Changes in the Attributes and Consumer Preferences of Hungarian Hallyu Fans

Abstract The popularity of Korean culture has increased significantly in the last two decades. This process in general is called ‘Hallyu’. The success of it is based on the professional marketing activity of companies, which use exceptional strategies and activities to reach and motivate their customers. This article introduces the diffusion of the culture of South Korea in Hungary, focusing on the specific marketing aspect of consumer behaviour. The author implemented two pieces of scientific research—one in 2018 and another one in 2022—examining this topic. Comparing the results of the two pieces of research gives an opportunity to examine the changes in the diffusion of Hallyu in this country. The fans of Korea and its culture are a relatively small group in Hungarian society but have specific consumer attributes. Hallyu content (such as music, films, and TV series) consumption is fan based, and the behaviour of customers has specific feature, such as the active usage of social media or a strong interest in other Korean products. Hungarian fans have other unique attributes, like enthusiasm and a close relationship with the Korean language, or the emphasis of personal communication. The article introduces these specialities in detail.