The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday released a white paper on hallyu, or the Korean Wave.

This is the first time a book of this kind has been released.

The report follows the birth of the term hallyu, its effect on overall Korean society and foreign countries, and concludes with predictions about the possible future of the Korean pop culture boom.

The book covers a wide range of Korean popular culture including TV dramas, K-pop, animation, movie, games, literature, fashion, cuisine and language, and observes how it is perceived among foreigners. It also tracks down the origin of the term, hallyu: The terminology was first used in a Beijing Qing Nian Bao newspaper article published on Nov. 19, 1999, describing Chinese youth’s craze for Korean celebrities. The book also studies hallyu’s effect on other Korean industries, including manufacturing, tourism and the formation of Korean nation branding.

“We conducted in-depth interviews of more than 50 foreigners, hallyu fans, Korean businessmen overseas, and expats in Korea for an objective view. We also gathered opinions from celebrities such as Google Korea CEO Yeon Dong-hoon; Peter Bartholomew, chairman of Korean branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the conclusion,” said Kim Kyung-nam, a ministry official, said.

The Hallyu White Paper can be downloaded at www.mcst.go.kr for free.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)