How K-pop Went Global
Training systems, BTS, BLACKPINK at Coachella, and a cartoon girl group that topped the charts.
Where it starts
In 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys mixed hip-hop and dance music into Korean pop on live TV, and Korean music was never the same. That’s usually called the start of modern K-pop.
The idol system
Big agencies like SM, YG, JYP and HYBE scout kids as young as their early teens. Trainees spend years learning singing, dancing, languages and media skills before they debut in a group. Every comeback (new release) comes with a concept, choreography and a visual world.
The breakthroughs
- 2012: PSY’s "Gangnam Style" becomes the first YouTube video to pass a billion views.
- 2013: BTS debut. Their fandom, ARMY, becomes one of the most organized on earth.
- 2018: BTS speak at the United Nations.
- 2019: BLACKPINK become the first K-pop girl group to play Coachella. In 2023, they come back to headline it.
- 2020: BTS’s "Dynamite" becomes the first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by an all-South Korean act.
Military service and the reunion
South Korea requires men to do military service, so the BTS members enlisted one by one starting in 2022 and focused on solo work. They reunited with a full-group album on March 20, 2026, and a world tour.
The solo era
Members branched out too. BLACKPINK’s Rosé teamed up with Bruno Mars on "APT." (2024), which became a global smash.
The cartoon that won
In 2025, Netflix’s animated movie KPop Demon Hunters became the most-streamed film in Netflix history. Its song "Golden", by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.
Pop quiz
0/4 answered
Q1
Which 1992 group is credited with starting modern K-pop?
Q2
Why did BTS pause as a group in 2022?
Q3
Which K-pop act headlined Coachella in 2023?
Q4
‘Golden’ is sung by HUNTR/X, a group from…