BTS, Seventeen, Blackpink, NewJeans, NCT, and many other K-pop groups are loved immensely.

While other groups are truly amazing, is there anyone who doesn't know BTS, a group that has shown immense strength on Billboard?

Of course, unlike the past, these days, K-pop is becoming more of music for fan culture than for mass appeal... but how many people can say 'no' to the question 'Is BTS that great?'

Watching BTS's success, we are amazed once again at how far K-pop has come.

The K-pop industry, which moves enormous amounts of money. K-pop is no longer just Korean popular music. It is a new cultural expression that moves enormous amounts of money and is captivating the world.

So, what exactly is K-pop?

What is K-pop?

■ It is unclear whether a specific genre or style of Korean popular music gained popularity overseas and came to be called K-pop, or whether it is appropriate to use it as a term to refer to all Korean popular music.

■ K-pop is usually defined as a unique genre through various methods and styles both inside and outside of music. ~ K-pop is a musical genre as well as a cultural style.

■ It makes no sense to define K-pop solely based on music. It is a comprehensive genre that includes music formats with a global sensibility, dance, fashion and outward appearance, unique aesthetics of music videos, a unique business model (idol agency system), high dependence on new media, virtues required of singers, the unique relationship between fans and singers, and the way music is created and distributed.

- Poems for Gen Z, Lee Gyu-tak, 21st Century Books

K-pop is defined as a unique genre, incorporating cultural characteristics and styles in addition to musical elements. Further, K-pop is not simply confined to a musical genre, but is also considered a representative element of Korean cultural style.

Idols are particularly central to K-pop, and are closely related to Korean youth culture. As in my time, so too now, the culture of chasing K-pop idols from childhood continues to grow, and idol groups are increasingly captivating fans with diverse styles and concepts.

Among them, BTS is one of the groups representing the global success of Korean idols. They exert a great deal of influence worldwide and are achieving unprecedented achievements compared to other groups.

BTS's success has become a benchmark for what Korean idols can achieve on a global stage. It is easier to grasp how phenomenal BTS's popularity is when you know the Beatles and One Direction.

While HYBE is quite noisy at the moment, the BTS members will soon be discharged from the military, so I think they will soon find their footing and take flight once again on a global scale. It's not difficult for someone who has succeeded once to succeed again.

With its continuous growth, K-pop has a strong sense of responsibility for music and fans, so I expect it to once again show its immense strength.