Hallyu! The Korean Wave arrives in Switzerland with major exhibition at Rietberg Museum

The exhibition 'Hallyu! The Korean Wave' has opened at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, after its initial presentation at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It explores South Korea's cultural rise from a traumatic 20th century—Japanese annexation in 1910, the Korean War (1950-1953), and military dictatorship under Park Chung-hee—to a global soft power leader. The show covers K-pop, K-beauty, K-fashion, K-drama, and cinema, highlighting how Samsung, LG, and Hyundai transformed into chaebols. A special section at the Rietberg features traditional Korean art from its permanent collection, including Buddhist and shamanic images, decorative paintings, and polychrome woodcuts. A large video installation by Nam June Paik envisions Korea's technological ascent. The exhibition runs in the museum's two basement floors and is the only continental European venue.