When BTS went on hiatus in 2022, the world of K-pop collectively gasped. The genre’s most popular group – one that arguably introduced K-pop to the rest of the world – was separating so that its members could enlist for mandatory South Korean military service. Would anything fill the void they left behind?
As it turns out, yes – or at least partially.
Since Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook went separate ways, K-pop has evolved into an even greater global phenomenon. Other groups such as Blackpink, Seventeen and Stray Kids sold out arena tours; NewJeans dominated news headlines as they fought against their label; and KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most-watched film ever, turning tweens and teens around the world into die-hard Huntr/x fans. The genre even managed to break through the hallowed halls of illustrious award shows, winning its first-ever Grammy and Academy Award with Golden this year.
But despite K-pop’s burgeoning success and visibility, South Korean album sales dropped 19 per cent in 2024 – two years after BTS temporarily disbanded. According to local reports, both domestic and overseas K-pop album sales fell last year too, with analysts largely attributing the decline to a sluggish home market.
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This speaks to a broader challenge in K-pop: The desire to cater to a global audience whilst also remaining culturally specific. This is touched upon in their Netflix documentary, which landed on Friday. The groups main rappers Suga and RM shared concerns around the lack of Korean lyrics in the album, but their management team noted that they needed to maintain a global audience.
Some fans were also quick to point out a lack of choreography in the music video for the album’s title track Swim. K-pop groups are largely known for their complex and carefully choreographed dance numbers, many of which are replicated by fans on TikTok. Though there technically is a dance number associated with Swim, the official music video doesn’t feature it, instead focusing on American Riverdale actress Lili Reinhart.
So, BTS’s comeback could best be described as complicated. There’s clearly still appetite for their content, but a lot has changed since they went on hiatus. The K-pop landscape has become saturated with other notable names, and the industry itself has fragmented somewhat as major streamers like Netflix buy into the growing appeal of the Korean Wave (aka Hallyu). Satisfying old, die-hard fans as well as new fans born into the shiny new era of K-pop isn’t an easy feat. They may have struck dynamite this time, at least numbers-wise, but time will tell if they can keep it up.