It has been called South Korea's “greatest export.” PSY's K-pop song Gangnam style is the most watched video on YouTube.
But behind the glamorous facades and big paychecks, it's not all fun and romance until South Korea's censors have done their work.
Our managing editor Solana Larsen talks to our Korean language editor Yoo Eun Lee on the growing popularity of K-pop worldwide.
Yoo Eun is also the creator of the website K-pop Decoder.
We ask her what she thinks makes K-pop special? What has the impact of K-pop been on culture, fashion and music in South Korea? And whether she thinks K-pop's global success would have been possible without social media and YouTube.
Feel free to ask more questions below.
Written bySolana Larsen
5 comments
[Correction] One tiny mistake: I said that it was 1996 the pre-censorship system in South Korea was finally abolished, but should have said 1995. A year later in 1996, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family took over the task of censorship.
Before Gangnam style , K-Pop is Popular in Asia , South America(Chile , Peru And so on)
Europe(Mania)
With Social Media ,k-Pop Introduce in America News(Billboard , Fuse TV , MTV, Popdust)
These Are harmonized ,K-pop has been Spreading