Indonesia's Gen MZ reframe K-wave: Cultural remix over copy-paste

According to Cheil Indonesia’s latest study, “Beyond K-Wave: The Root of Indonesia’s Fusion Culture”, Indonesian Gen MZ – referring to Gen Z and younger Millennials – are not simply consuming Korean culture. They are reshaping it, filtering it, and fusing it into something distinctly their own. And for brands, that distinction matters.

For years, the global marketing conversation around the Korean culture has centred on scale: record-breaking music streams, binge-worthy dramas, beauty exports and fashion moments that dominate social feeds. In Indonesia, however, the more interesting story is not about reach – but about reinvention, the study concluded.

Based on a quantitative online survey of 100 Gen Z and young Millennial respondents aged 18-35 across major Indonesian cities, conducted in December 2025, Cheil’s study suggests K-Wave has shifted from content to context.

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Out of 100 respondents, 90% express positive interest in K-Culture, while 87% already see it as a long-term lifestyle rather than passing hype. The entry points remain familiar: K-Pop (79%) and K-Dramas or films (72%), followed by K-Food (66%), K-Beauty (44%), and K-Fashion (39%).

But the progression is cumulative. K-Wave does not arrive as a single cultural import; it expands layer by layer until it blends into routine – what people watch, wear, eat, and share.

Meanwhile, 78% engage with K-Wave through music and dance, from K-Pop cover communities to random play dances in public spaces. Additionally, 67% feel its impact through dramas and films, often inspiring local storytelling adaptations. Finally, 76% say K-Food shapes their daily eating habits, with formats such as mukbang reimagined in Indonesian flavours and humour.

The pattern is consistent: admiration turns into adaptation. “They don’t consume it passively; they select, reinterpret, and make it relevant to their everyday reality,” said Rabiatul Aini, strategic planner at Cheil Indonesia.

Fusion isn’t a strategy – it’s daily life

The study frames this as fusion culture – but for Gen MZ, it is not a conceptual exercise. It is habitual.

Cheil found that 85% have tried mixing Korean and local culture at least once. More significantly, 53% repeat it as part of their daily routines. Food, language and style are the most common entry points: kimchi paired with sambal, Korean slang woven into everyday speech, Korean silhouettes worn the Indonesian way.

This is not cultural replacement. It is cultural layering.

Crucially, the research also reveals a boundary brands ignore at their peril. While 95% of respondents are open to brands that integrate K-Culture meaningfully, 98% prefer fusion that starts from local culture, not imported concepts. Korean elements, in their view, work best as an ingredient – not the main dish.

The distinction signals a maturity in cultural consumption. Indonesian Gen MZ is not looking for brands to “jump on” K-Wave. They expect brands to understand how fusion already happens organically – and to participate without overpowering it.

More than content: emotional infrastructure

Beyond entertainment, the data highlights K-Culture’s psychological role: 79% find it inspiring, 51% use it as an emotional escape, and 37% see it as a vehicle to project their ideal selves.

As Yasmine, a 23-year-old student, put it: “Korean content is more than just fun. It’s my escape. When I’m stressed or tired, it comforts me and helps me forget the pressure, even for a moment.”

This emotional infrastructure helps explain why K-Wave has endured while other global trends flare and fade. It connects through universal themes – ambition, friendship, identity, self-expression – while remaining digitally native and community-powered.

Communities do not merely consume K-Wave; they regenerate it. Through edits, covers, remakes and reinterpretations, relevance is continually renewed.

A two-way cultural current

The exchange is no longer one-directional. As Indonesian audiences remix Korean culture, Korean creators and communities increasingly pick up Indonesian trends, particularly on platforms such as TikTok. What began as export has evolved into dialogue.

For marketers, this reframes the opportunity. The question is no longer how to capitalise on K-Wave’s popularity, but how to operate within a fusion ecosystem where ownership sits with audiences.

Cheil Indonesia positions fusion as both insight and imperative: global influences filtered through local values, used in daily routines, shaped by personal expression, integrated into communities, and ultimately owned as identity.

The broader implication for brands is structural rather than stylistic. Fusion cannot be executed as surface-level Korean cues layered onto campaigns. It requires anchoring global inspiration in local truths – and designing platforms that invite remixing rather than dictating interpretation. 

In practical terms, that means starting with Indonesian behaviours, humour and rituals before layering in Korean references; building ideas that can live beyond launch moments and be reinterpreted by communities; and showing up consistently enough to feel lived-in, not opportunistic.

The data makes clear that Gen MZ’s openness to K-Culture is not a blank cheque for brand appropriation. Cultural participation is welcomed; cultural opportunism is quickly detected.

In Indonesia, K-Wave no longer feels foreign. It feels flexible, accessible and personal – precisely because it has been localised through daily behaviour.

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