What does Korea look like in Italy? And what does Italy look like in Korea? The answer to both questions is that each country may not be very noticeable to each other but at the same time, each cannot be disregarded. While Italy in Korea does not have the image of a superpower like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, or France, its presence cannot be ignored across many parts of culture and industry. The same goes for Korea in Italy. Among countries in the East, Korea's influence in Italy is not as strong as China's or Japan's, and it is not deeply rooted among young Italians to prefer Korean studies to Chinese or Japanese studies. It is worth noting, however, that Sony from Japan was at the center of Italian electronics stores just 20 to 30 years ago, and now Samsung and LG from Korea have taken over where Sony used to be. You may even say "Today, there is no single home or office in Italy that does not have something made in Korea!" Recently in Italy, taekwondo gyms as well as Korean restaurants have opened here and there (Kim, 2018).

It is quite common for Italians in their 10s and 20s to learn Korean, know about Korea, and enjoy Korean culture through K-pop. K-pop is something more than just a singing and dancing fad. Although the Korean Cultural Content Brand Power Index in Italy stands at 52.3, which ranks 22nd out of 26 countries, Korea's presence in Italy cannot be ignored. In this regard, this report examines the findings of the Italian Hallyu surveys and outlines the impact of Korean culture in Italy as well as the Hallyu's prospects for the future.

It was stated in 2018 that Korean culture was "not very noticeable" in Italy. But in just a few years, Korean culture in Italy has moved past the perception of being "not very noticeable" and is now influential to some extent, as seen in the 2022 Annual Hallyu Issue. All of Us Are Dead, a Netflix Korean drama featuring zombies, took global No. 1 on Netflix in Italy (Feb 2022), Remarriage & Desires, another Netflix Korean drama, became the 7th most popular Netflix TV show in Italy (July 2022), and Secretly Sweetly, a Korean web drama, won the Best Original Idea Award in the Vertical Video category at the Digital Media Fest in Rome (Dec 2022). Snowdrop, a drama made by JTBC, was broadcast exclusively on Disney Plus in Italy in March 2022, and Bread Barbershop, a Korean animation, signed a license agreement with Mondo TV in Italy (May 2022). A BTS concert was streamed live at the Space Cinema in Florence (March 12, 2022), demonstrating that Korean culture in Italy is no longer "not very noticeable" but now "noticeable".

In terms of movies, Poet's Room, a virtual reality film about independence activist and poet Yun Dong-ju, was officially invited to the Venice Immersive section of the 79th Venice International Film Festival (July 2022), and the Korean film Broker was released in Italy (September 2022). Regarding publications, author Lee Soo-ji's picture book Summer is Coming won the Bologna Ragazzi Award (February 2022), and the Korean webtoon Hell was published in Italy (May 2022). Furthermore, in October 2022, Lee Seung-hyu (1224–1300), a scholar and writer during the Goryeo Dynasty, published Jewang Ungi, an Italian translation of his history book. In the book, Lee described the historical events of Korea and China in seven-letter poems. As part of an overseas exhibition for images printed in prints, the Italy Art Festival 2022 (February 2022) was successfully hosted at Galleria Antonio Battaglia in Milan by the Korea Arts Promotion Agency and the Foreign Exchange Artists Association. Moreover, the regular collaborative exhibition Drops in the Ocean was hosted (April 2022) by the Korean Cultural Center in Italy and the Korean Artists Association in Italy

In addition, during Milan Design Week, the world's largest fashion week, the 2022 Korean Craft Exhibition Again, From the Earth's Foundation was held at the headquarters of the Feltrinelli Foundation in Milan for 6 days from June 7 to 12, 2022, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. The exhibition was held for the 60th anniversary of Milan Design Week and the 10th anniversary of the Korean Craft Exhibition in Milan. Again, From the Earth's Foundation sheds light on the value of crafts made with materials from the earth and the aesthetics of respect for nature amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. A total of 22 Korean and Italian designers and craft artists presented more than 100 works in metal, fiber, wood, glass, and Korean paper (Choi, June 14, 2022)

Although Korean culture may not be the most prevalent in Italy, Italian awareness of Korea is high at 97.7%. Although only 12.8% of the respondents had the correct awareness about Korea (i.e., they know exactly about Korea), 48.4% roughly knew about Korea, and 36.5% heard of Korea just by name. While awareness about Korea was fairly common, overall, there was a large proportion of a middle or low level of awareness. Regarding the respondents demographics, while the percentage of the correct awareness was generally similar by gender, men (13.3%) were 1% higher than women (12.3%). By age, the highest percentage of the correct awareness was observed in those in their 20s (16.9%), followed by those in their 40s (15.5%), 30s (13.5%), and 10s (10.8%). Meanwhile, the lowest percentage of the correct awareness was observed in those in their 50s (6.2%). The highest percentage of correct awareness about Korea is observed among those in their 20s who were teenagers in the 2010s when the popularity of the Hallyu grew exponentially. This coincides with the fact that those who were in their 20s in the early 2000s when the Hallyu became popular are now in their 40s.

A survey on the perceptions about Korea shows that 56.6% of the respondents have positive perceptions about Korea. In particular, many had positive opinions (4+5) about Korea as an economically advanced country (54%) and a likable country (52.4%). By contrast, the percentage of positive perceptions about Korea as a cultural powerhouse (37%) was somewhat lower. Regarding the image of Korea as a cultural powerhouse, 39.0% of the respondents had a neutral opinion, and 24% had a negative opinion (1+2). These results may reflect Korean culture as being "not very noticeable". Regarding gender, men (60%) showed a higher percentage of positive perceptions about Korea than women (53.1%). These results regarding the perceptions about Korea seem to be related to the fact that there are four questions regarding political and economic perception out of the six questions, including “Korea as an economically advanced country,” “Korea as a likable country,” “Korea as an international aid contributor,” and "Korea as a collaborator rather than a competitor.” By age, those in their 30s (60.4%) had a higher percentage of positive perception about Korea than other age groups, followed by those in their 40s (60%), 50s (57.5%), 10s (56%), and 20s (50.7%). The overall positive perception also seems to be somewhat related to the characteristics of the four questions above. It also has to do with the fact that people in their 10s and 20s, who are more emotionally invested in Korean culture, have a lower percentage of positive perceptions.

Similar to other countries, the survey showed the first association with Korea in Italy was K-pop (17.2%). It was followed by dramas (15.4%) and North Korean nuclear threat, risk of war, and North Korea (15.0%). The fact that K-pop and dramas ranked 1st and 2nd in the association with Korea suggests that while Korean culture is "not very noticeable," Italians are exposed to a lot of Korean songs and dramas without realizing it. Italian men were more likely than Italian women to associate Korea with images, such as the North Korean nuclear threat, risk of war, and North Korea (17.6%) and tech products and brands (16.2%), while the women were more likely than the men to associate Korea with Hallyu-related images, such as K-pop (20.0%) and dramas (18.0%). By age, those in their 20s were more likely to associate Korea with K-pop (23.6%), dramas (20.0%), and Hallyu celebrities (13.8%) than other age groups. Those in their 50s were more likely to associate Korea with tech products and brands (18.8%) and those in their 40s with the Olympics and World Cup (17.2%) than other age groups.

Men (14.4%) were more interested in taekwondo than women (9.8%). By age, the percentage of those interested in taekwondo was in the order of those in their 40s (17.9%), 50s (15%), 10s (12%), 20s (10.2%), and 30s (9.3%). After its successful debut as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, taekwondo was selected as an official sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, solidifying its place as a global sport. The fact that taekwondo was included as an official sport in the Sydney Olympics may be related to a lot of interest in taekwondo among those in their 40s today, who enjoyed watching it in their 20s.

In December 2000, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved taekwondo as an official sport for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Also, the Italian Taekwondo Federation was recognized as the official national sports federation in 2001. The Third World Taekwondo Grand Prix was held in Rome, Italy from June 3 to 5, 2022. It was held in Foro Italico, which has hosted some of Italy's biggest sports events since it opened in 1932, and the world's top 32 taekwondo athletes competed to earn a critical score to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Alongside the Grand Prix in Rome, over 2,000 young athletes from all over Europe competed in Kim & Liù, the biggest taekwondo competition in the world for athletes aged 6 to 11. Furthermore, a Taekwondo demonstration team from Korea made a tour across cities in Italy to celebrate and promote the World Taekwondo Grand Prix. A performance by the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team hosted by the Consulate General of Korea in Milan in collaboration with the Italian Taekwondo Federation was successfully presented to Italian people at Piazza del Duomo in Milan on May 21, 2022, prior to the Grand Prix. The taekwondo demonstration not only showcased the powerful and disciplined essence of taekwondo in front of tens of thousands of Italians and tourists from all around the world, who gathered in Piazza del Duomo to watch Radio Italia Live, Italy's largest outdoor music concert, but also captivated the audience with eye-catching elements to enjoy, including five-color cloth and flower petals (Baek, June 14, 2022).

A higher brand power index was typically seen in the genre of content with a higher experience percentage. When the content was divided into genres based on experience percentage and brand power index, dramas, food, movies, games, animation, and music had experience percentages and brand power indices that were either similar to or higher than the average. Webtoons, publications, and variety shows were the content genres with lower experience percentages and brand power indices than the average. Women in their 10s, 20s, 30s, and 40s and men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, respectively, demonstrated a greater percentage of experience and a higher brand power index compared to the average. 

The percentage of experiencing Korean cultural content in Italy ranged from 20.6 to 60.4%. The most experienced content included dramas (60.4%), food (57.0%), and movies (55.6%), while the least experienced content included webtoons (20.6%), publications (25.6%), and variety shows (25.8%). There were also some differences in gender, with men more likely to experience games (60.9%) and animation (48.8%) than women. Meanwhile, women were more likely to experience fashion (44.4%) and beauty (53.1%) content than men. By age, those in their 20s (66.2%) were the most likely to experience dramas, followed by those in their 20s (62.7%) for food, those in their 40s (62.1%) for movies, and 55.1% in those in their 10s and 20s for games. Animation was likely experienced among those in their 20s (52%), music among those in their 20s (60%), and fashion among those in their 40s (44.1%). Beauty showed the highest percentage among those in their 20s (43.1%), followed by variety shows among those in their 20s (33.8%), publications among those in their 20s (31.1%), and webtoons among those in their 20s (27.1%). Among 11 genres of Korean cultural content in Italy, 9 genres were most experienced among those in their 20s, which demonstrates that those in their 20s had a much higher experience percentage than other age groups.

Across all 11 categories of Korean cultural content, "not interested in Korean content" was the most frequently cited explanation for Italians' lack of experience to Korean cultural content. 63.6% of the respondents said they had no plans to use any Korean cultural content, however if they do, food (19.5%) and dramas (10.9%) were the content they were most likely to use in the future. Music (70.5%), beauty (62.9%), food (52.7%), and webtoons (52.0%) were the most user-friendly categories of Korean cultural content. Notably, women (74.9%) found it easier to use music than men (66.3%), with people in their 50s showed the highest level (77.8%).

Regarding access paths for Korean cultural content, the main access path for Korean dramas, variety shows, movies, music, and animation was online and mobile. The percentage of online and mobile access was very high across 11 cultural content genres, ranging from 82.8 to 92%. Publications had the highest percentage of access through global sites and apps (43.5%), webtoons had the highest percentage of access through Naver Webtoons (38.3%), and games had the highest percentage in online direct play (56.5%). For content related to food, beauty, and fashion, the most popular access paths were social media videos and photos (57.5%, 64.7%, and 50.6%, respectively). Fashion and beauty also showed relatively high percentages of access through Korean video content, while food had a high percentage of access through YouTube videos (42.8%). The most used online and mobile platforms for dramas, variety shows, movies, music, and animation were Netflix and Amazon Prime, and the top platform for the overall percentage of content access was Netflix, with 82.4%, especially for dramas. It was followed by Amazon Prime and YouTube. YouTube (75.9%) was the most used platform for music

In terms of the purchase paths of Korean cultural content, global sites, and apps were the most popular purchase paths for fashion, beauty, and food consumers. Korean websites and apps ranked 3rd for fashion and beauty, following local websites and apps, indicating a higher response rate than local offline stores. For food, local offline stores ranked 2nd with 39.9%, followed by local sites and apps with 26.4%. Meanwhile, Korean offline stores ranked lower across fashion, beauty, and food. The likeability of Korean cultural content among the Italian respondents was generally high. Specifically, the top three popular categories were above 64.0%, including movies (69.5%), beauty (69.3%), and variety shows (64.6%). On the other hand, the three least favored genres included fashion, animation, and music. Squid Game, a Netflix Korean series, was the most preferred Korean drama with 46.1%. Parasite (16.8%) ranked 1st in movies, Pucca (24.3%) ranked 1st in animation, and Marvel Future Revolution (20.1%) ranked 1st in games, followed by Ragnarok (14.7%).

In terms of overall cultural content, the United States ranked first, but Japan ranked first in terms of animation and webtoons. In dramas, variety shows, movies, and music, the United States gathered a response rate of more than 50%, which was quite higher than the 2nd place. Korea ranked 2nd or 3rd in webtoons (18.3%), dramas (14.4%), variety shows (13.1%), beauty (11%), games (9.7%), music (8.4%), and movies (7.5%). For publications, the response rate for Korea was 8.4%, ranking the 5th, while Korea was outside the top five in fashion and food categories.

By examining the survey outcomes of the top countries by cultural content, we were able to grasp the competitiveness of the Korean Wave in Italy. We also discovered why Italy ranks 22nd out of 26 countries in the Korean Cultural Content Brand Power Index. Korea is regarded as a nation whose cultural presence is not particularly obvious but cannot be disregarded. Moreover, the most common response from Italians when asked why they hadn't experienced Korean cultural content in Italy was "not interested in Korean content," which is a harsh reality Hallyu must face to increase its competitiveness. On the other hand, it is somewhat reassuring that 43.2% of the participants reported that exposure to Korean cultural content improved their overall opinion of Korea.

The 2000s saw the Hallyu phenomenon take off, which has changed Italians' opinions of Korea. Italy's 97.7% awareness of Korea is an indicator of this change in perception. Italians have one of the highest levels of cultural pride in Europe. Italy is a country with strong "cultural conservatism" and therefore does not accept change easily. The aforementioned survey outcomes, however, show some positive outlook for the future of the Hallyu in Italy. More than 80% of the respondents said that interest in Korean cultural content in Italy was similar or increased compared to a year ago. It is expected to increase slightly a year from now. Most significantly, over 25% of respondents said they would be willing to pay for Korean cultural content in the categories of food (35.1%), drama (27.3%), games (27.1%), and movies (25.3%). Dramas showed the highest net recommendation index of 21.1%, with 26.7% of the users actively recommending the dramas and 5.6% of the users not recommending them, suggesting that dramas are the only type of content that draws in more new users than other genres.

The 2022 Annual Hallyu Issue conveyed a strong message that Korean culture in Italy has moved past the perception of being not very noticeable and is influential to some extent. This is an encouraging sign for Korean cultural content in Italy and may serve as an opportunity to overcome some doubts about the Hallyu in Italy.