“When you look at K-pop singers, you can see how hard Koreans work.”
Mireia Feo, a Spanish woman whom we met in front of Europe’s largest concert hall, the Paris D’Afense Arena, located in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris, France, on the 15th (local time), said, “Through K-pop, I understand Korean culture better.” She said that she learned about the hard-working and sincere Korean culture by watching K-pop singers work hard from the time they were trainees until they debuted and became popular. Mr. Feo, who flew two hours from Spain to see the first European performance of the K-pop chart program ‘M Countdown’ held by CJ ENM that day, said, “Seeing the powerful dance, singing, and visual effects, I felt that Korean culture is strong and creative. “I received it,” he said.
On this day, the 22,000 audience members who filled the concert hall turned on the colorful light sticks of the K-pop idols they were rooting for, waved them, sang along, and imitated the point choreography during the three hours of the performance. In the performance, 10 teams, including PSY, NCT Dream, Monsta X unit Shownu
In particular, Psy stood on stage in Paris 11 years after performing the ‘Gangnam Style’ flash mob with about 20,000 people in front of the Eiffel Tower in 2012. At the finale of the performance, he said, “Except for Korea, the country that loves K-pop the most is France. “I am always grateful,” he said. When he sang Gangnam Style, almost the entire audience at the concert stood up and danced, imitating the refrain ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ in Korean.
The K-pop fans gathered that day knew not only Korean culture but also local cities intimately through idols. When it was said that this performance was intended to pray for Busan to host the 2030 World Expo (Expo), French university student Lior Limens laughed and said, “BTS members Jimin and Jungkook are from Busan, so I know Busan well.”
The French entertainment industry also sees K-pop as a stable genre, not a temporary fad. “In France, the largest K-pop market in Europe, interest is now growing in culture beyond music,” said Arnaud Meersmann, managing director of French entertainment company AEG, who collaborated with CJ ENM on this performance. 19) Even during the period of expansion, it has established itself as a mature genre to the extent that it grew in France.” He also advised, “If K-pop becomes more known through large local media, the online-centered fandom will be able to develop further.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.