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Item Power of Hallyu: Change in Sri Lankan Perception towards South Korea(2nd International Studies Students’ Research Symposium – 2018, Department of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Fernando, A.“Hallyu” or the Korean Wave refers to the surge in the international visibility of Korean culture, beginning in East Asia in the 1990s and continuing more recently in Asia, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. Korean popular culture ranges from Korean music (K-pop), dramas (K-drama), movies, video games, food, fashion, tourism, and language (Hangul). Until recent times, images and information about South Korea were not familiar to Sri Lankans as Sri Lanka does not share any significant historical or cultural relations with South Korea. Images associated with South Korea are generally negative and related to events such as the Korean War, cycles of poverty and political instability. The main focus of this paper is to examine the effect of Hallyu on the Sri Lankan public perception towards South Korea. It will compare and contrast the attitudes of consumers and non-consumers of Korean popular culture on the subject of their feelings towards South Korea and Korean society. This Study uses qualitative data obtained through interviews from the selected samples regarding their thoughts related to Hallyu, K-pop, Korean culture, wider issues related to society, culture, and attitude towards South Korea. This paper will attempt to answer whether Hallyu has been capable of influencing Sri Lankan audiences through dissemination of attractive images of Korea. The findings conclude that the constant consumption of Korean popular cultural products has indeed affected the image Sri Lankans have towards South Korea in a positive way, by improving their knowledge and perception of South Korea. It also has also urged the consumers to travel to South Korea, learn the language and build social networks with the Koreans. The importance of this study rests on the power of popular culture to influence an individual's attitudesItem Soft Power of Korean Popular Culture in Sri Lanka(4th International Conference on Social Sciences 2018, Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Fernando, A.In recent years, there has been a surge in the international visibility of South Korean culture throughout the world. Korean popular culture, also known as the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu in Korean) ranges from Korean music (K-pop), dramas (K-drama), movies, video games, food, fashion, tourism, and language (Hangul). This cultural phenomenon has also resulted in multilayered transnational movement of people, information and capital flows to and from South Korea. The main focus of this paper is to examine the essence of the Korean Wave and its impact in Sri Lankan society through the concept of soft power. In particular, this paper explores the origin and spread of the Korean Wave in Sri Lanka, the relationship between the spread of the Korean culture and social changes in the country, and the changes in the public perception towards South Korea. Hallyu fan communities in Sri Lanka are a testimony to how contemporary Korean culture is received outside the geographically and culturally proximate markets of East Asia and outside the major economic and consumer-driven markets of North America and Europe. Furthermore, images and information about South Korea are not familiar to Sri Lankan life as Sri Lankans do not share any significant historical or cultural relations with South Korea. In such a background, the introduction and spread of Korean culture in a short span of time is remarkable. This experience helps to understand Korea’s influence in South Asia which is heavily influenced by Indian and colonial cultures. More broadly, the paper attempts to examine how diffusion of popular culture in a small state such as Sri Lanka increases the soft power of the origin nation. The findings conclude that the constant consumption of Korean popular cultural products has indeed affected the image Sri Lankans have towards South Korea in a positive way, by improving their knowledge and perception of South Korea. It also has also urged the consumers to travel to South Korea, learn the language and build social networks with the Koreans.