The term hallyu is used to describe to sudden wave of South Korean culture that began being popular and influencing other countries. K-Pop and K-drama made its way into other Asian cultures, parallel to Hollywood of the United States. It changed the reputation South Korea has, from a “brutish emerging industrial nation”, to a blooming prosperous cosmopolitan nation. Hallyu made South Korean culture trendy. According to The New Yorker Article, “Korean ancestry used to be a stigma in Japan; now it’s trendy. At home, K-drama’s success has brought tourists from all over Asia to visit the sites depicted on the screen.” However, there has been backlash by the other Asian countries against hallyu, causing South Korean culture to spread to western countries, like the United States, starting the huge trend of K-Pop in the United States.

The K-Pop genre shares many features with many Western genres and styles of music. Its a hybrid of East and West music. According to the article, K-Pop contains “hip-hop verses, Euro-pop choruses, rapping, and dubstep breaks.” K-Pop is a blend not just of Western and traditional but of new and old. “The music features lush soundscapes made with the latest synths and urban beats. The hooks are often sung in English.” K-Pop appeals to a vast amount of people worldwide due to these Western influences. It allows Western people to connect, and relate to the songs and K-Pop artists. K-Pop artists are trained extensively. This training includes learning several languages, like Chinese and English, which allows them to connect with a worldwide audience.  The role of capitalism in the promotion and maintenance of K-Pop also contributes to making K-Pop a worldwide phenomenon. The huge market of K-Pop pressures K-Pop artists to do their best performance, and producers’ goal is to create the biggest stars in the world. The K-Pop industry generates billions of dollars into South Korea’s economy. Social media spreads the influences of K-pop, contributing to its popularity.

I haven’t really been interested in K-Pop. A lot of my friends are into popular K-Pop bands like EXO and BTS, but these bands haven’t piqued my interest. I think the closest I have been to being interested in K-Pop was when I listened to the song Pop/Stars by K/DA. K/DA is a virtual K-Pop band based on characters from the game League of Legends, and consisted of American pop artists as well as K-Pop artists. I think the song appealed to me because of the mix of American pop and K-Pop.