Hallyu's Survival Strategy: Lessons from The Odyssey

Director Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* has attracted 10 million viewers in South Korea. Interest remains high in the UK and the US as well. The film is based on Homer's epic *The Odyssey*, which depicts the long journey of the hero Odysseus as he returns to his homeland, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. A classic born over 3,000 years ago has been reborn as another masterpiece through the hands of a 21st-century auteur. What is the power that has allowed *The Odyssey* to survive for such a long time? The backbone of the story is the long journey home after the war, the temptations and trials faced along the way, wandering and waiting, return, and identity. The form of the story has changed with each era, but the narrative DNA within it has survived and been reborn. In the Middle Ages, Dante summoned Odysseus in the *Inferno* section of *The Divine Comedy*, portraying him not as someone who stayed in Ithaca but as an explorer challenging the limits of human knowledge and experience. In the 19th century, British poet Alfred Tennyson reinterpreted the aging Odysseus, who had returned home, as a figure dreaming of adventure in his poem *Ulysses*. In the 20th century, Irish writer James Joyce moved the narrative structure of *The Odyssey* to a single day in 1904 Dublin, giving birth to *Ulysses*—the Latin name for Odysseus. Thus, *The Odyssey* has continuously transformed from an ancient Greek epic through the Middle Ages and modern times to contemporary literature and film. It is interesting that the people who have carried on this story are not only Greeks. Creators from different eras and cultures have recreated *The Odyssey* in their own languages and imaginations, transforming it from a classic of a specific ethnicity into a narrative that people around the world read and rewrite together. Constant reinterpretation and recreation are the source of its power as a living classic. There are countless languages and cultures in the world, but the breadth of stories we actually encounter is limited. According to the 'Three Percent' international literature program at the University of Rochester in the US, translated books account for about 3% of those published in the US, and this drops to about 0.7% when limited to novels and poetry. Although there are countless stories, the path for them to cross borders remains unfree, and it is by no means easy for stories created in non-English-speaking regions to establish themselves in mainstream global culture. Hallyu (Korean Wave) is like a refreshing rain in this era of cultural asymmetry. Global fans have not passively consumed Hallyu (Korean Wave); they have sung along to songs, learned Korean, created and translated subtitles, and reinterpreted and recreated Hallyu (Korean Wave) in various ways by adding their own cultures and imaginations. This, I believe, is the core driving force behind the sustainability of Hallyu (Korean Wave). The key keywords for the next era of Hallyu (Korean Wave) are diversity, openness, and inclusivity. The openness and inclusivity of Hallyu (Korean Wave) are already evident in the Korean language itself. Consider the words *mukbang* (eating broadcast) and *chimaek* (fried chicken and beer), which were added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2021. *Mukbang* combines 'eat' (*mukda*) and 'broadcast' (*bangsong*), while *chimaek* merges the 'chi' from the English word 'chicken' and the 'maek' from 'maekju' (beer). These are examples of freely borrowing linguistic resources from different languages to create new expressions. Neither word appears in the standard Korean dictionary. When culture crosses borders, the language within it also spreads. Speakers of other languages borrow and use Korean, sometimes expanding its meaning. Hallyu (Korean Wave) has done the same. It started with something Korean but has been participated in, translated, and restructured by people around the world. A representative example is *KPop Demon Hunters*. The film incorporates not only K-pop and idol culture but also Korean cultural elements and imagery such as tigers, magpies, grim reapers, food, and cityscapes. However, it does not stop at merely displaying these as 'Korean.' It recreates them into a story of growth, friendship, and acceptance of identity that global audiences can relate to. For Hallyu (Korean Wave) to continue growing and lasting, this power must be nurtured. Preserving Korean identity and opening doors to the world are not conflicting values but conditions for coexistence. When a story retains a clear cultural DNA while remaining open for anyone to freely interpret and reinterpret, it can travel farther and survive longer. *The Odyssey* was born in Greece but became a story for the world through Dante, Tennyson, Joyce, and director Nolan. Hallyu (Korean Wave) must also move beyond being 'our story' and become 'everyone's story.'