CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Culture is a set of beliefs, norms, traditions and other factors that exists in the society. Each country has its own culture because culture is shaped by the society living there and culture tends to be trans-generational – which means culture is usually being passed down. In Indonesia itself, the culture is highly diverse because of the diversity in Indonesia. There are more than one hundred of tribes exist in Indonesia. However, as years go by, the foreign culture can be seen influencing the Indonesian culture and its people. What is foreign culture? Foreign culture is a culture owned by another country. In Indonesia, the existence of foreign culture can be seen through the people and their lifestyle. For example, many Indonesian prefer to wear jeans fabric clothes due to the influence of American movie. Prior to 2000s, the influence of American culture is really huge in Indonesia. The word ‘Hollywood’ is familiar to most Indonesians. Hollywood is an area located to the West and Northwest of downtown Los Angeles, California and the home of movie stars and movie studios. The movie such as Star Wars, Forrest Gump, and The Matrix were often regarded as Hollywood movie. Due to the fame of Forrest Gump, an American seafood restaurant was built and named as one of the famous characters in the movie, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It is currently one of the famous American seafood restaurant chain. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. can also be found in several Asian countries such as Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines. Thus, the existence of foreign culture in Indonesia itself cannot be denied. These days, the foreign culture that is rapidly growing in Indonesia is the Korean culture. Indonesia is currently experiencing the Korean wave. What is Korean wave? Korean wave is a global phenomenon in which South Korean culture (e.g., Korean dramas, Korean music, and 1 Korean games) has a rapid growth in the global marketplace. Korean wave can also be seen as a way that South Korea uses in order to further inculcate soft power in the global marketplace. Korean Wave is currently a thing both in Asia and Western countries. In Indonesia, the Korean Wave has actually entered the market since early 2000s. It is common for middle-to-older generation to know several Korean dramas such as Winter Sonata, Jewel in The Palace, or Autumn in My Heart. However, during early 2000s, Korean Wave was not as big as it is now. Korean Wave these days is well-known globally, be it for its traditional culture or its Korean entertainment culture. It is not uncommon for people to be able to spot Korean products easily nowadays. Korean Wave is spreading so fast all over the world through its Korean dramas, Korean music, Korean games, and Korean variety show. Thus, Korean wave itself can be seen as a kind of power in which allowing Korean to penetrate into the global marketplace without any force. For example, in Indonesia, many people welcoming the Korean Wave positively regardless of age and gender. The positive responses toward Korean Wave help Korean culture and Korean products to enter the Indonesian market. Many Korean products, be it food or cosmetics, are now able to be found easily in most cities in Indonesia. The number of Korean food restaurants has also significantly increased by the year. As the customer demands in Indonesia increase, there are also more opportunity open to Korean-related investment. In this paper, researcher will further discuss how the Korean Wave influences the consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products in the five big cities which are Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. 1.2 Significance of the Topic The significance of this research is to find out how the consumers in five big cities in Indonesia react to the Korean Wave. As Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi are the official metropolitan area with a population of over thirty million, this research will help the businesses or managers to analyze and comprehend the consumer buying behavior toward 2 imported food in these five big cities. By finishing the research, the researcher will be able to find out the connection between foreign culture, specifically Korean wave, and the consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food. Due to the globalization, not only the technology and information being shared globally, but also the culture. As culture includes a wide range of sectors in which one of those is the eating lifestyle or related to food. By finishing this research, it will also allow the researcher to understand more about the consumer culture theory regarding food. Thus, it is highly believed that the research will help businesses to understand the consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food in five big cities in Indonesia. This research will also help the businesses to understand how culture is being delivered through the intensity of exposure to it and how the values may be delivered through the media. Thus, other findings related to how foreign culture influences the consumer buying behavior to imported food in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi may be found. 1.3 Research Objective The main objectives of this research would be to analyze what Korean Wave is and how the foreign culture, especially Korean Wave, influences the consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. Another objective of this research is to comprehend how the consumers in these five big cities perceive the influence of the foreign culture, specifically Korean culture. In this paper, the cultural differences in eating preferences and eating lifestyle between Indonesia, especially the people living in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, and the Korean culture will also be discussed. 1.4 Research Questions • What is foreign culture and how does it influence the people in Indonesia? 3 • What is Korean wave and how does the people in JABODETABEK perceive it as? • How does the intensity of exposure (based on the frequency) to Korean Wave influence the Indonesian consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat food in JABODETABEK area? • How does the cultural differences in eating lifestyle and preferences between Indonesia and Korea influence the consumer buying behavior to imported ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat in JABODETABEK area? 4 .