MANAGEMENT. MANAGEMENT. 2. 2. : MANAGEMENT. MANAGEMENT.

Running Head: MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
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MANAGEMENT1
Characteristics of Malaysian consumers for Korean Culture
Globalization of Korean culture is becoming popular in the Asian locations including
Malaysia along with the European countries. Specifically, the Korean dramas, songs, and food
escalated continuously within the places of North and Southeast Asia including China, Japan,
Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Malaysia is a unique place for targeting for its diverse
compositions of race. One of its reason is the colonial past where Malaysia was extremely open
to the western media (Ahmed et al. 2013). However, the recent era is observed with new
phenomenon of Korean culture with unique dramas, songs, and foods aired with Malaysian
television networks. There are various internet platforms that promotes Korean entertainment
medias for the interested viewers.
Goh and Wahid (2015) linked the progress of Korean drama and Korean wave with the
culture. Majority of the researchers acknowledged the Koreans culture as the driver to its
success. The characteristics of Malaysian consumers will be demonstrated with regards to
segmentation, targeting, and positioning. Various studies have disclosed the fact that Korea and
their culture utilizes especially their dramas and K-pop music to influence the consumers (Noor,
Sreenivasan and Ismail 2013). They understand the consumer behavior as the study considering
the processes of individuals, organization in search, selection, use and disposal of goods,
services, experiences and concepts. They target the positions with prevalent interplay of forces
during the time of consumption procedure (Torri et al. 2017). Korean wave target the consumers
with characteristics of genetic preference of selection or attitude. Both the individual and
collective level of the consumers are observed with the influence of Korean wave. For an
instance, an individual might not have any interest for Korean music. However, the person can
be influenced by the surrounding of people influenced by the Korean wave.
Korean tourists are observed to influence the Malaysian consumers at a greater extent.
According to Park et al. (2014) Malaysia is one of the inbound marketplace for Korea that reach
up to 40% growth in the year 2011 and almost 44% in the year 2010. Increased rate of Hallyu’s
preference in the Malaysia, mostly the young and elder adults consumers are getting interested
towards Korea and their culture. The record of tourists from 1996 and the types of consumers the
Korean influenced are mentioned in the table below.

MANAGEMENT2
Year Total Visitor Tour Purpose Age 21 - 30 Age 31- 40
1996 34,957 - - -
2005 96,583 - - -
2010 113,675 - - -
2015 223,350 199,705 57,464 48,998
2016 311,254 280,039 80,238 65,130
2017 307,641 279,558 82,132 63,423
Table 1. Malaysian visitors and Korean influence
Apart from music and drama, the beauty products of Korea, are also wining the heart of
Malaysian consumers. The female consumers of Korea regardless of their age and complexion
and financial condition tend to get attracted for the Korean beauty products. Besides the beauty
products, Korean cuisines are there to attract the Malaysian consumers at a greater rate (Elfving-
Hwang 2013). Malaysian market place is also influenced by the language used by the Korean
consumers. Hence, it can be said that, the expansion of Korean wave has reached within various
sectors of Malaysian marketplace (Elfving-Hwang, 2013). The Korean culture is one of the
influential environment factor observed within the locality of high popularity and the people are
shifting their taste of buying Korean products.
Moreover, it can be said that, in regard to the Malaysian marketplace, the Korean culture
and American culture is ruling over. Elfving-Hwang (2013) mentioned that, television and
entertainment is the only medium Koreans are using to attract the Malaysian consumers. The
television and digital devices are among the most inspirational medium that delivers the kind of
information including ideologies, norm, regulations irrespective of age and class (Noor,
Sreenivasan and Ismail, 2013). The population of Korean consumers in the Malaysian market are
25% old, over 30% are over the age group of 24. According to the customer profile of Korean
consumers in the Malaysian market, reflects almost 33,221,858 GDP per capita is won by the
Korean products (Goh and Wahid 2015). Malaysia is a place with huge consumerism both by the
local and the people who visit the place yearly. Purchase is the way to serve the primary needs
regarding the image and reasons of status. The economic progress of some Korean products
attracts the Malaysian consumers to invest on luxury and trendy goods. The more detailed
products attract the consumers more. Along with that, Korean wave continuously incorporate