Beyond the Stage: K-pop as a Foreign Policy Instrument in South Korean Diplomacy

Throughout the Foreign Policy Analysis course, I learned how the discipline develops explanations to understand the state in the international arena through levels of analysis, theories, case studies, and decision-makers. The instruction was simple: Analyze a case that caught my attention using two theories or concepts covered in class. While looking through the list of topics, I saw listed K-pop and FPA, and I realized I could work with two of the things I like the most: K-pop music and International Relations.

K-pop is a music genre based in South Korea, heavily influenced by styles and rhythms such as pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. It originated in the 1990s but really took off in the 2010s, driven by the widespread use of social media and the entry of groups like BTS into the U.S. market. Therefore, it is essential to mention the phenomenon of globalization, which is the process of global integration that facilitates free trade, cultural exchange, and the transfer of knowledge, which has become even more widespread due to internet access. But beyond being a musical genre, it’s a whole industry that’s constantly innovating and is nowadays considered a cultural movement that transcends language barriers, frontiers, and ages. Setting aside the cultural aspect of the movement that has taken over the world, in recent years, K-pop has operated as a State-adjacent tool, which implies that the Korean government uses it in coordination with national interests. They didn’t create BTS,  but they have taken advantage of how massive the band has become globally, and now they are the main soft power tool that the country has consciously embedded in its foreign policy toolkit.

Nowadays, South Korea has a challenging position in the international system. Geopolitically, it is caught between a hostile neighbor (North Korea), a historically difficult relationship with Japan, the commercial tensions of the United States and China, and a growing State that’s positioning itself as a middle power. But instead of managing its own foreign policy with conventional hard power instruments and relying on unstable alliances (with the U.S., Japan, or China), the country has relied on cultural diplomacy, or more specifically, the Hallyu. This so-called Korean Wave (Hallyu) has emerged as the vehicle of foreign policy and alliances of Korea with the world, permitting a cultural and commercial expansion of the country by positioning it globally. Twenty years ago, South Korea had little global visibility, but today it is widely recognized through K-pop.

Therefore, to understand the K-pop role in Korean foreign policy, it is required to analyze not only actors such as the government, but also the companies behind the groups, and the artists themselves. Consequently, it is key to analyze K-pop Diplomacy as a foreign policy phenomenon that sets a precedent in how bilateral relations are made, and with this in mind, we might ask ourselves: How does a middle power country expand its diplomatic reach and build an international influence by non-traditional foreign policy tools?

In order to answer what was mentioned above, we need to define what Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) is, since this framework will help us understand South Korean cultural exports through K-pop. This is why FPA develops explanations to understand how States behave in the international space and why they are not unitary actors, nor a black box, but can be understood through multiple levels of analysis, theoretical frameworks, and the role of decision-makers.

This leads to agency, a perspective of FPA that refers to the capacity of individuals, groups, or institutions to make decisions independently, changing international politics, and influencing the system. It's centered on who acts and under what capacity. Therefore, here is what is relevant to the South Korean case: the State is not the only one that’s directing the foreign policy, but the entertainment companies such as SM, HYBE, YG, and JYP are relevant actors who also shape or influence the foreign policy. Even groups like BTS, Seventeen, and TXT have been key to strengthening South Korean cooperation with multilateral actors such as the UN, UNESCO, and  UNICEF, and sovereign States, such as the recent meeting of BTS with Claudia Sheinbaum at the Mexican presidential palace.

"TOGETHER FOR TOMORROW" campaign supporting youth mental health. Photo credits: Twitter/@Kpop_Herald

UNESCO AND SEVENTEEN AWARD GRANTS TO 100 YOUTH-LED PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD.

Photo credits: Twitter/ @UNYouthAffairs

BTS at the United Nations General Assembly. Photo credits: Twitter/@bts_bighit.

Claudia Sheinaum y la agrupación BTS en Palacio Nacional, en Ciudad de México, el 6 de mayo. BigHit Music HANDOUT (EFE). Vía EL PAÍS

On the other hand, Constructivism theory in FPA focuses on identity, social construction, and norms. Identity is how the State views itself and determines what it perceives as a national interest, shaping its behaviour and international outcomes. Consequently, the State acts based on internalized norms and what it considers “right” under that specific identity. As a result, K-pop reshapes how foreign publics perceive Korea, transforming the normative environment in which the country's diplomacy operates.

For example, music diplomacy, according to the blog Music Diplomacy Stories from the World, is defined as “a particular form of cultural diplomacy. As a universal language that breaks down language barriers and cultural differences.” (Petrocelli, n.d.).  And this is exactly how Korea operates with K-pop diplomacy. K-pop exports elements of Korean culture, such as language, values, and traditions, transcending boundaries and enabling people from around the world to participate in cultural movements. This connection is precisely what binds agency and constructivism: K-pop diplomacy is the tool for South Korea’s leverage to act in the international arena under the capacity of soft power influenced by its image and cultural exports. K-pop evolved from being a music genre made for teenage audiences; it represents an entire country, promoting alliances and partnerships that help overcome geopolitical challenges by diversifying diplomatic and economic allies.

This is illustrated by two case studies: 

The first of these is the meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, where the two were seen playing songs like Golden by K-pop Demon Hunters and Dynamite by BTS on the drums, uniting both leaders into the language of music. It is well known that both neighbors have a complex relationship due to their history. However, this suggests that both countries are willing to set aside historical tensions and move forward into a cooperation for economic and security purposes, given the region's current geopolitical landscape. 

Source: Lee Jae-myung/X, via BBC News. 

The second case is related to Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of HYBE and the man behind the creation of BTS, who is currently being prosecuted by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crimes Investigation Unit for “allegedly securing 20 billion Korean won in improper gains during HYBE’s stock listing process, violating the Capital Markets Act.” (Bang, 2026). However, how does that relate to foreign policy? The U.S. Embassy in South Korea sent a letter to the national police agency, seeking to lift Bang’s travel ban for him to attend the BTS Arirang world tour in the U.S. and the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Independence. This is a remarkable case because it shows that the United States is intervening on behalf of an important Korean cultural actor, trying to emulate the soft power strategy that South Korea uses through K-pop to project a positive image. Ironically, this move may have been miscalculated, given that Bang Si-Hyuk is not a particularly well-liked public figure. Nevertheless, this case itself is a precedent on how K-pop can leverage even over a superpower's administrative processes.

From The Korea Times (2025, April 20). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DXV35EMAe04/ Photo by Kang Ye-jin.

K-pop diplomacy is the result of the unexpected popularity of a music genre that evolved to have an unprecedented structural significance for South Korean foreign policy. This country successfully reshaped its international identity from a geopolitically constrained middle power, whose existence was barely known, into a global cultural reference point. This shift created a new normative environment in which States engage with Korea through cultural affinity, easing historically tense neighbors like Japan, reinforcing long-lasting partnerships like with the United States, and constructing new alliances around the world like with Latin American countries. In this case, K-pop diplomacy reduces high-risk diplomatic frictions between States and seeks cooperation through music, as seen in Takaichi and Lee’s meeting. Meanwhile, the Bang Si-hyuk case confirms that K-pop has generated enough geopolitical weight for a superpower to intervene in a country's domestic legal processes.

The agency that South Korea now holds in foreign policy matters is no longer driven by State-centric policymakers, but rather relies on entertainment conglomerates, artists, and cultural events, which now act as autonomous diplomatic actors whose influence enables the State to position itself in the international system. Therefore, K-pop itself is not only a soft power tool, but it is a decentralized, non-state-led foreign policy instrument that operates with or without government direction, and that is precisely what defines South Korea’s current standing in the International system.

Finally, the discussion about how South Korea has managed to establish itself in the international system as a leader in cultural exports raises the question of:  how can this be applied to the Colombian foreign policy case? Today, many Colombian artists have established themselves on the global stage as leading figures in Latin music; Colombia has not leveraged its artists' potential to promote its cultural diversity on the world stage. Therefore, what would Colombia's foreign policy designers and decision-makers need to do to emulate South Korea's example and achieve the same level of success?