KIMCHI: THKEY INFLUENCE OF KOREAN WAVE AND ITS IMPACT ON KOREAN FOOD TOWARDS THAI CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Recently, the Korean Wave became widespread globally including Thailand which has increasingly risen on Korean consumption. The purpose of this study is to look into how the Korean wave has a significant impact on Thai consumers, especially on the food industry and how it affects the intention to consume Kimchi among Thai consumers. Moreover, this study identified the essential factors that have a greatest influence in consuming Korean culture by having an interview with 5 interviewees who were interested in Korean culture including food, music and fashion. Also, the interviewees were categorized into 2 sections; Kimchi consumer and Kimchi producer in order to examine different perspectives. The findings reported that Thai consumer behavior has shifted due to Korean media such as K- Drama which has the most impact on Thai consumers. Other factors include attitude towards Kimchi, Family influence and eWOM which is also an influential factor on the consumer’s intention to consume Kimchi.