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FEATURED REPORT

K-pop

- May 21, 2021
Can it sustain its global following?
Photo of k-pop group BTS performing for Good Morning America on May 15, 2019, in New York City. (Getty Images/WireImage/John Lamparski)
Korean pop music, aka K-pop, fuses musical genres to create a distinctive, dance-oriented sound that has become popular in the United States and worldwide, boosting the South Korean economy. BTS, the leading K-pop band, reportedly generates about $4.6 billion annually for the economy, based on music sales, product promotion and increased tourism. The genre is so popular that it has helped make South Korea the world's fastest-growing music market.
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What accounts for its great popularity? What makes K-pop so distinctive?

Can K-pop sustain its growth rate? Or is it a passing fad?

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1910s–1980sKorean musicians are introduced to Japanese, American music.
1990s–2009K-pop experiences its first and second waves of growth.
2010–PresentFrom Psy to BTS, K-pop becomes popular in the United States.
   
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Does K-pop rely too heavily on cultural appropriation?

Pro

Miranda Ruth Larsen
Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, University of Tokyo.

Con

Crystal S. Anderson
Affiliate Faculty, Korean Studies, George Mason University.
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