Ryan Bang’s unexpected role in Korea’s global image

It’s Showtime host Ryan Bang never imagined that years of making Filipinos laugh would one day place him on a government-recognized list alongside some of South Korea’s biggest cultural icons. That surprise became reality after he was named among the personalities who positively influenced South Korea’s image in the 2025 Korea National Image Survey, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Bang admitted the news caught him completely off guard—so much so that he heard about it not from official channels, but from his family back home.

“Nagulat ako kasi tumawag yung magulang ko, nasa news daw ako sa Korea. ’Yon pala sa survey ng government… na positive impact sa image ng Korea,” he shared in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

(“I was surprised because my parents called me and said I was on the news in Korea. It turned out it was from a government survey… about having a positive impact on Korea’s image.”)

Read more: https://tribune.net.ph/2026/01/22/ryan-bangs-unexpected-role-in-koreas-global-image