“K-pop Fever” Spotlight on Youtube’s Homepage

Exciting news! If you visited Youtube‘s homepage today, you would have noticed a “K-pop Fever” spotlight on the right side of the homepage.

Youtube describes K-pop as “taking the world by storm with its catchy tunes and trend-setting dance moves. Artists from Girls’ Generation to 2NE1 are inspiring young and old alike.” Youtube then lists the music videos, “Gee” by Girl’s Generation, “I Am The Best” by 2NE1, “Knock Out” by GD&TOP, and a video of a “K-Pop Medley” sung by a choir in Korea made up of older Koreans. This choir is actually from the variety show, “Man’s Privilege,” with the rock group Boowhal’s leader Kim Tae Won at helm. It’s a awesome video that showcases an older generation of Koreans singing and dancing to 2AM, Secret, SHINee, etc.

Youtube and other video-sharing website have been cited by Korean entertainment industries as one of the main mediums of spreading the Korean Wave. Agencies like SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment have official channels on Youtube and often rely on the site to debut music videos and deliver messages to international fans. These videos frequently get millions of views from viewers all over the globe.

While it widens the audience of K-pop, Youtube also provides real time connection for international K-pop fans, who are unable to go to their favorite artists’ concerts in different parts of the world. For example, “SMTOWN’s Live Concert in Paris” was streamed live on Youtube, eventually generations millions of views.

Youtube has certainly played a huge role in globalizing K-pop and it’s awesome to see K-pop getting the spotlight. Let’s hope the great collaboration continues!

 Visit Youtube for yourself to see!