What Does a Non-Korean Korean Restaurant in Malta Says About Globalization of "Ethnic" Pop Culture

It was not yesterday that Korea became a cultural superpower. Yet, amidst the global rise of K-pop, K-drama, and even K-cosmetics, K-food remains relatively obscure. It is not surprising. After all, learning to cook a cuisine requires skilled chefs who are often unwilling to emigrate from their home countries, especially to those with lower salaries. Finding authentic ingredients or importing them from Korea affordably requires legal and regulatory support. And it is always a risk that the cuisine may not suit the local palate, especially given Korean food's reputation for being spicy.

Yet, as the Korean wave continues to sweep the globe, even here in Malta, where the cuisine is different as it can be from Korea, K-food has arrived in the form of a nondescript chain in residential neighborhoods away from the touristy coastal strips. Surprisingly, on a casual Thursday night, I found the eatery packed, with K-pop blaring in the background and Korean flags decorating every table. The staff members, a mix of Indians and Filipinos, busied themselves not only with the customers in the store but also with a steady stream of delivery riders coming in to collect online orders.

In the big scheme of Korea's emergence as a cultural superpower, this little restaurant may not seem much. But look closer, and it may just be emblematic of how Korean soft power has entered a new phase. Up until now, spreading Korean culture of any kind has required the conscious involvement of Koreans, whether it be singers, chefs, or government officials. But here in the little Korean eatery in Malta, there is no Korean involvement. No Korean customers, staff members, or probably even Korean investment or ownership. The culture is spreading organically, without a "native" push.

It is an exalted cultural status that few other pop culture phenomena can parallel. French food remains defined by professional training in France. American sports rarely exist without American stars. And Japanese anime remains mostly produced in Japan. Can Korean food, and possibly other aspects of the Korean wave, become just as popular without an ethnic Korean element? Seeing K-pop bands proactively recruiting non-Korean members and the enthusiastic response of many to see K-pop as a global music genre, no different from hip-hop and rap, the possibility seems real.

The de-Koreanization of Korean pop culture reminds me of a course I took as part of my PhD studies years ago. There, the professor bluntly stated that perhaps the "K" in K-pop no longer stands for Korea but for Kapital, with innovation no longer driven by cultural attachment with Korea but pure business logic of what would sell the most in most markets around the world. Perhaps, as Korean pop culture deliberately took away the most idiosyncratic elements to appeal to a wider audience unfamiliar with the country, it has become easier for non-Koreans to take up what they consider to be Korean in pop culture exposure.

In some ways, K-food served in the little eatery mirrors this trend. The introduction of more familiar food not unique to Korea, such as deep-fried pork cutlets and sushi rolls, makes it easier for first-timers to step in. Then they can gradually move onto more Korean items on the menu, whether it be the very spicy stews and the burning sensation of soju definitely not common for the European taste. Clearly, the strategy is working, as white clients downed those little green bottles of traditional Korean alcohol as they sweated through large bowls of bright red soups.

Does the success of non-Korean K-food operations in Malta and likely elsewhere hold lessons for other pop cultures seeking to break into the world? Yes and no. Korean pop culture's appeal to non-Koreans, despite the intentional dilution of Korean-esque elements, remains the fact that it is tied to a culturally exotic country that is at the same time seen as civilized and advanced. Other countries can export cultural products from food to music, but few others can truly reshape how the world sees a whole country, as Korea has been able to do in such a short time.

But the success of non-Koreans replicating K-culture also shows that cultural products can become detached from their origins and still remain successful as long as there is no resistance to organic takeup. From bubble teas to Labubus to flip-flops, plenty of cultural products can become universal by masking their country of origin, encouraging uptake by a multicultural clientele that enjoys them for what they are rather than what they represent. With the only thing remotely Korean in the Korean restaurant being a superficial allegiance to the Korean flag, perhaps there is hope for other pop cultures to also go global.