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K-Pop Band Blackpink singing on stage
Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesImage: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

K-pop

K-pop stands for Korean popular music. Gaining popularity since the 2000s, K-pop music has been one of the biggest global music trends.

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All Content on this topic

A film still from 'Squid Game': Armed guards dressed in pink with black masks with a triangle symbol walk among lined up people dressed in green tracksuits.

Why South Korean culture is a global hit

South Korean culture is once again in the spotlight with Han Kang's Nobel Prize win. But how did the K-wave start?
MusicOctober 11, 2024
BTS group member Suga

Seoul court fines BTS star Suga over e-scooter incident

A court in the South Korean capital has imposed a fine on the K-pop star Suga for riding an e-scooter while drunk.
Law and JusticeSeptember 30, 2024
Bottles of perfume on sale at a department store in Yokohama, Japan

Japan's youth break tradition by embracing perfume

Once seen as unnecessary in a culture that famously enjoys bathing, perfumes are finally trending among young Japanese.
SocietyAugust 30, 2024
South Korean singer Taeil, right, poses with other members of K-Pop group NCT 127 upon arrival at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards or 2021 MAMA in Paju, South Korea

K-pop band NCT drops singer Taeil amid sex crime accusations

Taeil will leave the boyband NCT after being "accused in a criminal case related to a sexual crime," his label said.
CrimeAugust 28, 2024
K-pop dancers in Hamburg

K-pop dance in Germany: what's behind its rise?

The popularity of South Korean culture has really taken off in recent years.
CultureJuly 10, 202403:43 min
BTS member Jin waving after his discharge from the military

BTS star Jin completes army service in South Korea

Bandmates J-hope, V, RM, Jungkook and Jimin celebrated Jin's release with a cake.
CultureJune 12, 2024
A K-pop band performs

K-pop producers use AI for international success

K-pop bands with an international audience use artificial intelligence to sing in English or Chinese.
Digital WorldMay 17, 202402:11 min
K-pop band BlackPink on stage

What's behind South Korea's K-pop crisis?

As the biggest names in K-pop seek out overseas markets, they've left a gap in their home market.
CultureMarch 22, 2024
BTS member Suga

BTS K-pop idol Suga starts mandatory military duty

Suga is the third member of the popular boy band to undergo military service, which is required of South Korean men.
MusicSeptember 22, 2023
Blackpink members Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo and Rose on stage during the Born Pink world tour

Vietnam probes Blackpink promoter over South China Sea map

Korean girl group phenomenon Blackpink is due to perform two shows in Hanoi.
PoliticsJuly 6, 2023
Crowds of girls in a concert hall.

Why fangirls aren't just screaming teens

Young female fans of K-pop bands are often brushed off as hysterical. But that's sexist, says a British researcher.
CultureJune 16, 2023
A still from Squid Game showing an uniformed guard with a face mask

Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows?

Shows such as "Squid Game" and "All Of Us Are Dead" helped pave the way for South Korean content on the global stage.
CultureMay 1, 2023
K-Pop Band Blackpink | Coachella 2023

K-pop band Blackpink: A global phenomenon

Blackpink became the first Asian and all-female band to headline Coachella this year. Here's more on the K-pop band.
MusicApril 21, 2023
Moon Bin performs during a showcase in Seoul

K-pop star Moonbin dead at 25

Moonbin, a 25-year-old member of boy band Astro, was found dead in his apartment. The cause of death is not yet known.
MusicApril 19, 2023
J-Hope pictured with a shaved head, saluting

South Korea: K-pop star J-Hope off to military service

BTS boy band member J-Hope has enlisted for mandatory military duty. All able-bodied men are required by law to perform
MusicApril 18, 2023
Lee Soo-man, founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, speaks during a dinner meeting

K-pop: HYBE concedes to Kakao in fight for SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment — the second-largest entertainment group in South Korea — will now come under the tech giant Kakao.
BusinessMarch 12, 2023
Kim Seok-jin shows a thumbs up gesture at Rockefeller Plaza in New York in 2020

BTS star Jin starts military service in South Korea

For the next five months K-pop star, Jin, will be training at the boot camp near the North Korean border.
MusicDecember 13, 2022
Members of K-pop band BTS pose for a picture

BTS band members to serve military duty

South Korea has been split on whether the the boy band should be exempted from mandatory military service.
MusicOctober 17, 2022
The five members of NewJeans

K-pop stars court controversy with racy lyrics

The group's management agency insists some of the lyrics are being deliberately misinterpreted.
MusicSeptember 12, 2022
Deutschland | K-Pop Mega Festival KPOP.FLEX in Frankfurt/Main

K-pop: The wave of success that won't stop

K-pop has become South Korea's export hit, and the music has found a decent fan base in Germany. What's the hype about?
CultureAugust 18, 2022
BTS performs at Grammy Awards

K-pop band BTS on 'hiatus'

The mega K-pop group BTS has announced that the group will be on "hiatus."
CultureJune 14, 2022
BTS perform at the 64th Grammy Awards Show in Las Vegas.

What's behind the BTS phenomenon?

BTS released an anthology on the anniversary of their formation. Here are nine facts that explain the group's success.
CultureJune 13, 2022
BTS performs at Grammy Awards

BTS members test positive for COVID

BTS members Suga, RM and Jin tested positive for coronavirus after returning to South Korea from the United States.
MusicDecember 26, 2021
BTS performs at Grammy Awards

BTS dances and sings its way through UN

The UN's YouTube channel has tallied more than 10 million views of the group performing "Permission to Dance."
MusicSeptember 21, 2021
BTS, several young people dressed mainly in black on stage, with microphones

Turkish government sees K-pop as a threat

Turkey's K-pop fan community is very active. But religious conservatives are against the music. Will it be censored?
CultureSeptember 10, 2021
Seungri (Lee Seung-hyun)

South Korean pop star jailed for 3 years in sex scandal

Seungri was charged with arranging sex workers for potential investors in his entertainment firm.
MusicAugust 12, 2021
Bildkombo Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Celeste

Brit Awards: more women, more diversity

In 2020, women were underrepresented at the Brit Awards. But this year, they're in the majority in the top categories.
CultureApril 2, 20217 images
"Crash Landing on You" actors Hyun Bin und Son Ye-jin

Korean TV dramas find a huge audience in India

India's growing love of South Korean entertainment has even prompted some Indians to learn Korean.
CultureMarch 9, 2021
Boy band BTS, pictured at a South Korean music awards ceremony.

K-pop racism storm engulfs German radio station

A radio host in Bavaria has been accused of racism after comparing South Korean boy band BTS to the coronavirus.
MusicFebruary 26, 2021
Singer Goo Hara, and her celebrity friend Sulli, ended their own lives months apart in late 2019

S. Korea celebrity suicides put focus on gender inequality

The recent death of a young actress has triggered a debate about gender inequality in South Korea.
SocietyFebruary 11, 2021
Girl group Blackpink

Netflix K-pop movie takes the world by storm

A documentary about Blackpink, South Korea's most successful girl band, ignores the dark sides of the K-pop scene.
MusicOctober 18, 2020
A protester in Thailand wearing a face mask and a red jacket

Thailand's protests and their digital dimension

Dominating the digital arena does not automatically translate into political success.
PoliticsOctober 18, 2020
South Korean band NCT Dream perform on stage during an event in Seoul

South Korea wants the world to learn Korean with K-pop

Riding on the popularity of South Korean pop, Seoul plans a rapid expansion of government-run "King Sejong Institutes."
SocietyOctober 7, 2020
This photo, provided by Big Hit Entertainment, shows South Korean band BTS performing at King Fahd International Stadium

Korean band tops US singles chart

The new — and only — all-English track from Korean pop band BTS has hit the top spot on the Billboard singles charts.
MusicSeptember 1, 2020
Lady Gaga accepts the award for Artist of the Year during the 2020 MTV VMAs, wearing a horned face mask and a green dress

A socially distant affair: The VMAs 2020

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards was all about injustice, elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. And there was music, too.
MusicAugust 31, 2020
K-Pop Band - BTS: Seven young men dressed in white with microphones, arms entwined, before an audience holding raised smartphones, recording the event

K-pop's fans get political

K-pop music fans have made global headlines with their potent online activism, despite industry conservatism.
MusicJuly 2, 2020
K-Pop Band NCT Dream

K-pop fans take over #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag

The tag had been used to oppose the #BlackLivesMatter movement which reignited after last week's death of George Floyd.
CultureJune 4, 2020
K-pop singer Nayeon performs

K-pop singers harassed by German 'stalker'

Many young South Korean pop stars are pressured to create an image of being romantically available to their fans.
SocietyJanuary 30, 2020
K-Pop Band - BTS

K-pop band launches worldwide art project

BTS has a huge fan base already. Now the Korean megastars started something new: a worldwide art project.
CultureJanuary 17, 2020
Nayeon, a member of K-pop group Twice

K-pop star gets police protection over German stalker

The suspect, reportedly German, posted several videos and messages on Twitter about trying to meet the K-pop star.
CrimeJanuary 1, 2020
South Korean boy band EXO

K-pop's dark and tragic underbelly

Industry pressures and media take a heavy toll on South Korea's so-called idols, as a series of recent deaths reveals.
MusicDecember 5, 2019
South Korean pop group T-ara perform on stage during the 20th Dream Concert on June 7, 2014 in Seoul

K-pop: Scandals and tragedies

While K-pop artists enjoy massive popularity, scandals and untimely celebrity deaths show the culture's ugly side.
MusicDecember 4, 20196 images
Band BTS Bangtan Boys

K-pop: More than a social media trend

Though K-pop is largely an internet phenomenon, fans are also finding real-life hobbies related to their passion.
MusicDecember 2, 2019
K-Pop star Jung Joon-young

K-pop stars get prison terms for gang rape

The high-profile case is the latest sex scandal highlighting the dark side of South Korea's entertainment industry.
CrimeNovember 29, 2019
South Korean pop star Goo Hara

K-pop death stokes bullying debate in South Korea

The recent death of a K-pop star has reignited a debate about the harsh conditions faced by those in show business.
SocietyNovember 26, 2019
Goo Hara

K-pop star Goo Hara found dead in Seoul

The discovery follows the recent death of her close friend Sulli, another K-pop star and actress.
SocietyNovember 24, 2019
Sulli pictured in black and white

South Korea's K-pop world takes a toll on celebrities

After the apparent suicide of South Korea's Sulli, new light has been shone on the pressure faced by K-pop stars.
SocietyOctober 16, 2019
Sulli

K-pop star Sulli found dead

The former member of the South Korean girl group f(x) has been found dead. There were no signs of foul play.
CultureOctober 14, 2019
The music group BTS

K-pop superstars to take 'long-term break'

Members of the South Korean boy band BTS want to enjoy their lives as "20-something young men," their manager said.
CultureAugust 12, 2019
The South Korean band Super Junior

Pop music gains a political conscience

Should international pop stars shun Saudi Arabia because of its poor record on human rights?
Human RightsJuly 21, 2019