The turning of Hallyu
On November 19, 1999, the Beijing Youth Daily created the term "Hallyu" - rooted in the two words han (한; 韓), meaning "Korean," and ryu (류; 流), meaning "flow", "trend," or "wave" - to describe the "zeal of Chinese audiences for Korean TV dramas and pop songs". This expression has since been expanded and consistently used by various journalists and others to describe the rise of Korean culture on a global scale as it continues to spread at a fast rate. Yet, for many, the question of how this great phenomenon began remains a mystery.
In 1996, Lee Soo-Man (founder of multinational entertainment agency SM Entertainment) created the first K-pop idol group, called H.O.T. (High Five of Teenagers), consisting of five multi-talented dancers, singers, and rappers. Their formulation became the modern template for what entertainment agencies would be looking for when forming and scouting their own groups in the future, as their appeal relied on each individual member possessing a unique and distinct personality that catered to different demographics, specifically young teenagers. An example could be seen when the youngest member (often referred to as the ‘maknae’) would act in a childish manner to provide an innocent and cute image. With this in mind, it would be unsurprising to note the success that the group met nationally and internationally, with the production of their hits, such as "Candy" and "We are the Future", launching the group into stardom, resulting in 6.4 million of their records being sold in Korea alone, whilst simultaneously kick-starting the Hallyu wave in Japan and China. However, despite their increasing success in Asia, the group seemed to unintentionally catch the attention of the West in 1999, when the band was personally chosen to perform in a benefit concert for Michael Jackson’s MJ & Friends tour in Seoul, South Korea, on the 25th of June. They were designated to perform after Jackson as the show’s closing act and performed their hit single "We are the Future". Their small slot was considered to be the West’s first glimpse of the power of South Korea’s potential to create international superstars, and it wasn’t ignored by SM, who saw the potential of marketing to the West and scouted and cultivated idols that were beneficially multilingual, like BoA, who made her public debut at the age of 13 in 2000 and has been highly regarded as the first South-Korean artist to have broken into the Japanese music scene and pioneered the wave of K-pop in the country. Since then, SM has been considered 1/3 of the big 3 (entertainment agencies said to have made great impacts in producing successful idol groups and artists - two of which include: YG Entertainment and JYP) and has consistently created highly successful groups from Girls Generation to SHINee to NCT.
Since then, the wave of K-pop had since simmered, with small peaks here and there, such as the girl group Wonder Girls, being the first K-pop group to be able to crack the Billboard 100 with their crossover hit "Nobody," released in four different languages (one of which includes English) in 2009. However, in 2012, South Korean singer Psy dropped his hit single "Gangnam Style", which mixed comedy with a party-pop styling that made fun of Seoul’s richest districts. Although Psy had no intention for the song to get as big as it did, it soon developed into a video monster by accumulating 4.7 billion views today, not only forcing YouTube to increase its viewer count limit but also uphold the record of the most viewed YouTube video for the next 5 years before being dethroned in 2017 with the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. There was no doubt that this astronomical hit was the start of something new with many considering it the moment when Korean pop culture entered the western market, further turning the tide of Hallyu, which went beyond music by also considering Korean food, dramas, and styles.
With this "new found epiphany," the West kept a close eye on the tiny island across the sea, finally seeing their power and potential of having a lucrative entertainment industry that was breaking records and setting bar’s that their own artists weren’t able to hit, yet due to the nature of why they were finally seeing this viewpoint, there was no denying that however successful Psy’s "Gangnam Style" was, it still fulfilled and increased the West’s initial idea that while K-pop is beyond a doubt heavily catchy and can carry incredible choreography, it is still perceived as a ‘joke’ that wouldn’t go as far as YouTube. It also didn’t help that the vast majority of its supporters and fandoms catered to young teenagers, a lot of them being girls. Nevertheless, in 2017 a 7-member boy band, called Bangtan Sonyeondan (or more famously known as BTS) became an uncontested U.S. phenomenon, who simultaneously broke these stereotypes and re-defined how K-pop could be taken into new heights that weren’t sustained to bubble-gum pop songs or cutesy, childish concepts. The group, consisting of members: RM (Kim Nam-joon, Jin (Kim Seok-jin), Suga (Min Yoon-gi), J-hope (Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), V (Kim Tae-hyung) and Jungkook (Jeon Jung-kook) was created by the start-up company: Big Hit Entertainment (now renamed as HYBE) in 2013. And unlike the top performing K-pop groups that were present within the nation - of Korea - like EXO, Big Bang and SHINee, they weren’t developed or trained under any of the big 3 entertainment agencies, which led to most people to anticipate the group to meet little to no success, seeing their lack of financial backing for promotions, high quality produced music videos and the hiring of ‘good’ songwriters and producers. In spite of all of these factors, it seemed to be their most distinctive advantage, since the lack of extra staff led to a majority of the members tackling and taking part in everything from the songwriting to the producing aspects, including the creation of the choreography. These aspects in particular are what fans (self-proclaimed under the name ‘Army’) continuously praise the group, even with their accidental debut album on May 18, 2018 on the U.S. charts: "Love Yourself: Tear", bearing the message that loving oneself is the beginning of true love, becoming the first South-Korean act to top the Billboard 200 chart. The album had all the qualities that national and international audiences could relate to and fall in love with, from the thought-provoking lyrics to the in-depth visual storylines to the intricately choreographed dances. You could feel the passion and heart-tugging lyrics that pulled on the melody. As a result, the West couldn’t help but be entranced and fascinated, with various think-pieces dissecting how a Korean boy band was able to address the United Nations, as well as perform there.or how BTS single-handedly placed no. 1 and no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. Whilst there could be various reasons, ranging from the rise of social media, streaming and sharing platforms, there is no denying that the main driving force are army (stretching from South-Korea to the U.K.), who have said countless times under YouTube videos and Twitter tweets that they would (quote and unquote) “fight hell and back for them” - in which they do.
On the contrary, it’s easy for some to be hypnotised by the brightly lit spotlights and sparkly stage outfits adorned by the concerningly thin idols to look beyond the makings of what goes behind the scenes to secure the debut of trainees, from the pressure to be ‘good’ in the 3 sectors of singing, dancing, and rapping to the unneeded burden of meeting the toxic beauty standards that glorify skinniness, for which most trainees would seek dangerous diets and workout regimes that aim to lose an unnatural amount of weight in only a couple of days. All for a small slither of a promise that they may debut and find success, only to prove the highly toxic manufacturing treatment of these trainees that the West ridicules so much. So why do they continue to do this? Well, it's rather simple and is derived from the very first K-pop group, H.O.T. The main appeal that K-pop groups surround themselves with is their fan service. Entertainment agencies build their trainees like Barbie dolls and install distinctive personalities, characteristics, and aesthetics in each member to serve different demographics of fans and be able to 'fulfil' their wildest fantasies; this is also why many agencies apply a dating ban for their trainees and idols alike. However, despite their efforts, there will always be spills in a perfectly well-oiled machine. On October 12, 2019, K-pop star Sulli, famously known as one of the members of girl group F(x), was found to have passed away in her home in Seoul, South - Korea, by her manager. She was most notably known to be one of the few K-pop idols trying to deviate away from K-pop's conservative image by publicly sharing her relationship status with her boyfriend, walking outside of the house without a bra, and openly talking about her mental health. In return, she received an appalling wave of hateful comments that hunted her down for every little inconvenience, and in what fans assume must have been a sign before the incident, she posted her last Instagram live, where she sadly said:
"I am not a bad person. I'm sorry. Why are you saying bad things about me? What did I do to deserve this?”
Fans would be happy to know that her death wasn’t in vain and the breach of social outrage led to the “Sulli’s Law” to be introduced in South-Korea’s National Assembly in early December of that year. The proposed law aimed to implement strict rules against anonymous online hate. However, the passing of the bill has, yet to be confirmed with worries surrounding the reinstituting of the “real name” mandate, which was voted out of the South-Korean Supreme Court on the 23 August 2012, due to the court believing that the policy intrudes in a users right to free speech and the spread of personal information. Since then high profile Korean stars, such as volleyball player Kim In-hyeok, YouTuber Cho Jang-mi, actress Jung Chae-yull and Singer-actress Goo Hara, have all been victims cyberbullying and have all met tragic ends, yet their assailants walk free not knowing the impacts of their words. Although there is no denying the benefits that the digital age has brought to K-pop by making it more mainstream for Western audiences and gaining influence and fans, the anonymity and ubiquity of these online streaming platforms make it too easy for people to spread unnecessary hate without thinking about the consequences since they won't have to witness the weight of their words. After all, we tend to not hold down our punches when we are not in the presence of the victim. In spite of that, we have seen some good progress in supporting the better treatment of these idols and trainees, with the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly of South Korea passing the "Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act" or the "Lee Seung-gi Crisis Prevention Act" on Thursday, April 23, 2023, which aims to prevent celebrities from being exploited by their management by reinforcing financial transparency. The act states that entertainers under the age of 12 are allowed to work up to 25 hours a week and up to 6 hours a day. While those aged 12 to 15 are allowed to work 30 hours a week, in comparison to children aged 15 and older, who can work an extra 5 hours, they are still limited to working 7 hours a day. In addition, it also prohibits the agency's interference with a trainee's or idol's education in any sort of way and forbids any acts that may threaten the health and safety of their minors. To reinforce that these conditions are being met, pop culture and arts businesses are now required to designate a person in charge of youth protection who will help guarantee the human rights of the young entertainers. This act is especially necessary to protect newer groups (under the title of 4th generation K-pop groups), such as New Jeans and Le Sserafim, who both contain members, who are minors ranging from the ages of 15 to 18 years old.
Overall, there is no denying the power of K-pop today, opening the doors to countless opportunities for both idols and its audience alike, with K-pop stars becoming the faces of global luxury brands such as Dior, Channel, and Gucci and being invited to the White House to speak about anti-Asian hate crimes and representation. Many wonder where the next step is. Yet, it could be confidently said that there seems to be no wavering in Hallyu. Well, not in the next couple of years.
