Impact and popularity of K-pop

While the industry of K-pop originates in South Korea, with the rise of the Hallyu Wave, the demand for Korean pop music has spread globally.

[21] Social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook allow K-pop artists to reach a global audience and to communicate readily with their fans.

[50] As of 2019, several other K-pop groups have debuted in the Japanese market including Exo, BTS, Got7, Seventeen, iKon, GFriend, Astro, Pentagon, Twice, Monsta X, FT Island, NCT 127 and Blackpink.

[58] According to Director of Communication for the Korea Economic Institute of America Jenna Gibson, sales for a certain shampoo brand rose by 630% after Super Junior endorsed it on a Chinese reality show.

[58] K-pop's popularity has also led China's e-commerce company Alibaba to buy roughly $30 million worth of SM Entertainment's shares in 2016 in order to help its expansion into the online music industry.

While consumption of South Korean entertainment is punishable by death in North Korea,[65] it has still become increasingly more available with the global rise of technology and the implementation of underground smuggling networks over the past decades.

[69] In 2018, Kim Jong Un stated he was "deeply moved" after attending a two-hour concert in Pyongyang featuring 150 South Korean performers including singer Cho Yong-pil and the girl group Red Velvet.

[77][78] There is a thriving K-pop fanbase in Singapore, where idol groups, such as 2NE1, BTS, Girls' Generation, Got7 and EXO, often hold concert tour dates.

[94] Vietnam already had numerous contacts with South Korea in the past and even shared a similar political situation, notably the separation in half of both nations.

For example, SM Entertainment announced plans for a Vietnamese sub-unit of the Korean boy group NCT, which executive producer Lee Soo-man called "NCT-V", to promote V-pop globally.

[103] In the Northeast Indian state of Manipur, where separatists have banned Bollywood movies, consumers have turned to Korean popular culture for their entertainment needs.

The BBC's correspondent Sanjoy Majumder reported that Korean entertainment products are mostly unlicensed copies smuggled in from neighbouring Burma, and are generally well received by the local population.

[109][110][111] In July 2011, Israeli fans met South Korea's Ambassador to Israel, Ma Young-sam, and traveled to Paris for the SMTown Live '10 World Tour in Europe.

[112] According to Dr. Nissim Atmazgin, a professor of East Asian Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "Many young people look at K-pop as culture capital—something that makes them stand out from the crowd."

[113] Some dedicated Israeli and Palestinian fans see themselves as "cultural missionaries" and actively introduce K-pop to their friends and relatives, further spreading the Hallyu wave within their communities.

The growing popularity of K-pop in these African nations reflects its broad appeal, cultural exchange, and the increasing global reach of Korean entertainment.

For example, K-pop competitions and K-culture events are regularly organized in African countries, allowing fans to express their love for the genre and participate in Korean cultural experiences.

[127] According to Statista, factors like K-pop's unique style, catchy tunes, and high-quality production contribute to its growing fanbase in South Africa.

[citation needed] In 2010, SM Entertainment held the SMTown Live '10 World Tour with dates in Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, and New York.

[citation needed] In 2010, they toured 20 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and were named House of Blues "Artist of the Month" for June.

[137] In the same year, the group formed their first sub-unit, entitled Girls' Generation-TTS, or simply "TTS", composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun.

In August, as part of their New Evolution Global Tour, 2NE1 held their first American concert in the New York Metropolitan Area at the Prudential Center of Newark, New Jersey.

[140] On November 13, the American singer-songwriter Madonna and backup dancers performed "Gangnam Style" alongside Psy during a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

[158] Additionally, BTS's single "Fake Love" debuted at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making them the second Korean artist to chart in the top ten.

Around 30 Hallyu fan clubs held a "rally" asking Roh to bring actors Jang Dong-gun and Ahn Jae-wook to their country.

Both MexiCorea and Hallyu Mexican Lovers are supported by KOFICE while HallyuMx previously worked with the Korean Cultural Center and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Mexico.

The reservation system of the Odeon West End crashed for the first time one minute after ticket sales began as the concert drew an unexpectedly large response.

[208] Hanni, one of two Australian members of NewJeans, participated in a K-pop dance group in Melbourne prior to eventually moving to South Korea to begin training as an idol.

[209] A number of K-pop idols have hailed from Oceania, including Blackpink's Rosé, One Way's Peter Hyun, DPR Ian, Stray Kids' Bang Chan and Felix, EvoL's Hayana, and Led Apple's Jang Han-byul.

[210][208][211] In 2011, a K-Pop Festival was held at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, featuring Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Beast, Shinee, 4minute, Miss A, 2AM, and MBLAQ.