Global Expansion of Korean Language and K-POP Education Driven by the Success of KPOP Demon Hunters

In June 2025, the American animated film KPOP Demon Hunters gained massive worldwide popularity, marking the beginning of a new era in Korean language education facilitated through K-POP content. As the first overseas-produced musical animation featuring K-POP idols as protagonists, it utilized K-POP music as a core narrative element to naturally convey the “foreign language” of Korean to audiences around the globe. In the Middle East, systematic K-POP education programs are now being established. The “K-pop Academy X DIMA Dream School,” jointly organized by the Korea Cultural Center in the UAE and Dong-A Broadcasting & Arts University, was held in Abu Dhabi from August 20th for three days, attracting over 120 participants. This was the first training program conducted in the Middle East by the professional faculty and affiliated artists from Dong-A Broadcasting & Arts University, South Korea’s top institution for cultivating K-POP talent. Adults, teenagers, and children of various nationalities from the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Sudan, the Philippines, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and other countries took part. During the program, songs such as “HUNTR/X – GOLDEN” and “TAKE DOWN” from KPOP Demon Hunters, along with “SODAPOP” by SAJA BOYZ, were used as teaching materials. Tracks like NewJeans’ “Super Shy” and BTS’s “I NEED YOU” were also included, resulting in high satisfaction among participants. The Korea Cultural Center in the UAE plans to continue developing ongoing K-POP education programs through partnerships with local educational institutions. In Japan, demand for Korean language learning has surged due to the popularity of K-POP and Korean dramas. As Japanese people who became interested in Korean through these dramas and idols seek formal Korean language education programs, major Japanese universities are facing shortages of Korean language instructors. Universities in key cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, along with private foreign language education institutions like Asahi Academy, have opened Korean language courses. There has been a significant increase in Japanese students who use summer vacations to study Korean at Korean universities or private language schools. Kagoshima University operates a program where students spend the latter half of their four-year course as exchange students before returning home. With the growing number of Korean language instructors, the university doubled the enrollment in Korean language majors from 30 in 2021 to over 60. Major private universities such as Koryo University, Umekawa University, and Aoyama Gakuin University are also introducing or expanding degree programs in Korean language studies. Particularly after the emergence of a South Korean Nobel Prize winner in Literature, interest in K-literature has increased, leading to a steady rise in the number of students majoring in Korean language in Japan each year. Experts argue that K-POP and Korean content have gone beyond mere trends to prompt a reevaluation of the essence of education. They assert that foreign language education should serve as a practical platform for cross-cultural communication rather than simply focusing on language acquisition. Given the influence of K-POP content, which allows Korean language to reach audiences first through “resonances of sensation,” there is widespread consensus that it is urgent to establish an educational system that integrates language and culture in balance. Meanwhile, the Sejong Academy Foundation announced the “i-Sejong Academy” system based on generative AI. The KBS Korean Language Promotion Institute also plans to collaborate with the Korea University of Media and Arts to create Korean language education materials using AI and virtual human technology, to be provided to viewers both domestically and internationally. If AI technology can function at a level that goes beyond repetition and feedback to engage at the level of sensation and resonance, it is expected to serve as a mirror that clarifies the true essence of foreign language education.