K-pop idol groups are a global phenomenon with millions of die-hard fans around the world. Over the past two decades, the K-pop industry has become a cultural sensation, steadily growing in popularity as groups such as BTS and Blackpink break through barriers to achieve global success. K-pop has become more than just music, K-pop also represents fashion, beauty and lifestyle.

How did K-pop become a global phenomenon?

When you think of the history of K-pop, you must first start with Seo Taiji and the Boys or mainly Seo Tae Ji. In 1992, Seo Taiji and the Boys released their first album. Seo Taeji teamed up with two b-boy dancers, Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-suk, and formed what could be called Korea's first hip-hop group.Their hit 'Nan Arayo' topped the Korean charts for 17 weeks, sparking a musical revolution. Yang Hyun-suk later founded YG Entertainment in 1996.

Seo Taiji and the Boys are considered by many to be the first K-pop group. Their music was different from what was known. They essentially brought rap into Korean music. They were not afraid to mix genres and eventually created their own hybrid musical style that was heavily inspired by rock and rap. The group sold more than 1.5 million copies in less than a month after its release.

Their fashion was also different. The group regularly wore western street fashion, such as oversized clothes and bucket hats. Their lyrics also criticised the government and the Korean education system.

Park Jin-young started his solo career in 1994 and then founded his own music label called JYP Entertainment in 1997. It is now one of the largest record labels.

The label SM Entertainment was founded in 1995 by Lee Soo Man. It is considered the first K-pop entertainment company to provide training, casting, production and a professional management system to discover new talent. As a result, they were able to develop their own formula for creating talent as well as music.

H.O.T . emerged on the scene in 1996 under SM Entertainment. Their No. 1 single "Candy" was a huge hit in South Korea. During their career, they managed to sell more than 6.4 million records in South Korea. They were also commercially successful in China and Japan. They were one of the first stars of the Korean wave in Asia.

Later on, female groups such as S.E.S. and FinKL appeared. The more KPOP groups started to form the more their popularity grew throughout Asia. For example, BOA became a big star in Japan and Rain became a superstar throughout Asia.

In 2000, H.O.T. held a concert in Beijing and was a big hit in China. From then on, Hallyu began to explode not only in China, but throughout Asia.

Thanks to social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, K-pop groups can now more easily than ever reach a wider audience in the West.

Soon, K-pop concerts were not only taking place across Asia, but soon began to have a global reach in Europe and the United States. In 2011, for example, SM Entertainment organised Kpop concerts in Paris. JYJ also gave concerts in Spain and Germany. K-pop groups such as 2NE1, Super Junior and SHINee toured the US and Europe. All tickets were sold out within an hour. Fans used Facebook and Twitter to organise more concerts in the West and various concert campaigns.

Girls Generation was the first K-pop group to sign with a major label in the US. When Girl's Generation announced that they had signed with Interscope Records to release the group's latest album, it was an important moment for K-pop. It showed that there was a demand for K-pop in the West.

Soon, major K-pop groups such as Big Bang and Super Junior began touring Europe, the United States and even South America. The number of Kpop groups began to grow. In 2009, for example, around 50 K-pop groups debuted. Then in 2010 there were more than 70, and in 2012 there were already more than 100. Not all of them succeeded, but those that did became bigger than expected.

Kpop is mainly music in Korean. However, there was one group that was successful in Korea for many years before deciding to start an English-language career in the United States in 2009. That group was the famous K-pop girl group, Wonder Girls. They created English versions of their existing singles, such as 'Nobody' and 'Tell Me'. They took part in a tour with The Jonas Brothers in 2009. Although both Girl's Generation, Big Bang, Super Junior and Wonder Girls found success in South Korea, nothing compares to what happened next.

Gangnam Style was released in 2012 and immediately hit the top of the charts in South Korea. However, no one expected it to become so popular worldwide. The song and music video conquered not only the United States, but also the world. At one point, it was the most viewed music video on YouTube. Leading websites and celebrities began using social media to spread Gangnam Style. Interestingly, the music and music video were nothing like other styles of K-pop. It had an EDM chorus and made fun of Seoul's super-rich class district, called Gangnam.It is one of the most influential songs of all time, which single-handedly changed the pop landscape of Asia, Europe and the United States.

BTS and BLACKPINK - the kings and queens of K-pop

It is now common to see K-pop music videos with 100 million views on YouTube. K-pop songs are played on music radio stations and groups are invited to music programmes such as the MTV Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Grammys. The two biggest K-pop groups today are BTS and BLACKPINK. BTS became the first South Korean group to score a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, and they even performed on SNL, making them the first K-pop group to do so. They are now the most famous KPOP band in the world.

BLACKPINK are the most popular girl K-pop band in the world. In 2019, they became the first ever idol group to play Coachella. In addition, they were the first K-pop group to get more than one billion views on YouTube with their music video 'Ddu-Du Ddu-Du'. Their English-language collaboration with Selena Gomez titled 'Ice Cream' reached the radio Top 20. Each girl has her own successful solo career and is a major player in the fashion/beauty space.

What is the future of K-pop?

With promising groups such as TXT, Aespa, Itzy, ATEEZ, Stray Kids, the K-pop industry is in good hands.

Picturesque landscapes, recreational facilities, high-tech infrastructure
technology and ultra-modern public transport systems are just some of the things that have made Korea a recognised destination by tourists and international business.

To this day, South Korea remains one of the most ethnically homogenous
countries in the world. It is believed that the people of South Korea are direct
descendants of several nomadic Mongolian tribes who ventured into the Korean peninsula around half a million years ago. Today, South Korea is home to around 49 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. South Korea currently maintains diplomatic relations with more than 170 different
countries.

What is South Korea famous for? Find out interesting facts about Korea

1 The number one music genre is, of course, KPOP! This music genre originated in South Korea in the
South Korea in the early 1990s. It is a combination of many types of music,
including pop rock, electro, dance-pop and also classical music. Among
most popular bands include BTS and Black Pink. K-pop is part of the 'Korean wave' - also known as Hallyu, a term referring to the popularity of Korean pop culture and Korean TV shows, music and films in Asia and other parts of the world.

South Korea is home to an endless number of world-class attractions and annual festivals enjoyed by foreigners and locals alike every year. The most popular is the 'Waterbomb festival', a great way to cool off in the hot summer with KPOP music.

2. taekwondo - is a Korean martial art, Korea's national sport. It is not only a
body exercise, but also a method for managing stress, finding inner balance and improving mental fitness.
internal balance and improving mental fitness. The name taekwondo consists of three
members: tae (foot), kwon (fist) and do (art, way). South Koreans are very active and love sport. In addition to Taekwondo, very popular sports are baseball, football, golf, snowboarding, dancing, bowling, table tennis and badminton. South Korea also has an active breakdancing and salsa culture.

3 Food - Korea's national dish is kimchi, a spicy, fermented
mixture of pickled vegetables, the main ingredient of which is cabbage. It is
it is prepared in large quantities in autumn by families throughout Korea and
left to ferment for several weeks in large jars buried in the
the ground (traditionally) or in another cool place. 

A typical Korean meal consists of soup, rice with grains or beans and
kimchi served as a side dish. Other popular dishes include bulgogi (marinated
beef), kalbi (marinated beef ribs).

4 South Korea boasts one of the largest international airports in the world, the third largest metro system and the third fastest KTX land train, transporting people from one end of Korea to the other in less than three hours at speeds in excess of 360 km/h.

On a per capita basis, South Korea has the highest number of
broadband internet users in the world - an achievement as a
high-tech economy. Additionally, South Korea had the fastest internet connectivity
internet in the world in 2017.

South Korea is also the world's largest producer of ships
of cargo ships, which is one of the reasons why Korea is now one of the 12
largest economies in the world.

South Korea is one of the most law-abiding countries in Asia.
Residents and foreigners can feel safe. Koreans often
leave phones, wallets in public places unattended. They also have a very
developed CCTV system, which certainly helps to minimise crime.
What else is worth knowing?

5 South Korea borders the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), is a military armistice line dating back to 1953. It runs for about 240 km, at a latitude of 38° N (approximately).
6 Korean is the Korean language and the alphabet is called hangeul (한글). Hangeul is an alphabet consisting of forty letters: twenty-one vowels and
nineteen consonants. This alphabet was created in the 15th century at the behest of
King Sejong. Each syllable is written as a block, in a square field. Words in this alphabet can be written horizontally or vertically.

7. hanbok was the daily dress of Koreans for thousands of years before the opening of the
country to the West. Today, it is still often worn for special occasions such as
important family gatherings, holidays, weddings and funerals. The formal hanbok for women and
girls consists of several layers of underwear under a colourful long skirt and a short
jacket. The men's and boys' version consists of long trousers and a long garment with wide sleeves. There are different hanboks for special occasions.

Additional interesting facts:

● In South Korea, infants are considered one year old at birth.
● In 2015. South Korea ranked third in the world in terms of
cosmetic procedures per capita.
● Male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to perform at least
at least 21 months of military service.

Summary:

There is something for everyone in Korea, you can easily spend years travelling
around the country, discovering all that it has to offer.
 

Embark with us on a journey through South Korea! Experience the cradle of K-POP. Fall in love with Korean culture.

As recently as the middle of the 20th century, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, it is the world's vanguard of high-tech and a treasure trove of the most advanced technological solutions.

South Korea is a country where tradition meets modernity. It is not only about cutting-edge technology, but also about rich traditions, unique monuments, beautiful landscapes, excellent cuisine and some of the best cosmetics in the world. It is also one of the few countries in the world where music is such an important component of its GDP. It is a true kingdom of K-POP.

K-POP originated in South Korea in the early 1990s. The first K-POP band was Seo Taiji and Boys, which formed in 1992. The term K-POP encompasses a whole mixture of different music styles such as dance-pop, pop-rock, electro-pop, hip-hop and pop ballads. The lyrics of songs in this genre usually talk about love, happiness, positive emotions and the need for self-expression. In addition to the singing, the visual part of the performances plays a huge role, from the choreography to all kinds of special effects.