The K-Pop genre has been around since the 1990s, the blend of various genres from around the world sung in Korean has expanded and evolved throughout the decades. The Hallyu Wave has brought light to Korean entertainment and created a bigger demand for K-Pop music and entertainment. The popularity of K-Pop has influenced companies to form international groups to cater to audiences outside of South Korea. Groups like BLACKPINK, GOT7, (G)I-DLE, EXO, NCT, and TWICE are just one of many examples of international groups in K-Pop who dominate the charts and have thousands of loyal fans all over the world. What was once a genre produced solely for and by Koreans has now expanded to a globally recognized genre with growing diversity and inclusion. So for this month’s History of K-Pop, we will be exploring the history of international groups and their impact in the industry. 

Introducing International Groups 

International groups are those with a diverse lineup. In the world of K-Pop, international groups are those with members who are from countries outside of South Korea. These members can come from various nationalities and ethnicities, however, international members in the K-Pop industry are majority  East Asian descent, mostly of Korean descent. 

As K-Pop is growing each day, more people want to audition for K-Pop companies and have traveled to Korea in hopes of debuting. Many companies host auditions all over the world in search of new talent and in recent years, we have begun to see full non-Korean group lineups debut as a K-Pop group. This has sparked many debates in the industry and among fans such as: can a non-Korean or non-East Asian debut in the K-Pop industry? Does singing in another language than Korean still make the group K-Pop? Is it cultural appropriation for non-Koreans to debut Korean songs of their own? How will this impact the K-Pop industry and the Korean market? 

K-Pop is short for Korean pop and originated from South Korea in the ’80s. It is a genre with a blend of various other genres such as pop, hip-hop, R&B, and so many more. Some key elements to K-Pop are catchy lyrics, strong choreography, and eye-catching stage performance. 

In South Korea, those born outside of Korea are considered foreigners. This title extends to those of Korean descent. While international-born Koreans have existed in K-Pop since as early as the ‘90s, no K-Pop group has debuted a lineup that was not 100% Korean. In 2008, K-Pop boy group U-KISS debuted under the company NH Media in collaboration with the Japanese company Yoshimoto Group. The group debuted six members including Alexander Lee Eusebio (Xander) born in Hong Kong is half Korean, quarter Chinese, and quarter Portuguese. While Alexander does have Korean ancestry, he is considered to be the first international idol. 

However, SM Entertainment group EXO is the most notable for being the first international group consisting of Korean and Chinese members. EXO debuted in 2011 and was the first group to cater to its Chinese based fans and sing in Mandarin as well as Korean. The group was an instant success and gained lots of attention online, establishing a loyal fanbase from debut. Many idols look up to EXO as role models and inspiration to become idols themselves. EXO performing songs in Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean opened a new market for companies to have their groups release songs in languages other than Korean, branch out in the industry, and gain more popularity for themselves. 

Positives of International Groups 

There are many positives to international groups culturally, musically, and economically. These groups attract international talents to South Korea in hopes to become a K-Pop idol. Resulting in an increase in tourism and people wanting to learn more about the Korean culture and training system, thus boosting the economy. These groups sent an inspirational message to non-Korean fans that anyone can become a K-Pop idol. The inclusion of cultures in group lineups bring opportunities for cultural exchange in K-Pop, broadening the genre to create unique sounds in the group’s music. Inclusion of cultures in these groups and in the music brings in fans from all around content that their culture is being represented in a positive light through K-Pop. 

International groups tapped into a fresh market by catering to audiences outside of Korea. The bigger fan bases create bigger opportunities for groups including collaborations, awards, and world tours. NCT is a great example of the positives of diversity and inclusivity in K-Pop. After the success of EXO, their company debuted boy group NCT under a concept of diversity and inclusivity coined “NCT World”, the group is the first of its kind to have an unlimited number of members to be sorted into sub-units. Moreover, the group is a household name in the industry with a massive fanbase worldwide producing many talented idols and hits in various languages and styles. 

Challenges of International groups 

While there are many positives to international groups, there have been controversies regarding international idols in K-Pop.  Many idols and trainees have spoken about the challenges in adapting to the Korean culture and language as well as the mistreatment they receive in the industry due to their backgrounds. South Korea is a homogenous country, for many years there was not much exposure to people outside of Korea. The inclusion in K-Pop has brought forth an issue of discrimination in the industry and among Korean fans toward foreign trainees and idols. For example, Lisa Manoban is one of the most biased members of one of the most popular girl groups worldwide, BLACKPINK. However, she is not well received in Korea due to her Thai background compared to her other group members who are Korean, with fans making racist comments about her online and in public. Her company YG Entertainment has been called out by fans of Lisa for not promoting her solo projects enough and for promoting her less in comparison to her other members. 

Another issue is the language barrier. Foreign trainees found it difficult to understand staff members and other trainees because of the language barrier. The girl group TWICE have spoken about difficulty in communication amongst each other especially in their trainee years as there are three languages spoken by the group altogether: Korean, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. The non-Korean members have spoken out about their struggles to adapt to the Korean language and culture. (G)I-DLE member Yuqi has spoken about the language and culture shock of moving to Korea from Beijing, China. Such as mixing up Chinese and Korean hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean writing) and not understanding the age status in Korea at first when told by her team to “listen to the unnies [older sisters]” because this is not a social construct in her hometown. She states in an interview with Eric Nam, how it was challenging to let go of her cultural standards and systems once she got to Korea, but has since learned to adapt. 

These cultural clashes have even gone political, in 2016 TWICE member Tzuyu made headlines for waving a Korean and her country’s flag of Taiwan while on a Korean show. Chinese fans attacked the Taiwanese singer because the Taiwanese flag is a sore subject for China, particularly in Beijing, which does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country but rather as a province of China. Within 24 hours, the then 16-year-old Tzuyu was made to read a written apology by her company JYP Entertainment to the Republic of China in a video uploaded to the company’s YouTube channel stating “there is one China” and that she was “proud to be Chinese”. This apology sparked outrage among not only Taiwanese fans but fans overall, shaming JYP Entertainment for forcing Tzuyu to denounce her country and use their status to engage in politics. 

Expanding Horizons: The Rise of International K-Pop Groups

Throughout the generations of K-Pop, we are seeing how successful international groups are and can be in the industry. Groups such as NCT, EXO, TWICE, G(IDLE), and many more have made names for themselves in the industry and are competing well on the charts, albums sales, and concert sales. Companies have since extended their guidelines for trainee selection and considering trainees for their talent over their nationality and ethnicity. These groups have even released songs in other languages to cater to their international fans. JYP Entertainment has even debuted a sub-unit called MiSaMo, comprising the Japanese members of TWICE. Their debut song “Do Not Touch” was an instant success and praised by fans online. 

As K-Pop continues to grow in popularity, there is more of a chance for non-Asian idols to debut in K-Pop. We have already begun to see a steady increase of non-Asian idols in Korea. Alex Reid is the first non-Asian idol and the first Black idol after debuting in the girl group BP RaNia in 2015. Their company DR Music has made another attempt for another international group with non-Asian members. Their current active group BLACKSWAN, a rebranding of RaNia, currently consists of four active members all of who are not Asian and from diverse backgrounds making them stand out in the industry. 

In 2019, Mnet formed a project group named UHSN, where they gather ten international female K-Pop fans to Korea to learn about the culture, music, cuisine, and release one song together as a K-Pop group to get the full idol experience. Their group name UHSN released their song “POPSICLE” on July 4, 2019. What made this project group unique is it was the first to include non-Asians in the lineup. The group was well-received by the public and disbanded after their debut song. 

International survival competition shows 

K-Pop survival competitions began to include contestants outside of Korea and in recent years have been dedicated to a specific country. Korean Television Channels have produced various survival shows in the name of international inclusion. Their competition shows Produce and Girls Planet 999 include trainees from various countries all over Asia, bringing in viewers all over to tune in and observe how trainees from various backgrounds converse with one another since 2016. These shows have produced iconic groups such as I.O.I, WANNA ONE, IZ*ONE, X1, and Kep1er. 

JYP Entertainment has been actively engaging in the international market and creating more international groups outside of Korea. In 2017, the company formed a six member boy group in China named Boy Story, the group was met with mixed reactions due to the members being so young with the boys being born between 2004 and 2007. JYP Entertainment later produced the survival show the NIZI Project in 2020, where he selected a group of Japanese girls to come to Korea and endure a vigorous boot camp for a spot in the company’s first Japanese girl group. The show resulted in the girl group NiziU and has aired a second season to create a Japanese boy group. The company’s most recent project A2K is the first survival show to form a K-Pop girl group in the United States. The show takes after its Japanese counterpart and JYP himself will choose a group of girls to train in Korea and form an American K-Pop group. 

Conclusion

Overall, as K-Pop continues to grow, we will be seeing an increase in international idols and groups following the K-Pop formula of catchy songs, striking choreography, and powerful stage presence. Some lineups may not all be Korean or of Asian descent. These groups will inevitably face many challenges in the industry as the genre and market is evolving. However, this should not discourage idols and fans from pushing forward. International groups have been proven to be a great success and have redefined K-Pop as a genre. These groups bring various cultures together to enjoy the music they produce and push K-Pop and Korean media forward to mainstream media.

Edited by Vivian N.