The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
& Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sports
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Video
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Fri, July 1, 2022 | 08:07
K-pop
K-pop groups without Koreans
Posted : 2020-09-07 09:29
Updated : 2020-10-26 19:34
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down
All members of 'K-pop girl group' NiziU are Japanese. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
All members of "K-pop girl group" NiziU are Japanese. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

Non-Korean "K-pop" singers raise identity questions about Korean pop music

By Dong Sun-hwa

"K-pop groups" with no Korean members are not hard to find these days. JYP Entertainment, a local record label, recently unveiled the all-Japanese girl group NiziU, just a year after seven-member Chinese boy band WayV was revealed by its rival SM Entertainment. Before these, there was the all-American boy group EXP Edition, which made its debut in Korea in 2017.

Such acts usually set their sights on international markets while branding themselves as K-pop singers ― displaying and highlighting K-pop characteristics such as a blend of assorted music genres, but with an emphasis on choreography.

The idea of non-Korean K-pop bands has been adopted by many entertainment management firms trying to make inroads into overseas markets, where fans want stars who can "do K-pop with familiar ease," according to industry watchers.

But not everyone is warmly embracing the idea, with some questioning whether they deserve to be called "K-pop groups."

When NiziU made headlines here in June after taking the Japanese music charts by storm with its track "Make you happy" sung in Japanese, many people did not acknowledge this as "a musical feat by K-pop stars."

Instead, they gave the cold shoulder to JYP's founder/producer Park Jin-young for simply "using K-pop's success formula for another (J-pop) market."

All members of 'K-pop girl group' NiziU are Japanese. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
K-pop boy band WayV consists of seven members of Chinese descent. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

What is the rationale behind people's antipathy?

"With its global ascent, K-pop has become a source of national pride for numerous Koreans, so they do not want to see record labels taking away their music to elsewhere," Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of cultural anthropology at George Mason University Korea, told The Korea Times. "Ironically, their antipathy against K-pop bands without Koreans also stems from fear that these acts might outstrip original K-pop groups that include at least one or two Koreans. This is a sign showing they are still not so self-assured about their music and culture."

[INTERVIEW] A Seoul lady from Japan
[INTERVIEW] A Seoul lady from Japan
2020-08-27 13:39  |  K-pop

The professor said the K-pop industry's Korean entrepreneurs had exported their know-how for success for many years.

"Some Koreans also worry K-pop's creativity might be stolen, but they should remember that K-pop is essentially a mixture of American and Japanese music, which means it is not utterly original," Lee said.

"But it did develop some unique features ― such as slick choreography, distinctive makeup styles and a specialized training system ― and these are already recognized by people worldwide as K-pop's competitive edge. Hence, losing titles for these is not something to be anxious about."

There are reasons non-Korean fans may not fully embrace such groups, according to Patty Ahn, a communications professor at the University of California, San Diego, who studies Korean pop culture. Pointing out that followers in different countries and regions might have dissimilar rationales, Ahn specifically referred to the case of black fans in the U.S.

"From what I have observed, many black fans in the U.S. tended to develop an emotional connection to Korean culture once they got into K-pop," the professor said. "Their interest in the music has gradually led them to take Korean language classes or watch Korean dramas, so when they think Korean style has been somewhat removed from K-pop, they seem to feel disoriented and disrupted."

All members of 'K-pop girl group' NiziU are Japanese. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
All members of EXP Edition are Americans. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Prospects

Nonetheless, Lee and Ahn agreed that the idea of non-Korean K-pop groups will continue to spread across the world.

"We will see similar groups as K-pop management companies ― which are known for their flexibility ― move to keep expanding themselves," Ahn said. "They will experiment, take risks, adapt, adjust and try again."

She added, "But it is difficult to predict whether these bands will make an international splash like BTS and BLACKPINK. I think they might be able to do so in Japan and in countries that use the Chinese language, but when it comes to the U.S. market, this could be quite challenging due to racism. The country is becoming more open-minded, but there is still resistance."

Lee said the sound of K-pop acts without Koreans may one day be categorized differently.

"Korean hip-hop, for instance, is pretty distinctive from hip-hop born in America, so it often falls into a separate category," he said. "Likewise, the music of these acts is also likely to get a new name like JK-pop (Japanese K-pop) or CK-pop (Chinese K-pop.)"

He elaborated, saying, "Thus, K-pop today should not merely be defined as music created by Koreans or Korean companies ― its new definition should be based on its style, which encompasses the genre's various aspects ranging from industrial to visual."



Emailsunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
LG
LG
  • Will Japanese PM Kishida accept Yoon's olive branch?
  • Heavy downpour hits central regions [PHOTOS]
  • Minimum wage for next year increased 5% to 9,620 won
  • Major expressway in Seoul closed off due to heavy downpours
  • Samsung chief's daughter to attend Colorado College in fall
  • Hole-in-one golf insurance policy exploited by fraudsters
  • 'Tangible outcome' in arms deal with Poland expected soon
  • Jill Biden advises first lady Kim: "Just be yourself"
  • [INTERVIEW] 'New order takes root in fashion e-commerce industry'
  • LG, Hanwha, LS eye EV charging biz for future growth
  • [INTERVIEW] Park Hae-soo talks about differentiating his character in 'Money Heist' remake [INTERVIEW] Park Hae-soo talks about differentiating his character in 'Money Heist' remake
  • Korean studies struggle to grow despite success of K-pop, K-dramas Korean studies struggle to grow despite success of K-pop, K-dramas
  • 'Money Heist: Korea' ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart 'Money Heist: Korea' ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart
  • [INTERVIEW] Park Chan-wook says 'Decision to Leave' is sexy without sex scenes [INTERVIEW] Park Chan-wook says 'Decision to Leave' is sexy without sex scenes
  • [INTERVIEW] Bae Suzy shows another side in 'Anna' [INTERVIEW] Bae Suzy shows another side in 'Anna'
DARKROOM
  • Afghanistan earthquake killed more than 1,000 [PHOTOS]

    Afghanistan earthquake killed more than 1,000 [PHOTOS]

  • Divided America reacts to overturn of Roe vs. Wade

    Divided America reacts to overturn of Roe vs. Wade

  • Namaste: Yogis to celebrate International Yoga Day

    Namaste: Yogis to celebrate International Yoga Day

  • Poor hit harder by economic crisis

    Poor hit harder by economic crisis

  • Roland Garros 2022

    Roland Garros 2022

The Korea Times
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Location
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Service
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • 고충처리인
  • Youth Protection Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group