The 4th Generation Idol Group Phenomenon... The Global Excitement for K-pop

Strong Wave of 4th Generation Korean Idols
World Tour Following the Hallyu Wave
Record High in Album Export Value Expected This Year

Group NCT 127 is posing at a press conference held ahead of their solo concert "NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE LINK+" at Jamsil Main Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 23rd last month. Photo by SM Entertainment [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Following BTS and BLACKPINK, the so-called 4th generation idol groups are creating a strong wave. On the night of the 31st of last month, SM’s boy group NCT127 appeared on CNN International’s New Year’s Eve program, "New Year's Eve Live." A K-pop artist took center stage at the broadcaster’s flagship New Year event. In 2012, Psy, who made the world go wild with "Gangnam Style," appeared on ABC’s New Year event "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve," but the atmosphere now is even more heightened. According to the Korea Customs Service, last year’s total export value of music albums to the U.S. reached $35.28 million, soaring 43 times from $810,000 in 2016.

Riding the wave of positive response from the U.S. market, NCT127 will embark on a North and South America tour starting on the 9th. Beginning in Chicago, they will perform nine shows across seven cities in North and South America. The total expected audience is about 90,000. Their activities are expected to gain further momentum with the release of a new album later this month.

NewJeans. Photo by HYBE Entertainment

In the Middle East, NewJeans (HYBE) is creating a fierce wind. On September 30th last year, in Riyadh City, the capital of Saudi Arabia, NewJeans and many other K-pop stars took the stage at CJ ENM’s "KCON." Over three days, 20,000 spectators filled the seats. The Middle East is a region densely populated with K-pop fans from North Africa and the Middle East, known as "MENA." According to the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the number of fans has surged 130 times over the past decade.

In fact, last year can be called the year of NewJeans. Since debuting in July last year with triple title tracks, they have conquered domestic charts as well as various global charts such as Billboard and Spotify. Their newly released album "OMG" surpassed 800,000 pre-orders as of the 2nd, breaking their own record. A HYBE representative stated, “We are discussing various overseas activities this year. We will announce details once they are finalized soon.”

Stray Kids. Photo by JYP Entertainment

Stray Kids (JYP Entertainment) will continue their world tour "Maniac" through the first half of this year. The tour is currently underway in 18 cities worldwide with 42 shows planned, including upcoming performances in Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore; Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; and Atlanta and Fort Worth in the U.S. Building on the momentum from their appearance at Japan’s representative year-end music festival NHK’s "Kohaku Uta Gassen," which pleased Japanese fans, they will meet fans in Japan again in February at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo and Kyocera Dome in Osaka.

U.S. concerts are also scheduled. From March to April, they will hold six encore concerts for tens of thousands of fans at venues including the Los Angeles (LA) Stadium. Last year, Stray Kids achieved back-to-back No. 1 positions on the U.S. Billboard main chart "Billboard 200" with their albums "ODDINARY" and "MAXIDENT," released in March and October respectively. Notably, "MAXIDENT" surpassed 3 million cumulative sales on the Circle Chart within a month of release, a remarkable feat. Selling over 3 million copies of a single album and topping Billboard twice in one year is a distinction held only by BTS besides them.

The global K-pop craze is also driving an increase in total album export value for idol groups. Since surpassing $200 million in album export value (CD basis) for the first time in 2021, this year is expected to break records again. The number of countries exporting albums expanded from 60 in 2016 to 148 in 2021. With the easing of COVID-19 lockdown measures, a greater increase is anticipated this year.

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