Korean Wave

The Korean wave refers to the recent surge of popularity of South Korean popular culture in other countries, especially in Asian countries. It is also referred to as "Hallyu", from the Korean pronunciation of the term. The term was coined in China in mid 1999 by Beijing journalists startled by the growing popularity of South Koreans and South Korean goods in China. 한류/韓流/韩流 (Korean Wave) is homophone to an existing compound word, 한류/寒流 ("cold current") in Mandarin Chinese and Korean.
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