Last summer, Cami found her new obsession. As soon as the 12-year-old from Ohio saw KPop Demon Hunters, she was hooked. She quickly learned all the words to the movie’s hit songs. She dressed up as Rumi, the main character, for Halloween. And she started listening to more K-pop music. 

    Cami is not alone. KPop Demon Hunters has become the most watched movie in the history of Netflix. “Golden,” the movie’s biggest song, was streamed more than 2.4 billion times last year. And Korean boy bands and girl groups attract screaming crowds wherever they go.

    How did pop music from South Korea take over the world?

    Cami is 12 years old. She lives in Ohio. Last summer, she saw KPop Demon Hunters. She was hooked. She learned the words to the movie’s songs. She dressed up as Rumi, the main character, for Halloween. And she started listening to more K-pop music.

    Cami is not alone. KPop Demon Hunters is the most watched movie in the history of Netflix. “Golden” is the movie’s biggest song. It has been streamed more than 2.4 billion times. And Korean boy bands and girl groups draw screaming crowds wherever they go.

    How did pop music from South Korea take over the world?

    Last summer, Cami found her new obsession. As soon as the 12-year-old from Ohio saw KPop Demon Hunters, she was hooked. She quickly learned all the words to the movie’s hit songs. She dressed up as Rumi, the main character, for Halloween. And she started listening to more K-pop music.

    Cami is not alone. KPop Demon Hunters has become the most watched movie in the history of Netflix, and “Golden,” the movie’s biggest song, was streamed more than 2.4 billion times last year. Screaming crowds form around Korean boy bands and girl groups wherever they go.

    How did pop music from South Korea take over the world?

    It might seem like the K-pop craze came out of nowhere. But South Korean pop culture has been getting more popular for years. There’s a word for it in Korean: hallyu, or “Korean Wave.”

    South Korea is a country in East Asia. For many years, its government allowed its people very little cultural freedom. Pop culture and music were often censored. That means that officials often shut down or banned things the government did not like.

    But in the late 1980s and 1990s, that changed. A new government came to power. That government saw globalization—or sharing between cultures—as a good thing. 

    That’s when Seo Taiji and Boys came on the scene. The boy band performed on a South Korean talent show in 1992. The judges didn’t get the band members’ trendy American-inspired style and hip-hop dance moves. They gave the band the lowest score of the night. 

    But people loved it. The band’s song topped the charts for weeks—and K-pop was born.

    The K-pop craze might seem new. But South Korean pop culture has been getting more popular for years. Koreans have a word for it: hallyu. That means “Korean Wave.”

    South Korea is a country in East Asia. For many years, people there had little cultural freedom. Pop culture and music were often censored. That means that officials shut down or banned things the government did not like.

    But in the late 1980s and 1990s, that changed. A new government came to power. That government saw globalization as a good thing. Globalization is sharing between cultures.

    Seo Taiji and Boys are a boy band. In 1992, they performed on a South Korean talent show. They had a trendy American style. They did hip-hop dance moves. The judges didn’t get it. The band got the lowest score of the night.

    But people loved it. The band’s song topped the charts for weeks. And K-pop was born.

    It might seem like the K-pop craze came out of nowhere, but South Korean pop culture has been gaining popularity for years. There’s a word for it in Korean: hallyu, or “Korean Wave.”

    South Korea is a country in East Asia. For many years, its government allowed its people very little cultural freedom. Pop culture and music were often censored. That means that officials often shut down or banned things the government did not like.

    But in the late 1980s and 1990s, that changed. A new government came to power, and that government viewed globalization—or sharing between cultures—as a good thing.

    That’s when Seo Taiji and Boys, a boy band, came on the scene. They performed on a South Korean talent show in 1992. The judges didn’t appreciate the band members’ trendy American-inspired style and hip-hop dance moves, so they gave the band the lowest score of the night. 

    However, the audience loved it. The band’s song topped the charts for weeks—and K-pop was born.

    Over the next 10 years, a new system formed in South Korea. Its goal was to train young Korean artists to be the next big stars. In South Korea, they’re known as idols. That system is still in place today. 

    Imagine you’re a young singer from South Korea. Before you’re even a teen, you’re trying out for K-pop entertainment companies. If you’re lucky, you get hired as a trainee. That means you’re in training to become an idol. 

    As a trainee, you take singing and dancing lessons. You learn English. You practice being interviewed. You learn how to present yourself. 

    If you’re lucky, you’ll get to debut as an idol. Most idols are put into groups with other young artists.

    Over the next 10 years, a new system formed in South Korea. It trains young Korean artists to be the next big stars. In South Korea, they’re known as idols. That system is still in place today.

    Imagine you’re a young singer from South Korea. You’re not even a teen. But you’re trying out for K-pop entertainment companies. If you’re lucky, you get hired as a trainee. That means you train to become an idol.

    As a trainee, you take singing and dancing lessons. You learn English. You practice being interviewed. You learn how to present yourself.

    If you’re lucky again, you debut as an idol. Most idols are put into groups with other young artists.

    Over the next 10 years, a new system formed in South Korea. Its goal was to train young Korean artists to be the next big stars. In South Korea, they’re known as idols. That system is still in place today.

    Imagine you’re a young singer from South Korea. Before you’re even a teen, you’re auditioning for K-pop entertainment companies. If you’re lucky, you get hired as a trainee—which means you’re in training to become an idol.

    As a trainee, you take singing and dancing lessons, learn English, practice being interviewed, and learn how to present yourself.

    If you’re lucky, you’ll get to debut as an idol. Most idols are put into groups with other young artists.