US WP "How K-pop Conquered the World"

▲BTS [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Washington Post (WP), one of the major media outlets in the U.S., prominently featured a special report titled "How K-pop Conquered the World" at the center of its homepage on the 17th (local time).

In line with the theme, WP showcased diverse graphics in the article and analyzed that K-pop's success is the result of a combination of catchy songs and signature choreography that imprint on the brain, dazzling music videos optimized for social media, and the active participation of fans.

The first reason WP cited for K-pop's global popularity is the characteristic of 'hook songs' that imprint on the brain through the repetition of specific melodies. Wonder Girls' "Tell Me" and Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry" were mentioned as examples.

Professor Jin Dallyong of Simon Fraser University in Canada said that the repetition of certain parts strengthens the ear-catching feature of K-pop.

Another reason for its popularity, WP noted, is that music videos meet fans worldwide through YouTube.

K-pop fan Jason Nguyen said he encountered Girls' Generation's music video for "Gee" at age 8 and was instantly captivated.

He mentioned the group's choreography and flashy costumes, saying, "These are things rarely seen in American pop music."

▲BLACKPINK [Image source=Yonhap News]

WP also pointed out that K-pop includes signature choreography that grabs attention and that fans imitate and share these moves on social media as a factor in its popularity.

WP cited BTS's new song "Permission to Dance," which features choreography incorporating international sign language, as an example.

Choreographer Sienna Lalau, who has worked with BTS and Jennifer Lopez, said, "Trendy dance is what makes K-pop K-pop."

WP also credited the marketing strategy of releasing songs and albums on YouTube without copyright restrictions as contributing to the popularity.

As of the 13th of this month, nine out of the top ten music videos with the most views within 24 hours of release were songs by BTS and BLACKPINK. The only non-K-pop entry in the top ten was American pop star Taylor Swift's "ME!" at 8th place.

WP noted that K-pop's popularity coincides with the advancement of technology in social media, citing Psy's "Gangnam Style" in 2012 as an example.

"Gangnam Style" was the first video to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube and remains the 5th most viewed music video.

WP analyzed that K-pop's growth is intertwined with social media growth, with K-pop-related tweets increasing from about 5 million in July 2010 to 7.5 billion last month.

The active participation of fans is also indispensable to K-pop's global popularity. Over time, K-pop fans have actively contributed to shaping group images in digital spaces and evolved into a powerful fandom, WP analyzed.

David Kim, who runs a YouTube channel about K-pop's influence, told WP, "K-pop fans are among the largest, best-organized, and fastest groups on the internet," adding, "When there is a shared goal, they focus their energy to achieve it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.