Returning in Person This Weekend, Atlanta K-Pop Competition Helps Drive Interest in Korean Language, Culture

The event is set to be held Saturday, July 9, at 1:30 p.m. at the studios of KTN in Norcross. It is open to the public, and no RSVP is required. More details can be found here. 

Below, Consul Hyun-ae Song and Jinkyoung Choi, assistant in the Korean consulate’s culture section, explain the importance of the event for Korea’s outreach around the South and how K-Pop is benefiting the country economically. 

Global Atlanta: Give us a sense for why K-Pop is so important for Korea’s international image. How does the country benefit from this hallyu, the Korean cultural wave spreading the country’s influence around the world in entertainment?

Korean Consulate: K-Pop is really popular nowadays. Everyone in the world knows about K-Pop, as it’s become a kind of a trend. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to use K-Pop as a platform or tool to spread knowledge about what Korea is. The ministry wants to spread their mission, atmosphere, rhythms — everything. 

Has K-Pop been economically beneficial for Korea and spurred activity in the tourism sector? 

Korean Consulate: It’s definitely part of our economic strategy. Groups like BTS have made huge profits already, and other younger-generation singers like Twice and BlackPink have all moved up in the music industry. In Atlanta, Twice in February sold out the State Farm Arena, which has a capacity of 21,000. 

According to a study from the Asia Scotland Institute, BTS’s first English song “Dynamite,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and stayed there 18 weeks, “generated a stunning 1.7 trillion South Korean won ($1.43 billion),” providing the equivalent of about 8,000 jobs for the Korean economy, replacing some of the output lost to tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic:

“All parts of hallyu have definitely boosted the South Korean economy by developing $9.48 billion in exports. K-Pop merchandise in particular made a significant addition to the ever-growing number. Twenty-three percent of Big Hit Entertainment’s income, the K-Pop company that BTS are a part of, came from merchandise revenues, estimated to be at about $114.5 million. “

Global Atlanta: How is K-Pop driving interest in Korean language and culture? 

Korean Consulate: People start to have questions and interest in Korea, so they started learning Korean language, Hangul (writing) and wanting to taste Korean food and cuisine —  kimchi, barbecue, everything. They even want to wear Korean clothing. K-Pop is the kind of starting point, helping people realized that they would like to get some image of Korea. 

One good example: BTS agent HYBE just created a textbook using the band’s songs to teach Korean language to young people from abroad. Once BTS achieved fame, many of their fans started to learn Hangul to follow their songs in Korean. 

Global Atlanta: How does Korean music and movies help reach out to second- and third-generation Korean-Americans?  

Korean Consulate: Many who didn’t grow up knowing our country or language are now proud of K-culture — music like K-Pop, movies like the Oscar-winning Parasite and hit Netflix shows like Squid Game — and they start to study Korean and Korean culture. It is important in our country, since it’s vital to our soft power in America, so we try to educate using K-Pop and Taekwondo. 

Global Atlanta: Why did you add the Taekwondo demonstration this year? 

Korean Consulate: Taekwondo is traditional martial art in our country and most Korean children learn it from a young age. Soldiers learn how to do Taekwondo in the army in Korea. This demonstration is representative of our culture, so we got funding from the government to put on this event during the K-Pop festival here in Atlanta. 

Global Atlanta: What can visitors expect from this year’s K-Pop World Festival preliminary competition?

Korean Consulate: Teams from more than 70 countries compete in the K-Pop World Festival, which started in 2011. In Atlanta, the competition started six years ago, but it was canceled in 2020 and held virtually in 2021. This year, three teams from around the region will be selected as preliminary winners from Atlanta, and their recorded vocal or dance performances will be submitted to a committee in Korea that will decide whether to invite them to Korea as finalists. 

Last year, the group 4REIGN performed well and has grown in popularity. I have one dream — that the winner in our district will be the winner all over the world. I hope they will be pop-stars.