Kpop groups that found fame overseas before their home country show how the West influences culture in Korea

K-Pop is dominating mainstream American media, with groups like BTS and BLACKPINK winning US music awards and appearing on major talk shows. But what many fans may not realize is that they are hearing a specific generation of K-Pop. Many of the K-Pop artists who were at the peak of their careers in the 2000’s, or even 2010’s, have moved on to different genres long ago. So have many Korean fans, who’ve grown tired of the countless K-Pop idol groups that have formed in the past two decades.

But as K-Pop continues to make its way into the daily life of people globally, it is also going back to influence the culture in South Korea. And Koreans, whether they are fans of the genre or not, cannot help being influenced by it. If you are following what's going on in Korea, with reference to music, you would notice that oftentimes what is popular in the country might not be so abroad or vice versa. Take for example the craze surrounding PSY's Gangnam Style. The artist was well-known in Korea but nowhere close to being the most popular or even likely to break into the international market. But once he started trending on YouTube, Korean media and even the government started hailing him as a national hero that brought his country to global stardom. His statue was even erected in Seoul!

Not much difference is in the case of popular boy band BTS. The group gained recognition overseas before their own country even paid attention to them. BTS is now topping the charts in South Korea due to their international fame, and Koreans can't seem to get enough of them. It's not even the only band that this has happened to! Who wouldn't want to be recognized and praised by their home country? But these four K-Pop bands, among many others, are currently in this ironic situation and can't seem to find a balance between their fame inside and outside Korea.

Super Junior

During their first few years after debut, Super Junior had a huge Korean fanbase and a stable position in the entertainment industry. However, after 10 years of performing, Super Junior’s international fame is still big, especially in China and Latin American countries. Even though their reputation catapulted in their home country after certain scandals, they are the first Korean group to defeat One Direction at the Teen Choice Awards in 2015 and win the Community Vote Award.

T-ARA

T-ARA's career took a nosedive in 2012 after a wrongful bullying scandal for which Koreans started boycotting them. However, in the South East Asia and Chinese market, T-ARA is still widely loved. They were honored many times as the Most Favorite Korean artist, Best Korean Girl Group and Best Korean Group respectively in 2015, 2016 and 2017 at YinYueTai, the Chinese counterpart of Billboard and Gaon Charts. They were also the first K-Pop girl group to be invited to Hong Kong Youth Music Festival Asian Idol. In 2018, the group’s contract with MBK Entertainment expired and the members started focusing on individual careers but the group still topped charts as the girl group with the biggest fandom in China.

GOT7

GOT7 is often called the “international darling” because it has an ordinary reputation in South Korea but unbelievable popularity overseas. Many Koreans only remember the 2015 hit song of the group Just Right as the later songs were not very popular in Korea. Their popularity in Korea does not amount to much when compared to other boy groups. Even the members are aware that they are more popular internationally. The only 7 Asian names in the top 10 most successful tours in the US by Billboard poll in 2018, they topped the Billboard World Albums chart with 4 different albums. GOT7’s revenue from the world tour was so big that they not only topped JYP artist revenue that year but also contributed the most to the construction of the company’s new headquarters.

LOONA

LOONA was once noticeable as the group that received 8 times the investment TWICE did, but the group’s reputation in Korea is yet to reach the level of the 9 JYPE girls. Though two of their songs are quite popular with the audience, LOONA has not won many trophies on music shows. On the contrary, the girl group made 4 achievements on Billboard’s social chart system. The group also won the award of Outstanding Korean Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2018.

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What do you think of all these K-Pop groups that seem to be international darlings but aren't recognised nearly enough in their home country? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section down below!