This talk discusses how the Korean Wave (Hallyu) has actively introduced the Korean language into Indonesia’s sociolinguistic landscape. Combining social media analysis and linguistic landscape data, it shows how Korean has become embedded in everyday communication and urban visibility.

Indonesian K-pop fans engage in translanguaging on platforms such as X and Instagram (2021–2023), switching between Indonesian, local languages, Korean, and English to construct shared identities. This practice is further reflected in public spaces, where Hangeul and Romanised Korean appear in signage in cities such as Jakarta, Malang and Kupang (2024-2025). Hallyu is shown to function as a driver of linguistic mobility, transforming Korean into a symbolic and practical resource in youth identity and contemporary Indonesian life.

Speaker

Nurenzia Yannuar received her doctoral degree from Leiden University Centre for Linguistics in 2019. She subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow at KITLV, where she was involved in a project exploring the sociolinguistics of plurilingualism in colonial Indonesia. She is currently an Associate Professor in Youth Language and Translanguaging at Universitas Negeri Malang. 

Discussant

Tom Hoogervorst is a senior researcher at KITLV and interested in the languages and histories of Indonesia. He has done research on the language history of Malay, specifically the variety used in Chinese-Indonesian circles. In his recent research he studies Indonesian cuisines in relation to the wider world and how Indonesian cuisines have developed and adapted to local circumstances in the “diaspora”, specifically Suriname, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. 

Moderator

Sikko Visscher, trained as an historian and social scientist, work at KITLV as a research advisor and liaison officer. He is also a board member and Secretary of the Vereniging (Member Association) KITLV.

Format, date, time & venue

This seminar is a hybrid event and will be held in the conference room of KITLV, Herta Mohr building, room 1.30, Witte Singel 27 A, Leiden and online via Zoom, on Thursday 9 April from 15.30–17.00 PM (CET).  

Anniversary Seminar Series

In 2026, KITLV will celebrate its 175th anniversary. The Members’ Association / Vereniging KITLV and the Institute KITLV are organizing an Anniversary Seminar Series to mark the occasion.

In the Anniversary Seminar Series, we invite people who have worked at KITLV in the past 25 years, visited us as fellows, or have been involved in joint research projects. Naturally, we strive to cover our wide range of disciplines, topics, and backgrounds. We invite speakers to present current or recent research to an audience of academics and others who are interested. Reflections on whether and how the connection with KITLV has led to or influenced that research are welcome. To cater to an international audience, the series will be in English and can be attended both physically and digitally.

Image

Tugu Malang, an icon of the city, surrounded by a Hangeul text: The taste of Seoul is delivered to Malang.

Flyer

PDF version (A3 poster)