BTS Applies on Spotify Saudi, South Korea Praises K-Pop Worldwide to Arab
South Korean President Moon Jae-in praised the success of Hallyu, especially K-pop, which has spread worldwide to the Arabian Peninsula for helping the country's economic achievements.
The compliment was expressed by Moon during a speech at the Dubai Expo, the United Arab Emirates on Sunday (16/1), which was his first trip around the Middle East.
"What is gained from (Korean people's) love of shared happiness and prosperity has strengthened (the country's) soft power as much as its economic strength," Moon said at the close of taekwondo and traditional dance performances at the exhibition.
"Under the starry desert sky tonight, K-pop shows that dazzle and dazzle the whole world will come to life."
In addition to attending the exhibition in Dubai, Moon is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
According to the Yonhap news agency, Moon's visit to the UAE is one of the efforts to establish collaboration in the fields of defense, infrastructure, and climate change.
South Korean culture is increasingly popular in the world, especially after K-pop boy bands such as BTS and EXO, until the film Parasite won various global awards, such as being nominated for a Grammy to winning the best film category at the Oscar award.
The Netflix mini-series Squid Game has also gone global, adding to the popularity of South Korean culture.
BTS even became the artist/music group whose songs were listened to the most on Spotify in 2021 in Saudi, a conservative Islamic country.
On Tuesday (18/1), Moon will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in Riyadh. He will also meet with the head of the top oil company Aramco, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.
Moon will also meet with the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Nayef al-Hajraf, on Wednesday (19/1). They are said to be discussing the continuation of free trade in the Gulf States.
In addition, Moon will also meet with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Cairo on Thursday (20/1).