A hypothesis from the project's first phase suggests the rise of cultural industries in Nigeria and South Korea coincides with their transitions to liberal democracy and possibly shares a systematic connection. Neither case exhibits significant state control or explicit cultural policies; as demonstrated by China, state-controlled cultural industries rarely resonate internationally. However, South Korea actively capitalizes on Hallyu’s global success through a national soft-power strategy, making Korean embassies worldwide centers for promoting, mediating, and distributing K-culture.

Nigeria, lacking an explicit soft-power strategy yet exhibiting similar effects, provides an analytical contrast. This project employs qualitative online and offline research methods, conducting studies in Germany and Nigeria on diplomatic activities in distribution and cultural promotion. It aims to expand a pilot study conducted by Ute Röschenthaler in Seoul in 2022, specifically investigating the roles of Nigerian (and other African) embassies (in contrast with Germany).