Appendix · Supplementary

15. Hangul, the foundation of Hallyu

    Hangul is arguably the most effective and intuitive writing
    system for reading subtitles in multimedia content. Koreans
    can instantly and effortlessly watch an overwhelming
    amount of video content—on platforms like YouTube and
    Netflix—with real-time Hangul subtitles powered by AI. In
    other words, Korean viewers are uniquely positioned to
    experience a wide array of global cultures faster and more
    directly than anyone else in the world.
    The development of new culture depends on how openly and
    creatively a society can absorb existing ones and reinterpret
    them. With its deep historical roots and rich native culture,
    Korea continues to embrace global cultural elements in real
    time—constantly blending, evolving, and innovating. At the
    very heart of this process is Hangul. It sparks originality and
    innovation across fields and plays a central role in generating
    new cultural currents. Hallyu, the Korean Wave, is a global
    movement that shares these innovations with the world. And
    this movement is only gaining momentum.
    Structurally, Hangul is syllable-based, allowing for more
    concise and readable subtitles than English. Viewers can
    quickly grasp meaning through Hangul subtitles alone, often
    relying more on the written word than audio, leading


    Appendix - Additional explanation                             319