Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
K-pop in 2021: Social media-friendly musicians survive pandemic
BTS performs during the “2021 New Year's Eve Live” online concert on Dec. 31, 2020. / Courtesy of Big Hit Labels
By Kwak Yeon-soo
'K-pop entrepreneurship' lauded for setting an example for global cultural leadership
By Kwak Yeon-soo
K-pop is tech-savvy. K-pop artists were able to build a global fandom thanks to their strategic use of YouTube and social media to interact with their fans abroad. Considering its tech-friendly nature, it's no surprise K-pop is remaining strong despite the pandemic.
K-pop musicians' bonds with global fans are stronger than one might expect, partly because their decades-old relationships were built online, according to a K-pop expert.
Lee Gyu-tag, assistant professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, explained that more than 10 years of active promotional activities in Asia laid the groundwork for K-pop's worldwide success.
“The popularity of K-pop rose in Asia in the late 2000s, and it grew bigger in the 2010s as K-pop became part of the mainstream,” he said. “In the 2000s, there were many second-generation Southeast Asian descendants in European countries like France. The K-pop craze spread to Europe after becoming viral among Southeast Asian youth.”
Lee said K-pop's social media strategy, such as utilizing various platforms to promote their content, successfully appealed to younger generations or Gen Z, who not only watch online content but also “take part” through live streaming and commenting. They become members of a larger K-pop community on YouTube and Twitter and voluntarily produce, edit and upload videos of themselves.
“K-pop and its platforms, such as Twitter, are interdependent. Twitter Korea acknowledged that K-pop was a major factor in reviving the platform's popularity. Fans uploaded secondary creations, like reaction videos, parodies, dance choreography and song covers,” he added.
BTS was the sixth most tweeted about entity globally in 2020, according to data from Twitter. BTS also topped the most tweeted about K-pop accounts worldwide this year for the fourth year in a row, followed by EXO and BLACKPINK.
Compared to other fields, K-pop more easily adapted to streaming because of the industry's familiarity with technology.
As offline concerts became technically impossible due to the ban on gatherings, labels and artists hosted online concerts, inviting audiences to be part of immersive virtual experiences. SM Entertainment, which houses popular groups like Super Junior, EXO, NCT127 and Red Velvet, created a new video concert called “Beyond LIVE” that combines artist performance with augmented reality (AR) technology, graphics and live video calls between artists and fans.
BTS hosted a 90-minute online concert “BANG BANG CON: The Live” in June and a two-day two-and-a-half-hour livestream concert “BTS Map of the Soul ON:E” in October. The former event sold over 756,000 tickets while the latter show sold over 993,000 tickets, becoming the biggest-selling virtual concert with an estimated profit of more than 50 billion won ($45 million).
K-pop stars continued to release new songs to connect with their fans at a deeper level. In September, BTS became the first Korean act to top Billboard's Hot 100 with its all-English song “Dynamite.” With the track, BTS became the first Korean group to be nominated in the best duo/group performance category for the Grammy Awards scheduled for Jan. 31. The group's “Life Goes On” also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December.
In 2020, the total sales of the 400 most popular albums reached over 40 million, up 64 percent from 25 million a year earlier, according to Gaon Chart, which tracks physical album sales in the country and overseas.
K-pop also accelerated its expansion into other mediums, such as documentary and film. BLACKPINK starred in a Netflix documentary “BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky” while rookie group P1Harmony debuted through a K-pop film “P1H: A New World Begins.”
Lee predicts that K-pop will soar to a new high in 2021 because artists and labels don't fear change and are keen on creating new content utilizing media, fashion and culture trends.
“From the early 2000s when Clon and NRG gained steam to the mid-to-late 2000s when BIGBANG and Super Junior garnered popularity, until recently when BTS shot to fame, everyone kept asking whether such a K-pop craze will last. Given that the industry remained strong for the last two decades despite skepticism, I think K-pop will become more successful in the future,” he said.
“PSY's 'Gangnam Style' was a one-hit wonder, but it opened a new road for K-pop in 2012. BTS came in next to pave the road. Thanks to their accomplishments, K-pop artists are likely to follow their footsteps, which is what BLACKPINK and other groups are doing now.”
Kim Hyun-hwan, director general of Content Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, praised the K-pop industry for its ability to break into new regions and its dedication to improving the quality of production systems, performances and visuals. Recalling that SM Town Live in Paris concert in 2011 was organized with the help of government funds, he stressed that the government will continue to support hallyu content exports.
“According to the book 'K-Pop Innovation' by Lee Jang-woo, K-pop industry officials are described as the embodiments of Joseph Schumpeter's idea of entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said.
“The government plans to increase its financial support for emerging technologies like AR and virtual reality (VR) content as technology has a strong influence on culture these days. The K-pop industry also set an example by hosting the world's first paid online concert. With this in mind, I believe K-pop will continue to grow and sustain itself.”
The government looks to expand venues for online concerts in 2021. The ministry will inject 29 billion won into the building of a studio for online concerts as part of its “online immersive K-Pop content production” project.
“We will be remodeling old places to expand venues for online concerts,” he added. Kim also urged people to pay more attention to Korean traditional music.
“In 2001, a French art director visited Korea and picked 'salpurichum' (spiritual purification dance) to perform on stage for the Paris Autumn Festival. I was surprised by his choice, but soon after realized that our folk dance and traditional content have potential,” he said.
Kim Dong-won, vice president of Taewon Entertainment and CEO of Yoondang Arthall, echoed that K-pop will accelerate its expansion by reinventing itself and using fandom tactics.
“I strongly believe that K-pop will continue to reinvent itself and expand even further in the future because it is using its strategies to the fullest extent. They know exactly who to target and how,” he said.
“Just by looking at BTS' example, we have seen how their content and strategy works effectively for both domestic and international fans. By making good use of YouTube and OTT platforms, they will continue to thrive in the future.”