K-Pop, A New Force in Pop Music

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A book was published by KOCIS (Korean Culture and Information Service), in English, about K-pop. The book is titled K-Pop, A New Force in Pop Music. In the book, there’s various information about K-pop, including the history of K-pop, most popular K-pop artists, why and how K-pop is spreading all over the world.

 

Reading the book, what I noticed was the fact that the book starts from “K-Pop Makes a Splash in Europe”. It is said that SM Town Live World Tour in Paris marked a significant turning point in K-pop’s impact on Europe and that it triggered flash mobs in many other countries including London. Of course the book was not based on K-pop news in Europe but there were quite a few parts that talked about London.

 

The author mentioned, “On July 10, European fans from various countries gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London and danced to the Korean pop tune “Fire”, a hit from the girl group 2NE1″ and described the flash mob that took place requesting YG artists to perform at the Thames Festival in September. Also, the interview with Katy Kim, who orchestrated the July 2011 flash mob in Trafalgar Square was included. The interview was about the appeal of K-pop in the UK.

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Furthermore, she said that “the increased British interest in K-pop was apparent in early 2011 when the Korean Cultural Centre UK held a “K-Pop Night” event in February” and added how successful it was.

 

Throughout the chapter of the book, it was possible to see photos of K-pop events that took place in London in particular. Photos that were taken at the YG flash mob and in front of Abbey Road Studios, where SHINee held a private concert for the press.

 

Even though the book came out very recently, the author didn’t forget to add that SHINee was the first ever Korean idol group to hold a solo concert in London. She also mentioned that United Cube were planning to hold a concert in London as well.

 

The Korean press is very interested in the K-pop activities that go around in the UK and the rest of the world. The UK fans have received a lot of attention from the Korean media, through articles and TV coverage. But, I think this may be the first time that a book was written about K-pop mentioning fans in the UK.