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According to a 2025 survey conducted across 30 countries, around **** percent of respondents stated that K-pop was widely popular in their country, and goods related to it were readily available and promoted. A further **** percent reported it was widely known. The survey found that the popularity of K-pop reaches far beyond South Korean borders. 

K-pop industry

K-pop is a genre of South Korean popular music. Although the term includes music of a variety of stylistic origins, it is often associated with so-called K-pop idols. Idols are usually young individuals, who are known for being good-looking, fashionable, highly trained in singing and dancing, as well as having an almost perfect image. They often make their debut in boy or girl groups, who promote their songs with music videos that feature intense choreographies. The most successful groups are often signed under South Koreas biggest agencies, were they undertake strict training before they make their debut. The K-pop entertainment company with the highest sales revenue in 2024 was HYBE, who manage multiple successful idols and labels, including global stars BTS.

K-pop is constantly growing

While the majority in Western countries have not heard about K-pop before PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ in 2012, Korean pop idols started to become famous in Asian countries in 2003. Singer BoA and boy group TVXQ became the first K-pop idols to successfully break into the Japanese market. With the support of the South Korean government, who saw the industries economic potential, the so-called Korean wave (hallyu) started to spread even further, and K-pop gained a global audience. Girl group BLACKPINK was the first K-pop band to headline the famous U.S. music festival Coachella in 2019. With BTS currently on hiatus due to military obligations, and album sales exploding, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids have pulled ahead to become the biggest active boy groups in South Korea currently.