K-Pop pioneer says Korean music’s unique approach will help it grow globally
By Surh Jung-min, Music Correspondent
Last year, the Korean popular music (K-Pop) wave extended beyond Asia to find success in new corners of the world, including Europe and the United States. One observer called it the "Korean Invasion," comparing it to the British Invasion of the 1960s, with the arrival of the Beatles followed by a flood of British popular music. But others have said the media fuss has resulted in something of a bubble.
The Hankyoreh met on Dec. 30 with SM Entertainment CEO Kim Young-min, 42. Since entering the Chinese music market in the 1990s with H.O.T., SM has been the country's leading entertainment agency, spearheading the K-Pop boom with the Japanese successes of BoA and TVXQ in the 2000s and the recent manias for Girls' Generation and Super Junior. Kim, who grew up in Japan, oversaw SM's Japanese efforts before taking over as CEO in 2005.
Kim said that KM "has now reached the stage of being a single, continuous genre."
"I am confident it will grow even more this year than last," he added.
Hankyoreh: How would you rate the last year?
Kim Young-min: It was a year that proved that K-Pop is amply competitive and full of potential. But whether or not K-Pop will be accepted in the mainstream worldwide is a different story. It's nice to see it gaining popularity in Europe and the US, but you have to look objectively at the market trends. Last year, the number one ranking for online and offline profits in the global music market went from the US to Japan. The reason is that the market share of CDs dropped in the US to about 40%, but remains high (76%) in Japan. And online profitability in the Chinese market continues to grow. It's important to focus on short-term performances in Europe and the US while focusing more on the Asian market.
By Surh Jung-min, Music Correspondent
Last year, the Korean popular music (K-Pop) wave extended beyond Asia to find success in new corners of the world, including Europe and the United States. One observer called it the "Korean Invasion," comparing it to the British Invasion of the 1960s, with the arrival of the Beatles followed by a flood of British popular music. But others have said the media fuss has resulted in something of a bubble.
The Hankyoreh met on Dec. 30 with SM Entertainment CEO Kim Young-min, 42. Since entering the Chinese music market in the 1990s with H.O.T., SM has been the country's leading entertainment agency, spearheading the K-Pop boom with the Japanese successes of BoA and TVXQ in the 2000s and the recent manias for Girls' Generation and Super Junior. Kim, who grew up in Japan, oversaw SM's Japanese efforts before taking over as CEO in 2005.
Kim said that KM "has now reached the stage of being a single, continuous genre."
"I am confident it will grow even more this year than last," he added.
Hankyoreh: How would you rate the last year?
Kim Young-min: It was a year that proved that K-Pop is amply competitive and full of potential. But whether or not K-Pop will be accepted in the mainstream worldwide is a different story. It's nice to see it gaining popularity in Europe and the US, but you have to look objectively at the market trends. Last year, the number one ranking for online and offline profits in the global music market went from the US to Japan. The reason is that the market share of CDs dropped in the US to about 40%, but remains high (76%) in Japan. And online profitability in the Chinese market continues to grow. It's important to focus on short-term performances in Europe and the US while focusing more on the Asian market.
H: What are the strengths and appeal of K-Pop?
K: Worldwide, the idol---in other words, the system for creating planned groups---has disappeared almost completely. Even audition shows like American Idol focus on finding people who are already talented, not on finding people who seem like they could develop talent. In that area, Korea is number one. The singers we find that way we have world-class talent, and when you factor in the planning ability behind creating songs, dances, and groups and the promotion methods using the Internet and social networking services, these three things have come together to lead to the attention K-Pop is getting now.
H: What are K-Pop's prospects?
K: I expect it to be competitive for the time being. And since it's arrived at the point of establishing itself as a unified genre, with a K-Pop chart now appearing in Billboard magazine in the US, I also think it's sustainable. Just like Italian pizza established itself as a worldwide dish, if not a staple in other countries, K-Pop has now taken root as a worldwide genre, and I don't expect it to suddenly go away. It's just a matter of growing or falling demand.
H: What is SM's long-term strategy?
K: We plan to pursue a strategy of more complete localization. The EXO Project that's making its debut is an example of this. We have EXO-K in Korea, consisting mainly of Korean members, and EXO-M in China with mainly Chinese members, with both of them making their debuts at the same time. They sing the same songs, with Korean lyrics in Korea and Chinese lyrics in China. You can only become the mainstream in a country when you have people from that country singing in that country's language. We're creating that kind of system. SM has also nearly finished preparations on a TV miniseries and musical production process. We're developing other project models, too, making inroads overseas with a combination of music and dining efforts.
H: What about government support?
K: The selling of K-Pop overseas is something individual companies are best at. Rather than making active efforts in this area, it is more important that the government tend well to the domestic ecosystem. For instance, unlike film producers, music producers don't have any of their rights protected unless it's neighboring rights. The current copyright law is based solely on the rights of composers and lyricists. But it may be more important today who planned a song rather than who writes it or sings it. If we amend the copyright law to protect the rights of producers, this could be a major driving force in the overseas spread of K-Pop.
H: Some critics have said cultural and artistic elements have been neglected in the K-Pop wave, with focus only on the commercial aspects.
K: There certainly is some of that. But popular culture at the very least needs economic feasibility as a basis if it is to have meaning and flourish. The owner of SM is Lee Su-min, a producer who was a musician himself. So the music is obviously what he focuses on the most. He knows all too well how a company can end up lacking substance when it overlooks the music. For all the talk about the Korean Wave or what have you, what there needs to be right now is good music. Music is music.
K: Worldwide, the idol---in other words, the system for creating planned groups---has disappeared almost completely. Even audition shows like American Idol focus on finding people who are already talented, not on finding people who seem like they could develop talent. In that area, Korea is number one. The singers we find that way we have world-class talent, and when you factor in the planning ability behind creating songs, dances, and groups and the promotion methods using the Internet and social networking services, these three things have come together to lead to the attention K-Pop is getting now.
H: What are K-Pop's prospects?
K: I expect it to be competitive for the time being. And since it's arrived at the point of establishing itself as a unified genre, with a K-Pop chart now appearing in Billboard magazine in the US, I also think it's sustainable. Just like Italian pizza established itself as a worldwide dish, if not a staple in other countries, K-Pop has now taken root as a worldwide genre, and I don't expect it to suddenly go away. It's just a matter of growing or falling demand.
H: What is SM's long-term strategy?
K: We plan to pursue a strategy of more complete localization. The EXO Project that's making its debut is an example of this. We have EXO-K in Korea, consisting mainly of Korean members, and EXO-M in China with mainly Chinese members, with both of them making their debuts at the same time. They sing the same songs, with Korean lyrics in Korea and Chinese lyrics in China. You can only become the mainstream in a country when you have people from that country singing in that country's language. We're creating that kind of system. SM has also nearly finished preparations on a TV miniseries and musical production process. We're developing other project models, too, making inroads overseas with a combination of music and dining efforts.
H: What about government support?
K: The selling of K-Pop overseas is something individual companies are best at. Rather than making active efforts in this area, it is more important that the government tend well to the domestic ecosystem. For instance, unlike film producers, music producers don't have any of their rights protected unless it's neighboring rights. The current copyright law is based solely on the rights of composers and lyricists. But it may be more important today who planned a song rather than who writes it or sings it. If we amend the copyright law to protect the rights of producers, this could be a major driving force in the overseas spread of K-Pop.
H: Some critics have said cultural and artistic elements have been neglected in the K-Pop wave, with focus only on the commercial aspects.
K: There certainly is some of that. But popular culture at the very least needs economic feasibility as a basis if it is to have meaning and flourish. The owner of SM is Lee Su-min, a producer who was a musician himself. So the music is obviously what he focuses on the most. He knows all too well how a company can end up lacking substance when it overlooks the music. For all the talk about the Korean Wave or what have you, what there needs to be right now is good music. Music is music.
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