K-Pop Powerhouse of How Korea Consistently Produces Hit Idol Groups
BTS, TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, XG, NewJeans, ......
The reason why South Korea has been able to produce mega-hit idols
Korean idols are taking the world by storm.
According to data released by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, overseas sales of K-POP in 2023 surpassed 1 trillion won (approximately 109.2 billion yen) for the first time in the country’s music history. In addition, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea (an administrative body equivalent to Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs), the export value of the domestic content industry reached about 13.2 billion dollars (about 1.75 trillion yen) in 2022, and it is projected to grow into a 3-trillion-yen mega-market by 2027.
Mega-hit idols like BTS and TWICE are the driving force behind this rapid rise, but why is South Korea able to continuously produce talents that captivate the world? Journalist Soichiro Matsutani, who is well-versed in the Korean entertainment market, analyzes this as the result of over 20 years of national-level preparation.
“In 2001, BoA — considered a pioneer of the K-POP boom — made her debut in Japan at the age of just 14, which was symbolic. BoA flawlessly sang the Japanese version of her debut album and was accepted by the general public just like J-POP artists.
In the 2000s, Korean idols like TVXQ, Girls’ Generation, and KARA followed in her footsteps and went on to succeed in Japan one after another. Major Korean entertainment agencies such as SM Entertainment had been targeting Japan as an overseas market from early on.”
A record label insider explains that one reason Japanese music fell behind Korea in the 2000s was the CD market.
“Korea’s population is about 51 million, with a domestic market about half the size of Japan’s. The domestic market for J-POP is said to have peaked at 600 billion yen. The Komuro boom of the 1990s was a prime example — if you released an album, it would become a million-seller, and the more CDs you printed, the more money you made. Japanese artists had relied on this huge domestic demand for decades.
Because of a persistent mindset of ‘it’s enough to succeed domestically,’ Japan clung to analog sales methods like CDs, even though Korea had already transitioned to streaming and other digital distribution in the 2000s, causing them to fall far behind.”
Matsutani also points out that a decisive difference between Japan and Korea’s strategies in the 2000s was how they used YouTube.
“Since the late 2000s, Korea started releasing full versions of music videos, steadily raising the recognition of their songs. On the other hand, Japan was highly resistant to free releases online and lagged in taking advantage of YouTube. For example, the former Johnny & Associates didn’t release any music videos or video content on YouTube until 2018.”
In terms of both fan service and promotion, a huge gap emerged between Korean artists, who actively shared everything from new song making-of videos to behind-the-scenes footage of members practicing singing and dancing on YouTube, and their Japanese counterparts.
State-level support
Another of South Korea’s strengths lies in its state-backed support for entertainment. Gochinobu Okada, a professor at the Faculty of Sociology at Yamato University and visiting professor at Kanto Gakuin University’s Faculty of Business Administration, points out that the starting point was the currency crisis in 1997.
“At the time, a wave of corporate bankruptcies hit South Korea, dealing a devastating blow to the economy. To overcome this unprecedented crisis, then-President Kim Dae-jung turned to entertainment content. He clearly declared, ‘The era of the content business has arrived,’ and launched nationwide support efforts.
A quasi-governmental agency called the Korea Creative Content Agency, established in 2009, has since been providing assistance for things like overseas concert expenses, video production costs, and promotional fees. Its annual budget reaches 70 billion yen in Japanese currency. In South Korean universities, entertainment-related courses are practically a given, with strong emphasis placed on training actors and artists — areas that also receive government subsidies. The rise of K-POP has a solid foundation in this kind of generous, state-level support.”
The quality of auditions is different.
The rise of K-POP has also been greatly supported by its audition system. Many of the idols leading the scene today — like TWICE, ZEROBASEONE, and ILLIT — made their debuts through audition programs.
“Japan has audition programs too, but the scale is completely different. In South Korea, a single audition can have a budget ranging from hundreds of millions to several billion yen. For example, the group NiziU, which debuted in 2020 with all Japanese members, held auditions funded in part by their management company JYP Entertainment in South Korea, along with Sony Music. With that kind of money, they can bring in top-level producers and choreographers and focus on raising the overall performance quality,” says Okada.
The reason for such intense auditions is the extremely strict evaluation standards within South Korea’s entertainment world. When LE SSERAFIM performed at the globally renowned Coachella music festival last year, they were harshly criticized back home for terrible vocals.
“In South Korea, even newly debuted idols would never lip-sync on a music program. Making even one mistake in choreography can spark a major backlash. That’s why Korean idols approach their rehearsals with absolute seriousness. There are even systems in place to send idols to study in the U.S. and Europe, constantly pursuing cutting-edge expression,” he adds.
Regarding the overwhelming difference in performance skills between Japanese and Korean idols, columnist Aiko Kodama, who is knowledgeable about Korean culture, shared an anecdote:
“A choreographer who once worked with a popular Japanese male idol group taught them K-POP-style dance moves, only to be told, ‘Please make the moves a little easier.’ The choreographer was stunned. Korean trainees practice relentlessly from morning to night. Their agency dormitories are equipped with gyms and rehearsal studios, creating an environment where they can practice 24 hours a day. The amount of training and their level of commitment are on a completely different level. If Japanese idols want to compete with K-POP, I believe the entire system needs to change from the ground up.”
Rehearsal studios are equipped with the latest 360-degree cameras, allowing even the movement of fingertips to be checked down to the millimeter.
“For younger idols, choreography and formations are also adjusted in anticipation of their growth in height,” says a senior entertainment agency executive.
The second part of the feature is available here: In-Depth Study of Korean Idol Groups! What Japan Needs to Do to Compete with the World-Class Entertainment Empire of South Korea.
From “FRIDAY” May 9, 16, 23, 2025
PHOTO.： Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music (TWICE) Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images for Viacom International (LE SSERAFIM) Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella (XG) The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images (New Jeans) Natasha Moustache/Getty Images (LIVE) Michael Simon/Getty Images BABYMONSTER) Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images (aespa) Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images (NiziU)
