Abstract:
Korean entertainment culture, spanning K-pop, K-dramas, and K-movies, has
emerged as a powerful global phenomenon, reshaping consumer behavior across
borders. Among Sri Lanka’s Generation Z, this cultural wave, known as Hallyu, has
fueled rising interest not only in Korean media but also in associated products such
as cosmetics, fashion, and food. Although extensive studies have examined Hally’s
influence in East and Southeast Asia, research on its consumer impact in South Asia
remains limited. A little is known about how Korean entertainment culture shapes
purchase intentions among Sri Lankan Gen Z consumers, presenting a clear literature
gap. This study addresses that gap by investigating five cultural dimensions – cultural
curiosity, cultural similarity, attractiveness, relational factors, and viewing habits and
their influence on purchase intentions. Guided by cultural diffusion theory, the
research adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design. Data were collected using a
structured questionnaire survey administered to 152 Gen Z respondents in Sri Lanka.
The responses were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and ordinal logistic
regression to test hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that while all five
dimensions positively correlate with purchase intention, only cultural curiosity,
cultural similarity, relational factors, and viewing habits demonstrate statistically
significant predictive power. Attractiveness, although initially appealing, did not
sustain an influence on purchase intention. These results suggest that deeper cultural
engagement and emotional bonds are stronger drivers of consumer behavior than
surface-level appeal. The study concludes that Korean entertainment culture plays a
transformative role in shaping the consumption patterns of Sri Lankan Gen Z.
Viewings the limited South Asian scholarship on Hallyu provides actionable insights
for marketers, suggesting that strategies which foster cultural curiosity, cultural
similarity, relational factors, and viewing habits can more effectively translate
cultural popularity into consumer purchase intentions.
