Beyond Kimchi and K-Dramas: The Korean Food Phenomenon Among University Students in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol10.1.6.2024Keywords:
Hallyu, youth, popular culture, globalisation, Korean foodAbstract
Since the airing of Winter Sonata in Malaysia in 2002, the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, has become increasingly popular among Malaysians, especially the younger generation. This study aims to understand the attitudes and perceptions of Malaysian university students towards Korean cuisine and explore the factors motivating their interest in it. The study employed quantitative methods using a survey instrument. The respondents were university students at Universiti Sains Malaysia who had consumed Korean food before. The survey was distributed to students via email and social media and a total of 82 students responded to the survey. The study found that mass media, especially Korean dramas and entertainment, significantly shaped university students' food choices. Environmental factors such as the accessibility and availability of Korean food surrounding the university also affected its popularity. Peers played an important role, while family factors had less influence on the popularity of Korean food. Overall, the findings suggest that Korean cuisine is popular among Malaysian youths due to various factors such as media influence, accessibility, and peer influence. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of global culture among Malaysian youths. As globalisation continues to fade borders and connect people, the study of the perception and acceptance of foreign cultures and their culinary traditions, especially among youth, becomes increasingly important in understanding the intricacy of cultural exchange.
Downloads
References
Abd Razak, A. R., & Ibnu, I. N. (2022). The Influence of Manga and Anime on New Media Students' Creative Development. EDUCATUM Journal of Social Sciences, 8, 37-45. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol8.sp.4.2022
Aditya, T. P. and Sabarguna, R. Z. (2023). The influence of Korean culture as the base of Indonesian manufacturers in producing Korea instant food. International Journal of Research in Commerce and Management Studies, 05(01), 134-144. https://doi.org/10.38193/ijrcms.2023.5109
Amin, A.M., Zakaria, Z., & Rahim, A.A. (2020). Halal Certification of the Korean Foods in Malaysia: A Review of Literatures. Journal of Shariah Law Research, 5(2), 231-250.
Anwar, N. S. S., & Nor, N. S. M. (2020). The genesis of the phenomenon of Korean Wave (Hallyu) and its influence on youths in Malaysia: An Islamic perspective. AL-ITQAN: Journal of Islamic Sciences and Comparative Studies, 30(2), 109-122.
Ariffin, J. T., Bakar, H. A., & Yusof, N. H. (2018). Korean media strategies in promoting Korean dramas in Malaysia. International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering & Management, 5(1), 1-6.https://doi.org/10.21276/ijirem.2018.5.1.1
Beardsworth, A., Bryman, A., Keil, T., Goode, J., Haslam, C., & Lancashire, E. (2002). Women, men and food: The significance of gender for nutritional attitudes and choices. British Food Journal, 104(7), 470-491. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700210418767
Bisogni, C. A., Jastran, M., Seligson, M., & Thompson, A. (2012). How people interpret healthy eating: Contributions of qualitative research. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 44(4), 282-301. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2011.03.009
Brown, B. B., Dolcini, M. M., & Leventhal, A. (1997). Transformations in peer relationships at adolescence: Implications for health-related behavior. In J. Schulenberg, J. L. Maggs, & K. Hurrelmann (Eds.), Health risks and developmental transitions during adolescence (pp. 161–189). Cambridge University Press.
Chen, P. and Antonelli, M. (2020). Conceptual models of food choice: Influential factors related to foods, individual differences, and society. Foods, 9(12), 1898. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9121898
Cho, C. H. (2010). Korean wave in Malaysia and changes of the Korea-Malaysia relations. Jurnal Pengajian Media Malaysia, 12(1), 1-14.
Choi, Y. and Jeong, J. (2019). The determinants of imported food purchase of Muslim consumers in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(6), 1539-1556. https://doi.org/10.1108/jima-12-2018-0228
Chua, B. H., & Iwabuchi, K. (2008). East Asian Pop Culture: Analysing the Korean Wave. Hong Kong University Press.
Cohen, R. Y., Brownell, K. D., & Felix, M. R. J. (1990). Age and sex differences in health habits and beliefs of schoolchildren. Health Psychology, 9(2), 208-224. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.9.2.208
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
DeVellis, R. F. (2016). Scale development: Theory and applications. Sage publications.
Fowler Jr, F. J. (2013). Survey research methods. Sage publications.
Groves, R. M., Fowler Jr, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2011). Survey methodology (Vol. 561). John Wiley & Sons.
Hanemaayer, R., Neufeld, H. T., Anderson, K., Haines, J., Gordon, K., Lickers, K. R. L., XAvier, A., Peach, L., & Peeters, M. (2022). Exploring the environmental determinants of food choice among Haudenosaunee female youth. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13434-z
He, W., Lin, L., & Fung, A. (2022). Online fiction writers, labor, and cultural economy. Global Media and China, 7(2), 169-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/20594364221105643
Hwang, J., Kim, S., Choe, J. Y., & Chung, C. (2018). Exploration of the successful glocalization of ethnic food: A case of Korean food. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(12), 3656-3676. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2017-0452
Jung, S. (2011). Korean Masculinities and Transcultural Consumption: Yonsama, Rain, Oldboy, K-Pop Idols. Hong Kong University Press.
Kim, J. (2007). Why Does Hallyu Matter? The Significance of the Korean Wave in South Korea. Critical Studies in Television, 2(2), 47-59.
Kraidy, M. M. (2017). Hybridity, or the cultural logic of globalization. Temple University Press.
Kunkunrat, K. (2024). Korean Cultural Diplomacy: Uniting Society Through Soft Power. Best Journal of Administration and Management, 2(3), 157-162.
Lee, S., Lee, Y., Lee, C., & Park, I. (2021). Effects of the addition of herbs on the properties of Doenjang. Foods, 10(6), 1307. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061307
Leung, W. C. (2015). How to Design a Questionnaire. Student BMJ, 12(1), 32-35.
Malabanan, J. M., Vega, A. D., Gono, L. C., & Pantoja, E. (2022). Translating Hallyu phenomenon and its underlying impact in the purchasing intentions of Filipinos. Journal of Business and Management Studies, 4(1), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.32996/jbms.2022.4.1.19
Malaysia is placed 9th as country with the most K-pop fans on Twitter. (2021, Ogos 12). The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2021/08/12/malaysia-is-placed-9th-as-country-with-the-most-k-pop-fans-on-twitter
Maliki, N. K., Bahari, K. A., Ali, R., Tajuddin, S. N. A. A., Al-Majdhoub, F. M. H., & Baboo, S. B. (2023). Tahap Kewarganegaraan Digital dalam Kalangan Remaja 14 Tahun di Malaysia. EDUCATUM Journal of Social Sciences, 9(2), 94-105. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol9.2.9.2023
Meiselman, H. L. (2006). The role of context in food choice, food acceptance and food consumption. Frontiers in Nutritional Science, 3, 179.
Miyoung, S. and Raja, S. S. (2019). The foundational decades of malaysia-south korea economic relations 1960-1981. International Journal of East Asian Studies, 8(1), 80-98. https://doi.org/10.22452/ijeas.vol8no1.6
Nordin, S., Samsudin, N. A., Effarizah, M. E., Zakaria, L., Selamat, J., Rahman, M. A. H., & Mahror, N. (2022). Prevalence, identification and mycotoxigenic potential of fungi in common spices used in local Malaysian cuisines. Foods, 11(17), 2548. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11172548
Ong, A. K. S., Prasetyo, Y. T., Esteller, A. J. D., Bruno, J. E., Lagorza, K. C. O., Oli, L. E. T., Chuenyindee, K., Thana, K., Persada, S.F. & Nadlifatin, R. (2023). Consumer preference analysis on the attributes of Samgyeopsal Korean cuisine and its market segmentation: Integrating conjoint analysis and K-means clustering. Plos One, 18(2), e0281948. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281948
Othman, S. N. and Aini, N. (2021). The globalization of Hallyu phenomenon: Impact on Malaysian young female's attitude and behaviour. Trends in Undergraduate Research, 4(2), h29-38. https://doi.org/10.33736/tur.4109.2021
Paré, E., Body, K., Gilstorf, S., & Lucarelli, J. (2018). Qualitative focus groups: Perceived influences on decision making about diet and physical activity among Hispanic/Latino participants. Health Promotion Practice, 20(6), 868-879. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839918779382
Paroi, S., Islam, A. A., Hasanat, A., & Zohora, F. T. (2020). Food habit of the adolescents in relation with socio-demographic variables in a selected high school in Khulna city. Mediscope, 7(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.3329/mediscope.v7i1.47138
Pawanteh, L. & Rahim, S. A. (2019). Media consumption among young adults: A look at labels and norms in everyday life. Malaysian Journal of Communication, 25, 21-31.
Scheld, S. (2007). Youth cosmopolitanism: Clothing, the city and globalization in Dakar, Senegal. City & Society, 19(2), 232-253. https://doi.org/10.1525/city.2007.19.2.232
Siriyuvasak, U., & Hyunjoon, S. (2007). Asianizing K-Pop: Production, Consumption and Identification Patterns among Thai Youth. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 8(1), 109-136.
Song, J. E. and Nahm, K. (2016). The meaning of Hallyu and its sustainability in Bulgaria. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 16(6), 19-39. https://doi.org/10.5392/jkca.2016.16.06.019
Soo, K. Y. and Jamil, N. I. (2022). The influence of K-drama among youths: A Malaysian case study. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i1/12111
Sullivan, G. M., & Artino, A. R. (2013). Analyzing and interpreting data from Likert-type scales. Journal of graduate medical education, 5(4), 541-542.
Syam, A. P. H. and Ichwan, M. N. (2023). The Korean Wave phenomena in youth and halal industry: opportunities and challenges. LIKUID: Jurnal Ekonomi Industri Halal, 3(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.15575/likuid.v3i1.21548
Tian, H. L., Logendran, T., & Mariappan, L. (2023). The Role of Communication Skills in Persuading Customers to Purchase Products. EDUCATUM Journal of Social Sciences, 9(1), 47-61. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol9.1.5.2023
Yoon, K., & Jin, D. Y. (2016). The Korean Wave Phenomenon in Asian Diasporas in Canada. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37(1), 69-83.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Zuraida Raman, Bok Guat Im
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
