


NAVER Papago, Neural Machine Translation Service Recommended by Users However, for those who don’t, they can always rely on the next best thing: machine translation services. Some may be fortunate enough to have a friend who can help translate the Korean language, which is considered one of the most difficult languages to translate due to its complex syntax, unique culture and history, and a massive number of character sets (11,172 letters compared to 26 in the alphabet). Members of fandoms are nevertheless often lost when they try to find English translations for other Korean content or communicate in Korean with their favorite celebrities. Self-Sourcing Translation for One of the World’s Most Difficult Languageįans of K-Pop self-source English translations of their favorite artists through Twitter or fan sites, and content providers offer English translations for Korean TV shows and contents streamed on their services. But Hallyu also encompasses everything about Korean culture, including food, TV, film, clothes, cosmetics and beauty regimes. The explosive popularity of Hallyu has been spearheaded by K-Pop, most notably by the seven-member boy band BTS. People who identify themselves as Hallyu fans have reached 89.19 million worldwide. Fast forward 20 years, and you now see an explosion of Korean culture on the internet, social media and YouTube. The Korean Wave (or “Hallyu” in Korean) started in the late 1990s as South Korean cultural contents gained popularity in nearby Asian countries. The Explosive Popularity of Korean Culture in Modern Media
