K for... Massive rise in people learning Korean amid Squid Game success

With huge fan followings of bands like BTS, the soft power of Korean culture has been on the rise for quite some time. Just recently, the Oxford English Dictionary added 26 new words of Korean origin to its latest edition.

SEE MORE Oxford Dictionary joins the K-craze by adding 26 Korean words to it

And Netflix’s latest hit Korean show Squid Game is cementing the global obsession with Korean culture. The show’s popularity has caused a spurt in people wanting to learn the Korean language, as per language learning app Duolingo.

SEE MORE 5 things you didn't know about Squid Game

The app has reported a 76% rise in new users signing up to learn Korean in Britain and 40% in the United States over the two weeks following the show's premiere. Globally, Duolingo has roughly witnessed a 40% rise in new Korean learners compared to last year.

Duolingo said that after Hindi, Korean is the second-fastest-growing language among learners with 7.9 million active users learning the language.

In case you were curious, the Korean word for the Korean wave is Hallyu and is often used to describe the global success of South Korean music, film, TV, fashion and food.