Does the future of K-pop lie in the metaverse?
South Korea can only be defined with one word: different. If you visit it and see it properly, whether you like it or not, and you may find it overwhelming or even dystopian at times… but from a Western perspective, there’s no denying that it’s a place unlike any other.
A unique society, characterized by the absence of incomers, extremely competitive, with one of the highest education levels in the world, and facing some very specific demographic challenges: the lowest birth rate and population renewal in the world and very low unemployment (3.6%).
Thanks in part to the international success of K-pop bands like BTS or Blackpink, the country’s young people are obsessed with a type of music that has roots in pop or hip hop, and that they consider a sign of identity of the country and its culture: turn on a television and flip through the local channels, and you’ll find some kind of K-pop contest, reflecting a highly competitive society in the pursuit of fame.
Given the levels of technology in the country, it has come as no surprise that K-pop now dominates the virtual world, as explained in a good article in The New York Times, “Will the metaverse be entertaining? Ask South Korea”, which explains how virtual platforms such as Zepeto, owned by the online giant Naver, or Weverse, provide a platform where K-pop band…
