Analysis of the Influence of Korean Wave and Import Tax Rates on The Decision to Purchase Official BTS Merchandise by the Army

Abstract

The globalization has influenced all aspects of human life. One of the global phenomena growing widely and rapidly is the Korean Wave culture, which can be interpreted as the spread of a wave of modern popular culture from the world of South Korean entertainment throughout the world in the form of popular music (K-Pop), drama series (K-Drama), films, culinary delights, clothing styles (K-Fashion) and beauty products. This research aims to investigate the influence of the Korean Wave and Import Tax Rates on ARMY’S decision to purchase BTS official merchandise. The research method used is a quantitative descriptive method. This research sample was taken using a non-probability sampling technique, namely purposive sampling.The population consist of 268,044 students in the city of Medan. The data were collected through online questionnaire distributed via Google Form to 100 respondents and through interviews with 4 respondents. The data were analyzed using a multiple linear regression technique, conducted with the assistance of IBM SPSS version 29. The results of the research show that the Korean wave partially has a positive and significant effect on the ARMY’S decision to purchase Official BTS merchandise, while the Import Tax Rate partially has a negative and significant effect on the ARMY’S decision to purchase official BTS merchandise. The Korean wave and import tax rates simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on the ARMY'S decision to purchase official BTS merchandise.