K-POP: Korean pop culture is increasingly going global, Squid Game is the latest example

10/5/21 8:00PM

South Korean show Squid Game has officially gone viral, as millions around the world have tuned in to watch the hunger-games-style drama, which sees hundreds of contestants battle it out in life-or-death games.

Google searches for the show, which was originally released on September 17th, have eclipsed relative search volume for other viral shows like The Crown, The Witcher, Tiger King and The Mandalorian. Netflix's co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, even confirmed that it was on track to become Netflix's most-watched show in any language in the company's history.

‍K-POP

‍South Korea has had a stunning influence on global pop culture in the last decade, starting with Psy's Gangnam Style in 2012. Since then K-pop sensations BTS and Blackpink have become two of the biggest bands in the world, thriller Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019, and now Squid Game is breaking records in the age of streaming.

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Even the BBC, having climbed the rankings from last year to top the 2026 chart — reportedly in part thanks to Similarweb’s decision to combine the “.co.uk” and “.com” versions of the URL, given that the sites redirect to each other depending on the user’s location — showed a 1.9% decline from last year.

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K-POP: Korean pop culture is increasingly going global, Squid Game is the latest example

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