[K-Pop Next Level 3] The Future Brought by 'K-Pop Without K'

Philippine group BINI's Coachella stage views surpass Big Bang'sGrowing potential for global competition with 'K-less K-pop'The performance video of Philippine group BINI at the '2026 Coachella Festival' has garnered significant attention, with approximately 30.83 million views. This is the second-highest figure among all artists who performed at the '2026 Coachella Festival.' / Coachella Official Social Media'K-pop' is showing signs of evolving beyond 'music made in Korea' into a 'major genre of popular music.' This is not a matter of patriotism or self-awareness, but a reality unfolding in the global popular music market today. Indeed, groups are increasingly debuting with 'K-pop' as their main genre, not only in Southeast Asia but also in countries with significant global music market share like the United States and Japan. examined the possibility of K-pop establishing itself as a 'major genre of popular music' like rock or hip-hop through their cases. We also predicted the future competition with 'K-less K-pop' in the global music market. [THE FACT|Reporter Choi Hyun-jung] The fact that groups influenced by K-pop are being independently produced worldwide indicates that popularization and universalization are progressing, separate from the 'identity of K-pop as a music genre.'This is possible because K-pop has evolved beyond a mere music genre into a 'proven system and industry.' Jo Hye-rim, a popular music critic, stated, "K-pop is a proven industrial model and method for success. In the past, outstanding music and the charm of stars were key to success, but K-pop has systematized the entire process from discovering and nurturing artists to producing music and performances, building fandom, and global distribution." She added, "K-pop produced overseas is not just a musical trend, but a localization of this production system and format."While the growing influence of K-pop is naturally welcome, the issue is that as the K-pop production system has become systematized and established, it is no longer something exclusive to Korea. In other words, K-pop will now have to compete not only with groups produced in Korea but also with groups independently produced in various countries around the world.Furthermore, this is not a future event but something already happening. For instance, the Philippine group BINI performed at the '2026 Coachella Festival' in April of this year, and their performance video of 'Pantropiko' has received a fervent response, recording approximately 30.83 million views on Coachella's official Instagram as of the 23rd.BINI's views are higher than those of Korean artists like Big Bang (approximately 23.17 million views) or Taemin (approximately 7.35 million views) who performed at the '2026 Coachella Festival,' as well as HYBE-Geffen Records' US-localized group KATSEYE (approximately 23.02 million views).It is difficult to attribute this solely to high domestic support. BINI's views are even higher than those of Black Pink member LISA (approximately 11.67 million views) from Thailand, and when considering all musicians who participated in the '2026 Coachella Festival,' it ranks second overall, following Justin Bieber (approximately 180 million views).K-pop experts unanimously agree, "Not only BINI, but cases of 'groups born from K-pop influence in countries other than Korea' gaining popularity in the global market will continue to emerge."NUA Entertainment's General Producer Woo Young-seung stated, "It is entirely possible. What matters is not 'which country the group was made in,' but 'how attractive the music and content are.'" He added, "Groups like BTS, Stray Kids, Black Pink, and ATEEZ have achieved global success because they have created content that can compete in the global market. Such cases can emerge overseas as well."Many K-pop experts cite 'system' as the biggest characteristic of K-pop. The photo shows Costa Rican scout members participating in the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree receiving K-pop dance lessons at the YGX headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul. / THE FACT DBThe reason K-pop experts have high expectations for the success of groups produced overseas is ultimately the 'system' again. K-pop has evolved into a 'systematized system that anyone can adopt and apply,' rather than a 'unique genre that only Koreans can perform.' Therefore, by localizing and effectively combining it, competitive content can be created.A producer who requested anonymity stated, "The K-pop production and producing system has already begun to be exported overseas, and local companies are adopting these systems and developing them to suit their own cultures and markets." He predicted, "It is only a matter of time before groups like BTS or Black Pink emerge overseas. There may even be cases of greater success."Of course, many opinions suggest that Korea, as the 'originator' that first created and popularized the K-pop system, will not easily lose its competitiveness due to the accumulation of experience and know-how.Producer Woo Young-seung stated, "Korea will maintain a significant advantage due to its accumulated production experience, know-how, and track record of success in the global market." He added, "Personally, I believe the competitiveness of Korean agencies is very high. And I expect artists who will lead the global market to continue to emerge from Korea."Yoon Dong-hwan, a member of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee directly under the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, analyzed, "While the system can be adopted, it is questionable whether it can be applied with the same mindset overseas as in Korea." He continued, "A system requires the participation and creation of not only the individuals preparing for debut but also the staff involved in preparing for debut. There are likely few countries other than Korea that can build and drive such a system."However, some warn that the global market is rapidly changing and now is not the time for optimism. Lim Hee-yoon, a popular music critic, pointed out, "The strength and weakness of K-culture, including K-pop, is that it is 'easy to replicate.' For example, in BINI's case, they may have started with the influence of K-pop and the participation of Korean trainers or producers, but now they are replacing all their staff with local Filipino personnel. And that group is performing on the Coachella stage and receiving a greater response than Korean K-pop groups. This should not be taken lightly."And they are introducing their music not as 'K-pop,' but as 'P-pop (Pinoy Pop),' 'T-pop (Thai Pop),' 'M-pop (Malaysian Pop),' etc., which represent the popular music of their respective countries.Dolla (top) from Malaysia and 4EVE from Thailand are introduced as M-pop and T-pop, respectively. / Official YouTube channels of Dolla and 4EVECritic Lim Hee-yoon stated, "This raises the question of whether K-pop truly has originality. K-pop itself is a mixture of many genres, and many aspects, both systemic and musical, have been adopted from overseas. Therefore, if groups like BINI, Dolla, and 4EVE create songs through their own producers and call them P-pop, M-pop, or T-pop, we cannot say they are wrong." He emphasized, "Therefore, from now on, we must contemplate and create K-pop's unique originality. We must forcefully instill the perception worldwide that 'K-pop originated in Korea' and firmly establish the logic of the 'K-pop myth.'"However, the emergence of K-pop-style groups produced overseas does not necessarily lead to competition with Korea. Rather, there is a possibility of developing in a direction that expands the market collaboratively by combining each other's strengths. Japan is a prime example. examined how K-pop experts view the exchange between the Korean and Japanese music markets. [K-pop Next Level 1] Is K-pop a 'Major Music Genre'?[K-pop Next Level 2] Can 'K-pop Concept' Become a Music Genre?[K-pop Next Level 4] Is Japan an Enemy or Ally of K-pop? laugardagr@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]