Liked by some and hated by others, Korean pop, commonly referred to as K-pop, has emerged as a global trend both musically and as a whole culture. However, this carries a lot of responsibility from the artists who produce and are the main characters of this genre, as more fans and the general public are constantly looking at them and evaluating their decisions and actions. This is the case with Kiss of Life, a girl group involved in being called out for cultural appropriation. Last week, they did a live stream with old-school hip-hop vibes, imitating accents, using clothing styles and not correctly acknowledging the culture it came from but rather treating it as entertainment and accessories. This incident has led to criticism from many followers, decreased fans on social media and discussion on cultural appropriation in the K-pop industry.
The incident with Kiss of Life is not isolated, as several idols (the name for the artists in this genre) have been caught doing similar things in the past: from members of groups using braids and other African-American hairstyles as accessories, others saying the n-word explicitly (and no, they weren’t saying the word “you” in Korean) and some songs using rhythms from other cultures without proper acknowledgment or understanding. Besides this happening frequently, little has been done in the K-pop industry to prevent it from happening. It is important to understand that K-pop as a genre itself has recently emerged and is heavily influenced by African-American rhythms at its core, particularly from hip-hop. Some evidence is found in songs by groups like BTS, GOT7 and BigBang.
As more fans speak out against these issues, some suggested solutions have come to light, such as including more cultural awareness classes as part of the training process for future artists. It is known that, given their cultural context, many Koreans are not exposed to—and thus do not learn or explore more about—diversity and inclusion of different cultures and races. However, as K-pop becomes more of a global phenomenon, cultural seminars could help future idols understand other cultures and their issues and how to interact with different cultures without appropriating other cultures.
Whether this is already being included inside the companies that manage these groups is unknown. Still, some groups have shown more awareness and taken steps toward these solutions, such as BTS visiting America to learn about African American culture, receiving training from professionals in the field and movement after George Floyd’s murder.
Another issue that arose around this is the fact that the , introducing more and more minors to big stages. This can also affect their emotional development, decision-making and overall maturity as they face the world before they’re prepared to face all the issues that come with being a global influencer. Many fans have called out companies to stop this phenomenon to prevent idols from dropping out of school, being abused and overworked, and to avoid fetishizing younger boys and girls. Generally speaking, this bigger issue also affects how idols are trained and psychologically prepared to understand other cultures and confront diverse opinions.
The issue with African American culture being caricatured or misused in K-pop is also part of a bigger issue regarding the subordination and depreciation of Black culture around the world, always looking down on African American people and not taking steps towards respect and better treatment of their culture. While progress is visible compared to previous generations, there is still a long way to go, and more efforts are needed to create a more inclusive and respectful environment not only for African American culture but for any culture in general. It is a society-wide problem that needs to be addressed consistently until the end goal is achieved.
Overall, K-pop is becoming a reflection of current societal issues and a representation of the various elements that involve becoming a public figure and entertainer in this century. Idols, in particular, face higher standards in attitude, appearance and performance skills, so it is no wonder that they still lack some of these skills or even get affected by the training that all of those elements combined require. However, it is not the idols’ sole responsibility to address them; it also has to be addressed by their companies, by the government and by society in general to give everyone a chance to be better informed and create an inclusive global culture where everyone can receive the respect they deserve.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.