K-Culture Hashtags Surge 1,300% on TikTok, Expected to Generate 295 Trillion Won by 2030

Hashtags related to K-pop, K-beauty, K-food and other Korean cultural content have surged 1,300% on TikTok over the past few years, with these cultural moments expected to translate into real business outcomes generating more than 295 trillion won ($206 billion) in economic value by 2030, according to TikTok Korea.

"TikTok's goal is to become an excellent partner for Korean companies," Matty Lin, General Manager of Global Business Solutions at TikTok Korea, said at the 2025 TikTok Media Day held at CGV Cheongdam Cine City in Gangnam, Seoul on Wednesday.

Lin explained that TikTok Shop, an e-commerce service enabling product discovery through payment on the platform, is serving as a bridgehead for Korean companies' overseas expansion. TikTok Shop currently operates in the United States, Japan and other markets, excluding South Korea.

"Global users who have purchased K-beauty and K-food products on TikTok Shop account for 53% of all respondents," Lin said.

TikTok plans to actively support Korean companies' global expansion next year. "We will launch an SMB Academy next year and contribute to the overseas expansion of numerous Korean small and medium-sized enterprises through collaboration," Lin said.

Lin explained that TikTok's recent partnership agreement with the Seoul Business Agency and its provision of the TikTok Shop Cross-Border Solution to domestic businesses are aimed at supporting Korean companies seeking global expansion even without overseas subsidiaries.

TikTok expects the global growth of K-culture trends to continue. "Over the past three years, posts with K-beauty hashtags reached 2 million, with approximately half—about 1 million—created in the past 12 months," said Jung Jae-hoon, Head of Operations at TikTok Korea. "The spread of Korean culture on TikTok is noticeably expanding into beauty, fashion, food and other areas."

TikTok also noted that it invests $2 billion (approximately 2.8 trillion won) annually with trust and safety as its core values. The company recently enhanced its Family Pairing feature that allows guardians to manage their children's usage environment, while strengthening youth protection through partnerships with domestic organizations including Tacteen Naeil.