The ‘K’ in K-pop is already silent. And that’s ok

ANYONE with children endlessly rewatching KPop Demon Hunters might assume that South Korean content has already taken over the world. In fact, K-pop has enormous room to grow in a global music industry expected to be worth just under US$200 billion in 10 years. As it does, it should shake off any concerns about abandoning its roots. Like hip-hop, there’s no reason why the genre can’t have a similarly inclusive trajectory while remaining true to its core.

A co-production partnership between Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) and CJ ENM announced earlier this month is just the latest example of the strong international demand for Korean movies and TV shows. According to Netflix, an early mover which began streaming globally in 2016, more than 80 per cent of subscribers watch K-content.

It’s part of a larger cultural movement of exports including music, beauty, food and fashion that was worth more than US$31 billion last year. For comparison, that’s just under half the value of all South Korean automobiles sold overseas.