Korean Wave in Nepal: The impact of the Korean Wave on Nepalese youth’s intention to pursue higher education in South Korea
South Korean popular culture, known as the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu), has gained global popularity and strengthened South Korea’s soft power. However, the relationship between the Korean Wave and Nepalese society, particularly educational migration aspirations such as the intention to pursue higher education, remains underexamined. This study conducted a qualitative content analysis to examine how Korea is perceived in Nepal and a quantitative study to examine which Korean soft power factors are associated with Nepalese youths’ intention to pursue higher education. The qualitative content analysis found that the Korean Wave has shaped positive perceptions in Nepal. Furthermore, the quantitative study revealed that 80.5% of Nepalese youth intended to pursue higher education in South Korea. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, the results revealed that familiarity with Korea (odds ratio [OR]: 1.17; confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–1.32), exposure to the Korean Wave (OR: 1.24; CI: 1.09–1.42), perception of Korea’s advancement (OR: 1.29; CI: 1.09–1.51), perception of Korea’s cultural influence (OR: 1.39; CI: 1.18–1.65), and interest in learning the Korean language (OR: 1.54; CI: 1.31–1.81) were associated with Nepalese youths’ intention to pursue higher education in South Korea. After controlling for all variables in the final model, interest in learning Korean remained significantly associated (OR: 1.46; CI: 1.19–1.80) with this intention. The study concludes that the Korean Wave extends beyond entertainment and functions as a source of soft power, including by attracting international students to South Korea.
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