It’s set to be another mega year for K-pop in London. While South Korea itself is embroiled in political turmoil, with another president dramatically impeached following last year’s martial law snafu, the country’s greatest soft power asset continues to go from global strength to strength. Several megastar groups with vast fan bases are returning to headline stadium shows in the capital.
Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, is a well-documented global phenomenon where South Korea’s cultural exports have become widely popular in other countries. From K-beauty to K-dramas, we can’t get enough of it. There was even an exhibition at London’s V&A museum in 2022 dedicated to showcasing the phenomenon. K-pop, the catchy blend of music styles performed by extraordinarily talented groups of young men and women, often produced in hothouse bootcamps, dominates charts around the world.
![[Blackpink Perform At BST Hyde Park]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2023/07/03/08/SPL8697879_005.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
“It is exciting to see the long-term impact of our exhibition through the rising number of K-pop acts, big and small, in the UK but also through their first-time inclusion in major festivals,” Rosalie Kim, lead curator of Hallyu! The Korean Wave. “K-pop dance classes are also reported to keep growing up and down the country and BBC produced various contents on K-pop, from major series like Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience to smaller features on their regular programmes like The One Show.”.
K-pop mania first came to London proper in 2018, when BTS made their UK debut, playing two sold-out shows at the O2 to a crowd of screaming fans waving £45 lightsticks (a collectible light-up wand specific to each band). Formed in 2013, the seven-member idol group was one of the first to find mainstream success outside of their home country.
