K-food as a soft power tool: gastronomy, identity, and Korean cultural politics in the digital age
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21831/jss.v22i1.98888Abstract
This article examines the role of K-Food (Korean cuisine) as an instrument of soft power in the context of cultural globalization in the digital age. Drawing on a sociological perspective, this paper analyzes how Korean food is understood not merely as an object of consumption, but as a medium for the construction of national identity, the production of cross-cultural emotions, and platform-based geopolitical power. Through a review of the literature and an analysis of seminar materials by Changzoo Song of the University of Auckland, it was found that the globalization of K-Food is not a process that occurs by chance, but rather the result of a convergence between the Korean diaspora, the Hallyu wave, digital media, and platform algorithms. Furthermore, the emergence of the concept of “Virtual Korea” demonstrates how a country’s digital representation can selectively shape global perceptions. This article also discusses the implications of this phenomenon for Indonesia as a developing country with a rich culinary heritage that has not yet been fully optimized digitally.
References
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. Harvard University Press.
Jin, D. Y. (2016). New Korean wave: Transnational cultural power in the age of social media. University of Illinois Press.
Kim, Y. (Ed.). (2013). The Korean wave: Korean media go global. Routledge.
Mintz, S. W. (1996). Tasting food, tasting freedom: Excursions into eating, culture, and the past. Beacon Press.
Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. PublicAffairs.
Pham, M. J. (2013). Food as communication: A case study of South Korea’s gastrodiplomacy. Journal of International Service, 22(1), 1–22. https://thediplomatistdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/food-as-communication-a-case-study-of-south-koreas-gastrodiplomacy/
Rockower, P.S. (2012). Recipes for public diplomacy: The gastrodiplomacy of the Korean wave. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 8(3), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2012.17
Shim, D. (2006). Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia. Media, Culture & Society, 28(1), 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/016344370605927
Song, C. (2026). Consuming the virtual Korea: Gastronomy, identity, and soft power politics in the Age of Algorithms [Materi seminar pendidikan sosiologi, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta].
van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aqila Tristianti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
