Meet Korea's 1st official MA in K-culture and entertainment

For Abigail Jazmine Llamo, who will turn 29 this year, K-pop was never just entertainment.

“K-pop may seem light and entertaining on the surface, but for me, it provided joy, comfort and hope,” she said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

“It became a kind of escape, but also a source of energy that helped me dream of a different future.

Because of that, I wanted to be part of the kind of work that could inspire or comfort others.” That personal connection ultimately brought Llamo, a Filipino national, to Korea, where she recently completed a master’s degree in K-Culture and Entertainment at Sungshin Women’s University — becoming the first graduate of the program.

Her journey reflects the deeply personal ways in which the Korean cultural wave continues to resonate across borders, including in the Philippines, where Korean media content has long enjoyed widespread popularity.

Llamo’s exposure to Korean culture began early, through a family visit to Korea in 2004 and television broadcasts of dramas such as “Jewel in the Palace.” Her interest deepened in the foll ...