The Korean wave has become a global phenomenon whose effect has been widely studied in Asia, Europe and the US. However the presumption of cultural distance makes it appear unlikely that the Korean wave could gain traction among African consumers of cultural products. As such, a dearth of evidence exists on the effects of the wave in Africa. This paper examines the effect of the wave in East African countries employing both descriptive and Probit model analyses. The results show that, contrary to conventional beliefs, most Africans surveyed perceive value proximity with Korea through the values conveyed in Korean dramas, movies and music. Confucius values, such as filial piety, family love and respect for the elderly are the most appealing to the East African audience. Importantly, contact with Korean wave contents contributes to the respondents’ disposition to form favorable attitude towards Korea. The African consumers of Korea’s cultural products are equally likely to purchase other Korean commercial products. These results remotely suggest that Hallyu may be a tool for advancing Korea’s soft power towards Africa and could generate positive economic externalities.

中文翻译：

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文化交流及其对韩非关系的外部影响：韩流如何影响非洲消费者的知觉和购买行为？

朝鲜浪潮已成为一种全球现象，其影响已在亚洲，欧洲和美国广泛研究。然而，文化距离的推定使得朝鲜浪潮不太可能在非洲文化产品消费者中获得吸引力。因此，缺乏关于非洲海浪影响的证据。本文使用描述性和Probit模型分析研究了波在东非国家的影响。结果表明，与传统观念相反，大多数接受调查的非洲人通过韩国戏剧，电影和音乐中传达的价值观，认为自己与韩国的价值观接近。孝道，家庭之爱和对老人的尊重等孔子价值观对东非观众最有吸引力。重要的，与韩流内容的接触有助于受访者形成对韩的有利态度。韩国文化产品的非洲消费者也有可能购买其他韩国商业产品。这些结果遥遥表明，韩流可能是提升韩国对非洲软实力的工具，并可能产生积极的经济外部性。