questions/items, I used the Content Validity Index (CVI) developed by Waltz and Bausell, and employed experts to validate the content of the questionnaire. Content experts provide useful insight into the completeness and

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 36 appropriateness of items, thereby increasing the confidence level. I-CVI of 0.8 or higher may be considered evidence of content validity (Tojib & Sugianto, 2006). A panel of five experts evaluated the questionnaire, and the CVI value was 0.91, clearly exceeding 0.80, indicating that it is a valid tool with appropriate content. In addition, some items were modified to make them more appropriate. For example, the item 'the lives of the characters compares well with my own life' was modified to the following statement: 'the stories of the characters are similar to my own life'. In the same way, the item 'Learning Korean will help my future' was modified to 'Because of Korean Wave, I am learning Korean' so that it could be used to clearly identify the impact of the Korean Wave. The questionnaire was conducted using a Google survey program provided by Google forms. The reason I used the Google survey program was that participants, (who were at the time, busy preparing for their final exams), could easily access and complete the survey on the website regardless of location or time. Another reason for using the Google survey program is that Google forms stores the feedback received and it is automatically collected in Excel Spreadsheets, making it easier to analyze large data sets using charts and other complex spreadsheet features. This program saves time in the data collection and management process because the researcher does not have to search for and approach participants in person. The survey, which includes consent for the research, was distributed to undergraduate students admitted in the 2018/2019 school year. With the consent of the school, the researcher emailed the questionnaire to students through the school computer network. The planed online survey period was 3 weeks from April 23 to May 7, 2019. However, the students were busy preparing for the final exams, and the initial response rate was low, so it was extended until May 16th.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 37 Data Analysis After collecting the data, I checked for any missing data. It is important to process missing data because it can produce biased estimates that can reduce the statistical performance of the study and lead to inaccurate conclusions (Kang, 2013). In this study, no missing data was found because participants responded to all the statements and questions. To better suit statistical analysis, each item of quantitative data was assigned a coding book with a unique identification number. Unique identification numbers were recoded primarily in the numeric format in Excel. In order to match the criterion of the scale, five items expressing negative perceptions were reverse coded. In the case of the Numeric converted data, either the mean values were obtained from Excel or the Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was utilized for correlation analysis. In the case of the unstructured questions thematic analysis was used. Thematic analysis is a method of identifying and analyzing meaning patterns in collected data. According to Cepeda and Martin (2005), coding should have a conceptual context related to the topic of research so that the findings can be linked to the research. The open-ended questions were analyzed through a five-step process for thematic analysis. In the first stage, I read the participants' data and then identified key issues by highlighting certain key words and phrases used by the participants. In the second stage, I established a number of themes within the data, by gathering similar words and statements across all the responses related to each individual question. The third stage examined whether there were any sentences that did not match the categorized themes. Within the fourth stage, I looked at each theme individually to decipher the dynamics within each one. Finally, I presented data gained from the open-ended

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 38 questions and explained and analyzed it using selected examples that clearly conveyed each theme. Ethical Issues One of the main ethical issues I had to consider in this study was the anonymity of the participants. In order to maintain the privacy of the participants, the questionnaire did not ask for the names of the participants. In terms of gaining informed consent, a brief explanation was provided in the guidance section before the questions began, to help participants understand the purpose of this study. After this section, the participants were asked to give their consent before completing the survey. In addition, before distributing the survey, the researcher obtained permission from the AIU 's RRDC (Ranking research and development committee) who assessed the ethical and practical feasibility of the study. The study was approved on the basis of its ethical and methodological soundness.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 39 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS The purpose of this chapter is to present the results of the study. After the description of the participant characteristics, including the response rate by gender and age, the participant's level of interest, duration of use, and route of use for the Korean Wave are presented. The chapter also contains the analysis of responses to the open-ended questions. This consists of the presentation and discussion of participants' data relating to each theme. The final section shows how the Korean wave is impacting on students’ perceptions of Korea and Korean culture, by presenting a correlation between perceptions and behaviors. Demographic Representation In an online survey conducted during the three-week period, 92 participants completed the survey and the response rate was 12.8 %. The reason for the low response rate is that students were not frequently participating in online activities due to final exam preparations. In terms of gender, there were more female (63%) than male (37%) students in the sample. In terms of the academic levels of participants, 39.1% were freshman, 25% were sophomore, 14.1% were junior, and 21.7% were seniors. The age range of participants is as follows: Approximately 17.4% belonged to the younger-than 19 age group, 55.4% were in the 20-22 age group, 19.6% were between 23 and 25, and 7.6% were in the older than 25 age group. In terms of nationality, participants originated from 11 different countries (Figure 6).

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 40 Figure 6. Nationality Data of the Participants As shown in Figure 6, among the participants, Thai students were the biggest group, with 54 students. This number accounted for 58.7% of the total. The second was 12 students (13%) from Malaysia. When looking at the 11 countries surveyed, the rest of the nine countries except Sweden and Zambia were from Asia. Factors Related to Korean Wave Looking at the interest in Korean Wave, 89.1% of participants were interested to some extent, while 10.9% of participants were not interested (Figure 7). Participants were most commonly introduced to Korean Wave through media sources (52.2%), followed by friends (40.2%), family members (5.4%) and other (2.2%). In terms of participants’ access the Korean Wave, YouTube accounted for 64.1%, followed by Facebook & SNS 15.2%, TV 10.9%, other 6.5% and theaters 3.3%. As mentioned in Kim's research (Kim, 2015), this shows that social networking sites (SNS, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) are an important means of accessing 54 6 4 1 1 4 12 7 1 1 1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Nationalities

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF KOREAN WAVE 41 Figure 7. Level of Interest in Korean Wave Korean popular culture. These user-generated content (UGC) sites are also a factor in the success of Korean Wave. In terms of the length of time that participants had been interested in Korean Wave, a large number of participants reported that they had been interested in it for more than 5 years (38%), 27.2% for less than one year, 18.5% for 3-5 years, and 16.3% for 1 to 3 years (Figure 8). Figure 8. Period Interested in Korean Wave 16.3% 15.2% 34.8% 22.8% 10.9% Extremely interested Very interested Moderately interested Slightly interested Not at all interested 27.2% 16.3% 18.5% 38.0% Less than 1 year 1~ 3 years 3-5 years More than 5 years