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The New Korean Wave is primarily being led by famous Korean girl idol bands such as Girl’s Generation, Kara and 4Minute. In particular these groups have gained tremendous popularity in Japan. For instance Girl’s Generation captivated the youth of Japan the moment they made their official debut in Tokyo on September 28. Soon after, their single ‘Gee’ shot to the No.1 ranking in Japan’s Oricon charts, leading to a series of sold out concerts that cemented the group’s powerful position on the otherside of the East Sea.

Yet if anything Girl’s Generation only intensified Japan’s K-pop fever, as Kara had already touched down one month before and taken the second position in the charts. Thanks to such instant popularity, Kara were selected as the models of ‘AU by KDDI’, one of the most popular communication companies within Japan. The Japanese media have consequently heaped praise upon the Korean girl groups due to their outstanding singing, dancing, and perfect appearances. Critics remarked that they have never seen a trend spread so quickly and leading news magazines even went so far as to dub the New Korean Wave as the ‘Korean Invasion’ of Japan. 

What’s more, Korean pop culture is spreading abroad not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asian countries and even in Central Asia and Latin America. However, while Korean girl groups are especially popular in Japan in other countries a wide range of idol groups are taking the spotlight, leading to a number of imitation bands popping up in regional music scenes. For instance in Thailand there is Candy Mafia (an imitation of 2NE1), in China there is OK-Bang and Super Boy (Big Bang copies), and in Cambodia there is even Ring-Ding-Dong, who imitated one of SHINee’s songs. While on the one hand these copycat groups have caused various problems relating to copyright infringement this trend could also be considered a reflection of K-pop’s growing international popularity - after all, they say imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Several explanations have been offered as to why non-Korean speakers in different regions have gone mad for Korean pop and idol groups. Outstanding vocal performances, sophisticated music, dashing looks, cool dance moves and fluent language skills are what most experts consider to be the key factors for K-pop’s international success. However strategic marketing tactics have also contributed to this success; it is no secret that Korean talent agencies do auditions both within the nation and overseas, finding potential talents and systematically bringing them up as future super stars by actively aiming them at foreign markets.

The New Korean Wave has opened a whole new chapter in terms of the nation’s pop culture. Indeed, it has undermined the idea that the Korean Wave is permanently linked to Korean TV dramas. Instead it is now idol stars that are rocking Asia and as a result the age range of the target market has expanded. While the first Korean Wave chiefly appealed to middle aged women in their 40s and 50s, the new wave has captivated younger generations in their teens and 20s.

Nevertheless it would be fair to say that there is still room for improvement within the New Korean Wave. Their catchy songs, flashy moves and stunning looks will only last for a limited period of time and their popularity will soon trail off if the stars are not trained with solid singing skills. In order to avoid becoming a flash in the pan the New Korean Wave is going to have to mature into a unique and well produced product of Korean culture.

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