Korean culture has taken Australia by storm, with the upcoming Hallyu! exhibition at the National Museum of Australia marking the latest milestone in the phenomenon's spread. The exhibition, which originated at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2022, features over 250 objects exploring the rise of Korean pop culture worldwide. Canberra will be its final stop and only Australian appearance.
Korean diplomat Jimin Kim, now Chargé d'Affaires at the Korean Embassy in Australia, recalls first noticing the wave in 2012 when he heard Psy's Gangnam Style playing on the radio in the Dominican Republic. At the time, he found it unbelievable that a Korean song in Korean language was being played in a Spanish-speaking country with few Koreans. Thirteen years later, he sees the K-ripples as a flood, as Korean food, music, fashion, and beauty products have become ubiquitous globally.
In Australia, the wave is particularly strong. There are about 160,000 Koreans living in Australia, and South Korea is a top tourist destination for Australians. Visitors from Australia to South Korea rose 11% in the year to August 2025, and Australian visits to Korea jumped 41% in 2024 compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The exhibition's director, Katherine McMahon, notes that while the show appears fun on the surface, it also traces South Korea's history from Japanese annexation to its current status as a thriving cultural exporter.
