From sold-out stadium tours in the US, Europe and Asia to history-making Grammy nominations, K-pop has never stood taller on the global stage.
Yet within South Korea, many say the music they once called their own now feels made for someone else.
For fans like 21-year-old university student Lee Ye-jin, that shift hits every time she turns on the radio or scrolls through new releases on her phone.
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Lee has been a member of “Light” – the official fan club of popular boy band Highlight – since 2016. Formerly known as Beast, the chart-topping four-member group was part of K-pop’s so-called second generation, sharing the spotlight with icons such as Big Bang, Girls’ Generation and Wonder Girls: all products of the 2000s golden era.
While countless new acts have debuted since, Lee says she has yet to discover any worthy of her adulation.
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“It’s a bit tricky to still call these groups K-pop,” she told This Week in Asia. “If you listen to their lyrics or look at their names, it’s all in English now.”