Removing the K from K-pop? Limitations and potential of one of Hallyu’s key signifiers - p. 23

The term K-pop was coined in the 1990s to identify pop music coming from South Korea, which at that time was beginning to gain popularity in neighbouring China and Taiwan. It was only later adopted in South Korea, often with a more specific use to refer to music performed by idols rather than to all Korean pop music, although the boundaries of its usage remain blurred to this day. The term K-pop carries the limitation of identifying a musical genre by its country of origin, and for this reason it is often at the centre of criticism and debate. Nevertheless, with the global success of K-pop and the broader Hallyu, or Korean Wave, the “K” has become a kind of quality brand that South Korea uses to strengthen its international prestige, extending it to various sectors – from the now well-known K-dramas and K-beauty to newer terms such as K-food and K-technology. Today, the meaning of the K in K-pop is evolving: on the one hand, it functions as a lever of soft power; on the other, figures such as HYBE’s Bang Si-Hyuk suggest that abandoning it may be necessary to overcome the limits imposed by the label and redefine K-pop’s positioning in the global music market.