CNN in the article titled 'The Netflix effect': Why Western women are heading to South Korea in search of love" on Aug. 15 explained how certain women travel to Korea after being attracted to Korean men they see on K-dramas. (Screen capture from CNN)

By Lee Jihae

With Korean dramas taking the world by storm thanks to platforms like Netflix, CNN says more women from abroad are traveling to Korea to meet Korean men.

The American news network on Aug. 15 covered such women in its article headlined "'The Netflix effect': Why Western women are heading to South Korea in search of love."

Young women, mainly from the U.S., Canada and Europe, are looking for Korean men with handsome faces like actors Hyun Bin from "Crash Landing on You" and Gong Yoo from "Goblin" as well as thoughtfulness and patience, CNN reported.

Lee Min Joo, a researcher of Korea's gender and race politics as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Indiana-Bloomington, reported this as results of her survey. After visiting eight hostels and interviewing 123 women, mostly from North America and Europe, she came to the conclusion that many came to the country by what she calls "the Netflix effect."

Popular dramas such as "Crash Landing on You" and "Goblin" were broadcast worldwide on Netflix. 

"The popularity of Korean television shows with global audiences has coincided with a steady increase in the number of women tourists to South Korea," CNN added.

The article said that in 2005, 2.3 million women visited the country compared to 2.9 million men, according to government data, but by 2019, nearly 10 million women visited the country as tourists, far more than the 6.7 million men.

"At the same time, there has been an explosion in social media content centered on couples featuring Korean men with women from abroad," it added. "On YouTube, the hashtag "#Gukjecouple" ("#international couple") has become a genre covering 2,500 channels and 34,000 videos."

CNN said creators of an international couple channel with over a million subscribers can earn KRW 30 million to KRW 50 million for each sponsored video.

Nichola, an Australian who runs a YouTube channel with her Korean husband, was quoted as saying that when she got engaged a decade ago and Googled "Korean husband," "most results were horror stories of Southeast Asian migrant wives married to abusive Korean men. Today, the search yields pictures of Korean celebrities."

She advised non-Korean women "who are serious about settling down with a Korean husband" to realize the importance of recognizing cultural differences.

jihlee08@korea.kr