Gangnam Style, Bts and Squid Game:

The linguistic consequences of the

Korean Wave
Korean culture has witnessed a significant spike in popularity all over the world, thanks to the
worldwide prominence and large cult-like following of global K-pop artists like BTS, Got7,
Blackpink, and Twice, which is linked to increased accessibility to technology and social media.
This rapid rise in popularity can be seen in numerous areas of culture, including television
(Squid Game), film (Parasite), food (Dalgona Coffee), and fashion (Modern Hanboks). Koreans
refer to this as "Hallyu," a phrase used to describe the sweeping phenomenon of the Korean
Wave of Entertainment, which has swept the world like a hurricane.
This process has not forsaken language, with 26 new Korean terms introduced to the Oxford
dictionary in 2021, demonstrating that lexical innovation is no longer subjected to primarily
European languages like English, French, or Spanish.

These new additions to the dictionary include words from Aegyo, n. and adj. - a cute
display of affection to manhwa, n. - a Korean genre of cartoons and comic books,
often influenced by Japanese manga to even food-related terminology such as
kimbap, n. - a Korean dish consisting of cooked rice and other ingredients wrapped in
a sheet of seaweed and cut into bite-sized slices These additions demonstrate not just
the impact of K-pop and Korean culture, but also the expanding globalisation that has
transferred (quite literally) into dictionaries.

While English is the most widely used language in the world, incorporations such as
the aforementioned are imprative because they give an official mechanism for
academics or anybody writing to utilise the ever-expanding sea of terminology (bad
news for spelling bee fanatics). Language is one of the most significant ways of
communication and one of the most crucial components of comprehending any
culture, therefore incorporating such terms is critical to understanding civilization. Not
only do the additions make many languages more accessible, but they also help us
understand the diversity of cultures via the consumption of media from a multitude of
cultures, guaranteeing we can create meaningful connections. . Thus, vocabulary and
its ever-expanding nature become increasingly important in our interactions with
people, whether online or in person.

Riding the Hallyu wave, online networks centred on K-pop consumption have seen
fast growth in terms of importance and community size, with Instagram, Twitter, and
Tumblr being just a few examples. Despite the fact that these groups are made up of
people who do not come from Korea or speak the language natively, the Korean
language is frequently observed and utilised by non-native Korean speakers. This is
evident not just in official fandom terminology, but also in a desire to grasp the lyrics
and maybe sing and pronounce them correctly.

Despite the fact that the Korean language is difficult for non-native speakers to
enunciate and pronounce with the exception of a few words (gangnam style being the
prime example here), there has been a trend in taking Korean language lessons both
online and in universities in an attempt to be able to sing properly *cue horrible
attempts to sing K-pop*.

As a result of this assimilation, diverse words and phrases from many cultures and
countries may be included in official dictionaries and eventually become part of the
everyday vocabulary.

Belatedly, the inclusion of Korean words and phrases illustrates the lexical innovations that will
occur in the twenty-first century as a consequence of not only pervasive modernization but also
globalisation, which has sown and embedded itself in various cultural elements, one of which is
language, as well as media such as music, books, and television.