Can K-pop still be K-pop without Korea?

“K-pop is K-pop — throwing in British is like forcing fish and chips into kimchi.”

This was one of the comments I encountered after publishing my recent article on dearALICE, a British boy band trained under K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment. Such comments capture a growing debate seeking to define this globalizing moment in Korean pop culture: What exactly qualifies as K-pop?

It had been years since I last interviewed so-called idols, but meeting members of dearALICE in London was a delight — they were young, bright and full of ambition. In my piece, I avoided explicitly labeling dearALICE as a “K-pop" group. Instead, I borrowed their own words, describing them as a British boy band doing their own music, inspired by K-pop and in the process of figuring out their identity.

But still, I found myself frequently referring to K-pop throughout the article. Maybe I, too, subconsciously viewed them through a K-pop lens — a natural reflex when a group trains in Seoul, debuts under collaboration with SM and appears on K-pop stages.

I was intrigued to see the article spark debate online, with Instagram comment sections filling up with different opinions — some supportive, others critical. Many were quick to reject the K-pop label, arguing that just being under a Korean agency does not make a group K-pop — especially not when the members are white, sing in English and have no direct ties to the Korean language or culture. Others, however, defended the group’s efforts to understand and experience the K-pop system.

As K-pop continues its global expansion, dearALICE isn’t alone in this conversation. Similar debates surround VCHA, formed in the U.S. by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, and KATSEYE, a joint production of Korea’s HYBE and the U.S.-based Geffen Records. Like dearALICE, they are not Korean groups, but their ties to Korea's star-making system attach the K-pop label — sometimes controversially.

The discussion stretches even further. Some argue that the definition of K-pop should broaden to encompass not only idol music but also Korean indie, hip-hop and even traditional musicians.

That argument is already playing out. While K-pop idol groups saw a dip in global sales last year, Korean acts outside the idol mainstream are surging. Wave to Earth, an indie trio with over 8 million monthly Spotify streams, and Balming Tiger, whose single “Wash Away” topped Japan’s Tokio Hot 100 chart in March, are defying conventional genre boundaries.

In a recent piece contributed by Daniela P. Solano, two Seoul-based underground musicians noted, "We don’t feel represented by K-pop, but we’re part of it too." That paradox encapsulates today’s Korean pop culture landscape: While glossy idols may dominate charts and headlines, a diverse undercurrent of Korean music reshapes international perceptions of what K-pop — and Korean music broadly — can mean.

K-pop’s identity crisis isn’t unique. Other musical genres such as jazz, reggaeton and hip-hop all began in specific cultural contexts, only to expand and evolve as they crossed borders. Jazz, born from African American communities, now has thriving offshoots in Japan and Europe. Reggaeton, once rooted in Puerto Rico and Panama, is now led on global charts by Colombian and Spanish artists. Their place in the genre isn't questioned significantly because the form has outgrown its origin without losing it.

K-pop may be approaching a similar tipping point. Just as Korean hip-hop developed its own sound while borrowing from U.S. rap culture, global acts like dearALICE, VCHA and KATSEYE are starting to reinterpret Korean idol pop music culture through their own lenses.

Whether they qualify as K-pop depends less on birthplace but more on intent, process and how the industry — and fans — choose to define it. The question now isn’t where they belong, but whether K-pop is ready to grow into something bigger than itself.

Kwon Mee-yoo is editor of K-Culture Desk at The Korea Times.