A NEW GENDER PERSPECTIVE: THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF SOUTH KOREA CULTURAL EXPORT THROUGH K-POP IN RESHAPING THE NOTION OF MASCULINITY

The society of South Korea is at the frontline in embracing a new imagery of masculinity,
kkotminam. 75% of South Korean men admits to become a primary consumer to beauty and
grooming treatment. In 2018, South Korea’s market of beauty and cosmetics generate US$ 495
million in total from Korean men. With its export-led growth, South Korea becomes the world’s
5
th largest cosmetic exporter after France, the United States, Germany and Singapore and took
up 2.9% of the global cosmetics market share with US$ 13 billion revenue. This research is
aimed to explain the reason behind South Korea’s promotion of soft masculinity through their
means of public diplomacy, such as K-Pop and Korean drama. In the analysis, the author used
the theory of Economic Diplomacy by Rana and Chatterjee, Public Diplomacy by McClory and
State Identity by Maxym Alexandrov. The data analyzed in this research was obtained through
secondary sources using library research method. The research found that South Korea
promotes soft masculinity in its K-Pop product because the country is utilizing the uniqueness
of soft masculinity as its brand image to enhance its economic diplomacy, especially for
skincare and beauty product export, through their platform of public diplomacy