Aditi's Monologue

Yes, we’re back to the Parenting theme on this blog again, and back to Korean Culture.

And yes, it’s about K-pop, again – but a deeper dive than my previous post “Parenting a Teen in India: From K-pop Obsession to Eminem Throwbacks“, where I touched upon K-pop music and Korean snacks.

This time, I want to dig a little deeper into the overall influence of Korean Culture in India and the psychology behind it. This should come as no surprise because Korean culture is taking over the world in a big way, and we know it. I mean, all of us smiled when we saw Novak Djokovic doing a little dance routine on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’s popular song ‘Soda Pop’ at US Open. And I want to reflect on the influence of Korean culture on Indian youth, specifically. Let’s dive in.

If you’re a Gen Alpha or younger Gen Z parent, do you ever feel like your home has quietly turned into a mini Seoul franchise? That’s my life right now. My 13-year-old daughter, and countless Indian teens, are growing up at the intersection of K-pop, K-beauty, K-dramas, and Korean snacks. It’s happening so organically that I sometimes wonder if our home in Gurgaon should just be renamed Seoul by Night.

As someone who just completed a psychology and therapy course (yes, your friendly neighborhood writer + advertising junkie is now also semi-official “counselling aunt”), I’ve been thinking: what’s the psychological pull of the Korean wave on Gen Z and Gen Alpha in India?

What’s Driving This K-Wave Craze?

• Fan Cultures that feel like comfort: BTS fan clubs, “Wednesday is BTS Day” rituals, and viral dance tutorials in Delhi cafes—they’re not just fun. They bond teens in communities rooted in creativity and emotional expression
• Beauty standards being redefined (yet again): The rise of “glass skin” and multi-step K-beauty routines has shifted Indian teens from quick makeup fixes to skincare rituals—embodied self-care more than just aesthetics
• Media as Career Muse: Gen Z in India is no longer just a viewer; they’re also creators (or at least aspiring to be one). It might sound highly generalized, but based on my personal experience with older Gen Z in the workforce, combined with the data that I am exposed to as an advertiser, I believe they dream of becoming more than we millennials did. They aspire to be reviewers, translators, language teachers, or even K-drama-inspired vlogging guides. Korean content is inspiring academic and career aspirations. The shift from a vibrant US-driven culture to a more subtle, almost shy but shining (like glass skin) Korean culture feels almost abrupt to me, but I know it seeped in slowly. Take for example, the K-Drama craze. There is solid storytelling, thrill, fantasy, action, romance – all of it, yes, but the treatment is different from what we were used to, almost refreshingly so, when compared to most popular US drama shows. Instead of in-your-face, it is now about the sublime.
• A Global Identity Shift: Through pop culture, teens define themselves beyond local boxes, like mixing K-pop fashion with thrifted looks, memes with Mughal-age storytelling, all layered into a unique Indian identity. When I was about 10 or 12 years old, there was an influx of Soviet books in India, translated into Hindi. They somehow found their way into my and my friends’ homes, where our parents used to read us stories from a faraway land, with interesting Slavic character names like Ivanushka, or plain different ones like Ktya (I’m quoting these directly from my memory of those Hindi translations) that felt different on our tongues, from a culture that felt alluring at the time. So, in a way, what Soviet books were for me while growing up, Korean culture is for my daughter.

The Psychology Behind the Craze (PS, recently therapy-trained Mom here!)

• Parasocial Bonds Going Viral
  Teens feel deeply connected to idols. This is nothing new; every generation has its idols across categories/interests. What’s new is that this influence is going beyond just one category or interest and is bleeding into more aspects. It’s a modern-day mass affiliation that, under study, shapes identity and emotional regulation in online spaces.
• Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword
  Fandom groups, be it on Discord or TikTok, create micro-communities that validate emotions. But they also fuel comparisons. Platforms designed with “Inspiration” vs. “Reality” modes can help teens curate healthier self-images. Here is an interesting study.
• Identity Through Belonging
  A teen in a BTS/BlackPink group chat may feel more understood than in real life. These fan communities become emotional spaces, offering relief from academic and societal pressures.

What It Means for Us Parents (and Future Therapists?)

1. This isn’t just Fandom, it’s Formation: K-wave offers teens tools to explore identity, creativity, and emotions in meaningful ways.
2. Brands Are Listening (and Influencing): From K-beauty to ramen kits and language classes, the market is tailing this trend—but that doesn’t have to be bad if balanced thoughtfully.
3. Be the Buffer, Not the Barrier: Encourage self-expression even if it means the kids’ room smells like kimchi while Eminem or Chappell Roan plays in the car.
4. Teach Critical Consumption: Help the kids question, not reject the trends. Show that trends can inspire, but identity should always be rooted in you, not algorithms.

Teens today are curating global selves from song lyrics, skincare routines, and meme slang. They’re forging cultural grammars that feel fresh, borderless, and deeply personal. As a psychologist-in-the-making, I see beauty in that.

Let’s ride this wave with curiosity, not fear. And for me personally, I actually like BlackPink song and I absolutely loved the movie K-pop Demon Hunters, so this is not as hard for me as a parent when I compare it to the bewilderment of my parents when I was deep into my American rap music phase when I was growing up.