International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 12, Issue 10 (October 2025), Pages: 73-80

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 Original Research Paper

Digitalization of Hallyu in the Indian market: From periphery to center

 Author(s): 

 Berislav Andrlić 1, *, Richa N. Agarwal 2, Ezendu Ariwa 3

 Affiliation(s):

  1Faculty of Tourism and Rural Development, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia
  2ITS School of Management, Premier Management Institute, Ghaziabad, India
  3Studies and Postgraduate Research Centre, The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen, UK

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1345-0241

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.10.009

 Abstract

This study examines the rise of Hallyu in India by exploring the links between digitalization, cultural products, and audience psychology. Using a qualitative approach, it investigates how beliefs, values, emotions, and motivations influence audience behavior, particularly during the pandemic when OTT platforms accelerated access to Korean dramas. The research applies three theoretical frameworks to explain the remarkable acceptance of Hallyu in India and proposes the “Culture Prism Integration Theory,” which integrates macro-level, micro-level, and mediating factors to show their combined impact on psychology, business, and the economy. The findings reveal that Hallyu in India has shifted from the margins to the mainstream, carrying significant social and commercial implications and contributing to the development of a cultural marketization framework that reflects behavioral change.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Korean content, OTT platforms, Audience behavior, Cultural marketization, Hallyu

 Article history

 Received 22 April 2025, Received in revised form 10 September 2025, Accepted 15 September 2025

 Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the Faculty of Tourism and Rural Development, University of Požega, through internal research funds. The authors gratefully acknowledge this support, which made the study possible. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

Participation in interviews was entirely voluntary, and all participants provided informed consent prior to inclusion. No personal identifiers were collected, and confidentiality of responses was strictly maintained. The interviews involved minimal risk, focusing only on participants’ perceptions and experiences with Korean dramas and OTT platforms.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Andrlić B, Agarwal RN, and Ariwa E (2025). Digitalization of Hallyu in the Indian market: From periphery to center. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(10): 73-80

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