Korean culture is reshaping global taste across music, film, fashion, beauty, food, and fine art. In this DLD26 session, author and cultural consultant Fiona Bae explains the deeper forces behind K-culture’s rise in conversation with Mobilium founder Ralph Simon.
Bae traces the roots of K-Culture back to Korea’s complex history: centuries of navigating powerful neighbors, colonization, war, rapid modernization, and a hyper-competitive, Confucian-influenced society that prizes learning and self-improvement.
“A combination of this made young Korean artists becoming very open-minded to observe the different cultures and remix”, Bae says. “Whether you’re a musician or a fashion designer, an architect, and it’s make, break, remix.”
The result has proven to be have a global appeal. Today, Korean beauty products outsell French exports to the U.S., Bae points out, and brands like Gentle Monster are redefining the future of retail with immersive, museum-like flagship stores that turn shoppers into fans.
Watch the video to explore this session in detail.
