Overview
- UAE led country favorability at 94.8%, followed by Egypt, the Philippines, Turkey, India and South Africa, with the UK rising to 87.4% and Thailand to 86.2%.
- Perceptions improved in traditionally cooler markets as China climbed to 62.8% and Japan reached 42.2%, the highest for Japan since tracking began.
- Cultural content such as K-pop, dramas and films was cited by 45.2% as the top reason for positive views, and BTS was most frequently named as the figure boosting Korea’s image.
- Global audiences most often encountered Korea via video platforms at 64.4%, followed by social networks at 56.6%, websites at 46.7% and broadcast media at 32.8%.
- In-depth interviews praised democratic resilience yet flagged social inclusiveness as a vulnerability, with recommendations to align labor, human rights, environmental and gender-equality practices with global standards and to communicate more transparently.