A Big Data-based Study on the Spreading Characteristics of Korean Dramas in China Amidst Policy Changes

Key Points

• This study aims to analyze how the characteristics of the spread of Korean dramas in China changed amid policy shifts from 2016 onward.
• Analyzed official import statistics of Korean dramas from the National Bureau of Statistics of China (2008–2023).
• Combined 3,474 Weibo text entries from 2013 to 2019.
• Employed keyword frequency analysis (TF·TF-IDF), LDA topic modeling, SnowNLP sentiment analysis, and trend analysis.
• Official imports of Korean dramas declined, but online discourse persisted and transitioned to platform-centric structures.
• Key topics identified include plot discussions, social media dissemination, acting evaluations, and fandom dynamics.
• Overall sentiment was predominantly positive, especially in trends related to SNS dissemination and fandom.

Abstract