In September 2022, the British newspaper The Observer put a spotlight on the spread of K-culture sweeping the world under the name "K-everything." It described a phenomenon extending from K-pop to Korean films, dramas, games, fashion and food. In May 2026, the U.S. cable network CNN released a four-part original series titled "K-Everything." K-everything is not a slogan we created but the competitiveness of Korean culture as the world has grasped it. Because it is being assessed as a singular asset rather than a passing fad, it must now be elevated into national competitiveness.
To realize K-everything, first, the basic strength of K-culture must be substantially built up from the starting line of a fresh start. Culture and the arts have already moved beyond their own domain to become consumption and daily life, tourism and exchange, diplomacy and trade. Optimism about K-culture should now be set aside, and efforts should be devoted to building an ecosystem in which capable creators and compelling content emerge one after another. Basic arts must be strengthened and the independence of arts education promotion and evaluation secured, while cultural financing that can revive the production ecosystem must be expanded. Only then can K-culture become a sustainable bloodstream that drives the development of media, digital technology and artificial intelligence, as well as tourism, food, beauty and fashion.
Second is the cultivation of global channels for K-platforms. This must be pursued from the view that content and platforms are a "single body" that must not be separated, and that media, platforms and commerce are not separate but a "converged domain." Domestic regulations and administrative systems in this area are scattered by sector, while global Big Tech companies are strengthening business models that straddle all three domains. With the arrival of digital transformation (DX) and AI transformation (AX), the erasure of boundaries and borders in such industrial domains is also advancing rapidly. Related functions should be consolidated into a single ministry and public broadcasting unified under the state budget system, while the private sector should be allowed to operate media, platforms and commerce together, with the press sector regulated separately. This is a way to move beyond the limits of a domestic-demand industry and respond nimbly to major powers' offensives shielding their own companies.
Third, transport and tourism infrastructure and services are the core drivers that turn a "plan" to visit into a "decision" to go, so they must be overhauled from the guest's perspective. We must put ourselves in the shoes of foreigners who land at an airport and want to travel to a particular region, asking which routes are fast and convenient, and what to eat, see and enjoy for a special experience. To attract tourists, public transportation such as buses connecting major KTX hub stations directly to surrounding cities and counties must be increased. Neighborhood bus services cut back by some local governments during COVID-19 also need to be restored. More restaurants must respond to diverse menu needs, including vegan and halal diets, and provide allergy information and foreign-language menus.
The core of K-everything is the exercise of a careful strategy that links interest in our culture to consumption in related fields without significant inconvenience. K-culture must generate global interest, K-platforms reaching out to the world must network that interest into consumption and transactions, and tourism and local economies must expand that value on the ground. When such a virtuous cycle becomes sophisticated, K-everything will become a core driving force in making an "irreplaceable Korea" that the world watches. It is time for the Lee Jae-myung government, in its second year in office, and local governments to make K-everything a joint strategy and work in close step.
