Chennai-based high-schooler Naveen K (name changed) loves listening to K-pop bands like EXO, Ateez, Stray Kids, Monsta X and Seventeen. “They sing and rap as well as dance and their music is catchy," he says, before adding, “but the real reason I like them is their aesthetic. All of it is very visually appealing." From wolfing down piping hot ramen to dreaming about studying in Seoul one day, Naveen says he finds the Korean worldview pretty. “They have a certain lifestyle aesthetic which is super attractive," he says. Not surprisingly, Korea is his “No 1 vacation destination".

As the West goes grunge and gritty, Korea is taking over as the “cool" entertainment option even in Bollywood-focused India. Nothing could have brought home the extent of this fanbase obsession more tragically than the heartbreaking death of three teenage girls in Ghaziabad. So how big a deal is Hallyu in India? Young K-culture fans are spread across not just Indian metros but also SEC B and C towns.

A casual chat among a bunch of K-culture aficionados within my circle of acquaintances was eye-opening, to say the least. When it comes to music, BTS has the original fandom, but many K-culture fans are now looking at less mainstream and more demography-specific entertainment. Like the K-musical Demon Hunters, which is now all the rage among high-schoolers. Sometimes, a band’s popularity surges after it tours India. For instance, K-pop girl band Everglow recently performed at the Gangtok music festival and has seen a surge of interest.

For teen or twenty-something girls, K-dramas are huge, offering “intense emotional depth and slow-burn romances that feel more relatable and respectful than Western shows because, of course, we’re also Asians," says Nayana Mukherjee (name changed) from Pondicherry. Says 58-year-old Papia Bhargav (name changed) from Gangtok: “Korean films are quite dark........

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