Group BTS and actor Lee Min Ho were awarded as the world’s most beloved Hallyu (Korean Wave stars).
According to the 2021 Overseas Hallyu Survey (as of 2020) announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency on the January 28, 2021, 22.0% of respondents answered that they were BTS when asked about their favorite Korean singer.
The 2020 has been the best year for BTS. BTS reached the top of the Hot 100, the US Billboard’s main single chart, with “Dynamite” released in August 2020. BTS was the first Korean singer to top the Billboard Hot 100. Since then, they have stood tall as a ‘global artist’ by adding two Hot 100 No. 1 records with ‘Life Go’s On’ and ‘Savage Love’, which contain Korean lyrics. In addition, they became the first Korean singer to be nominated for the Grammy Awards and took part in the top 3 American awards ceremonies.
In this survey, Lee Min Ho (9.6%) came in the first place who is the most beloved Korean actor. Actor Lee Min-ho, who has more than 40 million followers on social media such as Facebook and Instagram, is considered the number one actor influencing the Korean Wave.
Lee Min Ho was followed by Hyun Bin (3.5%), Gong Yoo (2.3%), Song Hye Kyo (2.1%), Lee Jong Suk (2.0%), and so on. In last survey, Lee Min Ho (7.6%) took first place, but Song Hye Kyo (3.4%), Song Joong Ki (1.9%), Gong Yoo (1.8%), Suzy, and Lee Jong Suk (above 1.7%) ranked second to fifth.
When asked about their favorite movie, “Parasite” took the first place with 18.4% of the responses. At the Academy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on February 9, 2020, Parasite won four awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and International Film, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture.
This survey was conducted in the form of an online survey from September 24 to November 4, 2020, targeting 8,500 people who have experienced Korean cultural contents in 18 countries including the United States, China, and Japan. The results of the survey can be viewed on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism website.
