By Honorary Reporter Lilian Hearn Revuelta from Belgium


Hallyu or the Korean Wave is seeing rising popularity abroad mainly through entertaining K-dramas, delicious Korean food and the multifaceted K-pop. This movement, well known by Koreaphiles, started in the 1990s and has since swept the whole world.

In June, a Belgian dance team won in the eighth episode of the innovative variety show "Stage K." The crew of Cristel, Amel, Gabriel and Dian teamed up with the K-pop girl group Blackpink for a stunning interpretation of the latter's latest song. The four accomplished Belgians danced with their idol on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience. "Stage K" has collaborated with several famous K-pop acts since debuting in April, including Red Velvet, Ikon and Boa.

The dance troupe's creative choreography impressed Blackpink and earned the former the chance to dance with the K-pop sensation to "Kill This Love." Though I'm not of Belgian descent, I've lived in Belgium for practically all of my life and feel so proud of the winning team. I've watched its performance several times, as well as the full "Stage K" episode but the group still surprises me.

This is an example of how influential Hallyu and K-pop are in Belgium. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, has approximately 11 Korean restaurants, ten Asian supermarkets that sell Korean products, a couple of shops for Korean merchandise (e.g., K-pop albums) and a Korean Cultural Center (KCC). Given that the city covers only 161.4 square km, Brussels has quite an impressive selection of Korean restaurants and stores selling Korean items. In my opinion, the major increase in Hallyu's popularity, especially for the boy band BTS, will give way to more Korea-centric establishments in the city.


Personally, I look forward to discovering new places offering Korean things. I've been to a couple of Korean restaurants to eat delicious bibimbap, my go-to Korean dish. But at stores that sell Korean goods, I've never bought anything because I find the albums expensive (typically EUR 20). Yet they can be cheaper there than buying online. Finally, the KCC is one of my favorite places in Brussels because it is very quiet, has a large selection of books on Korea (fiction and non-fiction), and hosts temporary exhibitions and cultural activities.

Apart from the array of establishments, more Korea-related events are being held in Belgium such as Army (the fan club of BTS) meetups in the center of Brussels, associations like K-pop Belgium Society and more stalls featuring Korea at a famous East Asian convention held in Belgium. These events show how interest in Korea is growing in not just Belgium but the world. 


Indeed, all of these achievements are impressive. Personally, what surprised me the most was the higher number of stalls for Korean culture at Made in Asia (MIA), an event I've attended for several years with friends. MIA is a popular convention attended by many and dedicated to Asian culture (mainly East Asian). From what I know, MIA is the only convention of its kind in Belgium, so imagine how impressed I was when I saw entire stalls that sold only Korea-related products.

So despite Belgium's small size, many Korean-related things are happening here. Hopefully, I can attend, see and experience more of Korea in Belgium.



chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.