Introduction

This book presents an analysis of the factors behind the uniquely successful Korean fast development drive or “Economic Miracle” that now lead into the equally unique and globally successful cultural Korean Wave. It is equally a comparative book on world development policy advice and the history of communications viewed respectively through the lens of Korea as the world’s best success so far of an ex-developing country now classed a developed country, and viewed through the lens of Korea as the world’s earliest and still most ‘digitally saturated’ larger nation. Thus, insights are given on success factors of why Korea is the world’s best case so far of a durable fast development drive and why Korea is the only case so far of a durably successful global cultural wave from a non-Western country. In analyzing the origins of the Korean Wave spreading from the economic Korean Miracle into the cultural “Korean Wave” (Hallyu), it first appeared only in Asian countries and then around the world. The rising popularity of the Korean Wave continued within the declared pandemic. Korea’s already extreme digital readiness before this period began to outclass other nations’ digital cultural production and scale capacities during this time. The Korean Wave’s general historical trends of economics, culture, and technology are analyzed along with specific strong cases of the K-pop boy group BTS, the cosmetics manufacturer Cosmax, and the television series Squid Game. As the Korean Wave continues to grow in popularity within its more exclusive digital media transmissions, future implications of such a durably competitive digital world economy and a multi-polar digital world culture are discussed for its impact for making future national winners and losers. So far, the Korean Wave has ridden well the early 21st century’s ‘triple global storm’ conditions. These are the global digital economic, cultural, and media conditions that give greater chance of national developmental equal access and competition that is starting to upend Eurocentric global hegemonies of economics, culture, and media in existence for hundreds of years. Who can be the next “K-Nation”? What important developmental policy lessons for other countries can be learned from Korean excellence in economic, cultural, and media successes? What national transformations or even national collapses may we see in the future as all countries are forced into this triple competition with the global digital best, in which older national powers may fail and in which many other new kinds of ‘digitally optimal’ national states like Korea may win?