The origins of the South Korean Wave: South Korean cinema as soft power

The article analyses some of the structural elements that have influenced the emergence, development and success of what is called the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu) in the field of cinema. Among those elements, one finds an hybrid operating mode consisting in a strong state intervention (through legislation, subsidies, supporting institutions) that works in synergy with large private firms, together with the active and deliberate combination of various factors set up by a number of different actors, which have allowed the development of a Korean-style soft power, even though this “wave” appears to be multifaceted.