The Evolution of the Korean Wave: How Is the Third Generation Different from Previous Ones?

The Korean Wave, also known as Hallyu, refers to the impulsive spread of South Korean popular culture overseas. Overall, there have been three generations of the Korean Wave although disagreements exist about the time periods: the first generation of the Korean Wave, Hallyu 1.0, 1997 - mid-2000s; the second generation of the Korean Wave, Hallyu 2.0, mid-2000 - mid-2010s; the third generation of the Korean Wave, Hallyu 3.0, mid-2010s - present. Although the third generation of the Korean Wave, Hallyu 3.0, shares many characteristics of Hallyu 1.0 and 2.0, the allure of the Korean Wave contents in the recent period i s not the s ame as previous Hallyu features. Thus, in this study, I investigate the uniqueness of the third generation of the Korean Wave compared to the previous ones and analyze how these recent Korean media products and popular culture made South Korea a leader of global cultural flow.