The primary reason behind South Korea’s international appeal is K-pop. Many K-pop fans enjoy reading manhwa and webtoons; simultaneously, there are manhwa readers who don’t know anything about K-pop. They must have heard these lyrics: “Cause I-I-I’m in the stars tonight..” or maybe “Ha-how you like that?” Even if they don’t know these lyrics, they definitely know Gangnam Style. In this article, you will learn about the brief history of K-pop and how webtoons impact K-pop. Furthermore, you will learn about the role of the Hallyu wave in the collaboration of Webtoon Kpop.
What Is The Korean Or Hallyu Wave?
Korean or Hallyu wave is another reason for South Korean pop culture’s popularity. ‘Han’ and ‘Ryu’ make the word Hallyu, where ‘han’ means Korean and ‘ryu’ means flow or trend. The Korean Wave marks the end of military dictatorship in South Korea, which indicates the freedom of the cultural industry. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, this cultural phenomenon was limited to Asia, but in the second generation, thanks to YouTube and K-pop, Hallyu 2.0 gained momentum. K-pop started getting attention in the second generation. It began with Wonder Girls, Big Bang, Girl Generation, and 2NE1. Later, it was Blackpink and BTS as their songs started charting on Billboard.
Manhwa also became part of the Hallyu wave after gaining popularity in the early 2000s. Webtoon is the renewed version of manhwa for digital South Korea. Big Korean companies like Naver and Kakao expanded webtoons globally and provided translated versions of manhwas. Consequently, they branched outside Korea and effectively impacted popular movies and TV shows, gaining popularity as a new digital media.
Big Hit Entertainment, the house of many great K-pop groups like BTS and TXT, was among the first to predict Webtoon’s potential. In 2019, they collaborated to release one of BTS’s popular songs, Save Me, marking the beginning of the crossover of Webtoon Kpop.
Also Read: 31 Latest Webtoons You Must Read This August
A Brief Introduction to the K-pop Industry
K in K-pop stands for Korean, so you can guess that K-pop means music from South Korea. Though it has pop in its name, that does not mean it only has popular South Korean pop music. It comprises diverse genres, including hip-hop, R&B, rock, jazz, electronic dance, folk, etc. Moreover, K-pop is a genre, and American, African, Middle Eastern, and Indian music has a major influence on this genre. Lastly, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, BTS and Blackpink were reported as the major players contributing to K-pop’s growth.
Popular Kpop Companies Who Made A Difference
Yang Hyun-Suk is the founder of YG Entertainment. He was a member of the Korean company Seo Taiji and Boys. Seo Taji and Boys was a popular first-generation group known for modernizing and reshaping the South Korean music scene. Later, YG became popular for producing global and popular groups for their unique and chic personalities. Some well-renowned groups are Big Bang, 2NE1, Winner, Ikon, Blackpink, Treasure, and Babymonster.
Lee Soo-Man is the founder of SM Entertainment and is a business executive and record producer. SM Entertainment is known for leading the Korean Wave with artists like H.O.T, S.E.S, and BoA. Later, SM Entertainment was led by TVXQ, Super Junior, Girl’s Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, WayV, Aespa, and Riize.
Park Jin-young is the founder of JYP Entertainment and is known by people by his stage name, J.Y. Park. He is a singer-songwriter known for producing talented and unique artists, such as 2 PM, Day6, Twice, Stray Kids, Itzy, Xdinary Heroes, and Nmixx.
Later, Hybe Corporation, formerly known as Big Hit Music, joined the “Big 3.” Some people also started calling it “The Big 4.” They are mostly known for their K-pop boy band, BTS, one of the legendary groups that has helped South Korea make its name in the West. Other groups that are under Hybe are TXT, Enhypen, Seventeen, Fromis 9, Le Sserafim, and New Jeans.
Webtoon Kpop: How One Impacts the Other?
One article in The Korean Times stated that “collaborating with webtoons can be another effective promotional tool and point of dialogue with consumers for K-pop acts and soloists.”
K-pop groups produce songs based on a theme and a story, and to promote their albums, they use an interactive storyline to introduce their songs. For instance, Most of Enhypen’s songs are based on the concept of a Vampire, Aespa uses AI and a futuristic world, and Ateez debuted with the concept of pirates.
Webtoon’s vibrant visuals and unique storylines inspire many K-pop artists. For example, BTS’s ‘Save Me’ Music Video incorporated the themes and style of Webtoon, and Exo’s ‘Lucky One’ incorporated the elements of science fiction and fantasy. Webtoon Kpop collaboration is visible in the captivating and interconnected storylines in the music videos. These videos often feature characters and settings similar to Webtoons. In this situation, you can take the example of Enhypen’s recent release, ‘Fatal-Trouble,’ a soundtrack of their ongoing webtoon Dark Moon: The Blood Altar.
Webtoon Kpop: Some of the Popular And Lesser-Known Collaborations
BTS
BTS is a short form for Bangtan Sonyeondan, consisting of 7 members. They are a well-known South Korean group that has broken many records and has led the Hallyu Wave in America. Bangtan Boys were the first Korean act to top the Billboard 200 with their famous studio album Love Yourself: Tear. They were the first of many things. Hence, this article is not enough to praise and count their achievements. BTS has two webtoons to their names –
Save Me
- Writer and artist – Big Hit Entertainment and Studio LICO
- Genre – Young adult, fantasy, Science Fiction, and Melodrama
- Episodes – 16
Save Me webtoon references to BTS’s 2016 single “Save Me.” This webtoon is a part of the BTS Universe, an alternate universe that Big Hit Entertainment has created based on the alter ego of the BTS members, and the main protagonist is Kim Seokjin, who is stuck in a time loop. He cannot leave this time loop until he saves his six friends from their unfortunate miseries.
7Fates: Chakho
- Writer and artist –HYBE
- Genre – Fantasy
- Episodes: 52
7Fates: Chakho is about Zeha, who has no recollection of his memories after he received a call from a mysterious man. He soon learned that strange beings called beom were creating trouble in the corrupt city of Sin-si. At last, fate brings seven boys together to protect the city and fight against these strange beings.
TXT
TXT is a five-member K-pop boy band whose debut song, “Crown,” received number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. TXT is a short form for Tomorrow X Together. They were the first Korean boy group to perform and headline at Lollapalooza.
The Star Seekers
- Writer and artist – HYBE
- Genre – Fantasy
- Episodes 11
The Star Seekers is based on the magical world where an unpopular idol group receives magic. They are called Star One and are gifted with magical power to fight against an enemy in order to save the world.
Enhypen
Enhypen is a seven-member group that was formed through the survival program called I-Land in 2020. Their group name is derived from the symbol (-) which represents “Connection, Discovery, & Growth.” Their webtoon “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” is famous among the fandom. The original story began with their song “Drunk-Dazed” music video. It has one sequel, two prequels, and also a spin-off.
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar
- Writer and artist – HYBE
- Genre –Fantasy
- Episodes: 71
The world of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is of vampires and werewolves. It is not common knowledge that these two creatures are mortal enemies. The popular boys of two rival schools are always at war. These popular boys are Enhypen, who are Vampires, and Team, who are werewolves. However, problems arise when the new girl, Sooha, transfers to Riverfield, and both groups find themselves attracted to her. But they also have to face their ugly past and horrible incidents that seem to shake the town.
Le Sserafim
Le Sserafim is a South Korean girl group of five members. Their singles and albums, including Antifragile, Unforgiven, Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife, and Perfect Night, charted on Billboard 200. They also performed at Coachella 2024 and became one of the few K-pop groups to perform at the biggest festival in the world.
Crimson Heart
- Writer and artist – HYBE
- Genre – Fantasy
- Episodes – 53
Crimson Heart tells the story of girls who find a mysterious old book and a red necklace that takes them to an unknown world. This is an adventurous tale about girls finding “The Island of Blue Fireflies.” They live in a controlled place in the magical world of Refugia, whose ruler is blue fireflies.
In short, K-pop idols have always inspired Webtoon creators. Webtoon is not just influencing the Hallyu wave and K-pop industry; it has become a cultural phenomenon that has captivated everyone with its diverse genre and eye-catching visuals. This is a win-win situation for readers who are both Webtoon fans and K-pop listeners. So be ready because Webtoon will be the new reality of the Korean music industry.
