"서구음악 지배 위협하는 새로운 힘"…BBC 'K팝 현상' 조명

A recent BBC documentary has delivered a smart primer on how K-pop has become a hit around the world, looking at its unique fan culture, and even delving into the darker side of Korea's music industry.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
Since the age of 'rock n roll',… Western melodies, lyrics and rhythms have dominated the global music industry,… but now, there is a new challenger to the dominance of Western music: K-pop.
The BBC documentary 'K-pop Idols: Inside the Hit Factory' tells the story of the recent K-pop phenomenon.
The programme goes behind the scenes to give a sense of how K-pop's global success was possible,… shedding light on K-pop's unique aspects like its idol-training system and fandom culture.
James Ballardie, a host who personally visited the birthplace of K-pop,... has highlighted that K-pop's intimate fan culture,... where idols master social media and mobilize fans with ever greater efficiency,… was one of the key reasons that helped K-pop go viral and gain fans on the other side of the world.
But he also pointed out the dark side of the industry,… such as the recent scandals which involved embezzlement, illicit relations with police, drug use and sexual abuse.
Despite those scandals, a recent survey by the Korea Tourism Organization on Monday showed that K-pop is having a positive impact on the local tourism sector.
In a survey of over 12-thousand people who identified themselves as K-pop fans,… nearly 90-percent of the respondents said they would like to visit the country.
The survey also showed that,… BTS was picked as the most popular group among K-pop fans,… and YouTube was the most popular platform to learn about K-pop.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.