The story of K-pop’s transcendence begins with a financial crisis.
After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which particularly devastated South Korea’s economy, the country secured a $21 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over three years.
In the wake of that agreement, the government took a heightened interest in supporting cultural initiatives, aiming to strengthen the country’s international reputation. This shift in priorities, combined with major investments in broadband internet, laid the foundation for K-pop.
But exporting this product to the United States was not an easy feat. In 2009, SM Entertainment presented the US debut of K-pop’s first reigning queen, BoA, who had already broken into the Japanese music market.
SM sent her to Beverly Hills, where she recorded with hitmakers like Sean Garrett and Henrik Jonback. Her self-titled English album sold fewer than 10,000 copies in the United States—though it did crack the Billboard Hot 100. Struggling with the language and isolated in Los Angeles, she eventually returned home to continue her career in Korea.
It would take another decade of ups and downs before K-pop would become one of the biggest movements in music. Today, the whole scene is being led by two north stars: the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters—the most-watched Netflix film of all time—and the return of BTS, whose single “Swim” and the album, Arirang, are both sitting at the top of the charts.
If you’re wondering how we got here, here’s a timeline of K-pop’s biggest crossover moments.
Read the full timeline and shop the KPop Demon Hunters collection on Complex at the LINK IN @complexmusic BIO. 🔗
The story of K-pop’s transcendence begins with a financial crisis.
After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which particularly devastated South Korea’s economy, the country secured a $21 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over three years.
In the wake of that agreement, the government took a heightened interest in supporting cultural initiatives, aiming to strengthen the country’s international reputation. This shift in priorities, combined with major investments in broadband internet, laid the foundation for K-pop.
But exporting this product to the United States was not an easy feat. In 2009, SM Entertainment presented the US debut of K-pop’s first reigning queen, BoA, who had already broken into the Japanese music market.
SM sent her to Beverly Hills, where she recorded with hitmakers like Sean Garrett and Henrik Jonback. Her self-titled English album sold fewer than 10,000 copies in the United States—though it did crack the Billboard Hot 100. Struggling with the language and isolated in Los Angeles, she eventually returned home to continue her career in Korea.
It would take another decade of ups and downs before K-pop would become one of the biggest movements in music. Today, the whole scene is being led by two north stars: the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters—the most-watched Netflix film of all time—and the return of BTS, whose single “Swim” and the album, Arirang, are both sitting at the top of the charts.
If you’re wondering how we got here, here’s a timeline of K-pop’s biggest crossover moments.
Read the full timeline and shop the KPop Demon Hunters collection on Complex at the LINK IN @complexmusic BIO. 🔗
