A Competitiveness Analysis on K-pop

Abstract

The raise of Korean pop music (K-pop) has drawn attentions from both domestic and international audience since the late 2000s. As a part of the broad the Korean Wave trend, with a strategic manipulation, K-pop has replaced Korean dramas role and become the new driving force of the Korean Wave. Compared to the previous Korean drama-led Korean waves, this K-pop driven new Korean Wave has gone beyond East Asia to the West. The recent success of K-pop is the fruit of Korean entertainment companies and music industrys relentless efforts during the past one decade. This study adopts Diamond model to select and categorize the competitive variables by reviewing and refining the existing studies and reports from worlds prestigious media outlets. Along with a stage model which illustrates the development of K-pop industry, a rigorous and comprehensive competitiveness analysis on K-pop is demonstrated in this study and served as a case study for other countries which are interested in developing their pop culture industry.