Hallyu also fosters soft power, which some governments view with suspicion. China sees Korean influence as a threat to its cultural industry, while Japan both competes with and collaborates with Korea. Pop culture becomes a space of both cultural rivalry and #connection.

The future of pop culture in the region depends on diplomacy and digital access. Even when official bans occur, fandoms find ways to circulate content. As Hallyu #globalizes, political limits may weaken, and mutual cultural appreciation could grow in Northeast Asia.

Japan’s cultural exchange with Korea has grown, but historical issues like colonization still stir nationalist backlash. While K-dramas and #K-pop are widely popular, certain political groups oppose Hallyu. However, younger fans remain highly engaged.

In China, political tensions have led to #Hallyu bans, especially after the #THAAD dispute in 2016. K-pop and K-dramas were restricted, affecting fan access. Despite this, fans use VPNs and social media to consume Korean content unofficially, showing strong demand.

#Politics deeply shape the flow of pop culture in Northeast Asia. In both #China and #Japan, historical tensions with Korea affect how Hallyu is received. Government regulations, nationalism, and diplomatic ties influence media visibility and public support.

Cultural appropriation in K-pop reflects deeper issues: profit, image, ignorance. While idols are more cautious, change is slow. #Fans play a key role by calling out #issues but must also provide #context and allow room for #growth. Accountability, not cancelation, is vital.

In 2025, K-pop is more global and #self-aware. Companies know that cultural insensitivity can hurt their reputation abroad. Still, education in Korea on race remains limited. Progress has been made, but many idols still don’t fully grasp the weight of appropriation.

At times, the term “cultural appropriation” has been overused or misapplied. For example, idols wearing braided hairstyles that aren’t exclusive to Black culture have sometimes been unfairly criticized. Not every instance of cultural exchange equals appropriation.

Rather than disappearing, African-American visual influence has shifted. While direct #mimicry (e.g., hip-hop tropes, hairstyles) is less visible, elements like trap beats or rap still remain. Idols like #Lisa (BLACKPINK) blend #Western styles, but more carefully than in past eras.

Since then, criticism has grown. #Global fans, especially international Black fans, have called out insensitive uses of Black culture. Some idols now avoid these elements, or apologize when they make mistakes. ATEEZ’s #Hongjoong, for instance, apologized after wearing cornrows.

From 2005–2010, cultural #appropriation was more common and unchallenged in K-pop. Idols often wore cornrows, dreadlocks, or used #AAVE (African American Vernacular English) without understanding its context. e.g. #T.O.P or #G-Dragon. These acts rarely faced local criticism at the time.

This evolution could also be driven by changing societal norms and the rise of #feminism in Korea. The Kpop industry is responding to calls for authenticity and respect. As a result, female artists are slowly gaining more respect as musicians, not just visual products.

Female artists have now more power in #producing their own music, choose their image and sometimes #challenge old stereotypes. There is now more place for strong female personnalities like #Hwasa in Kpop.

In today’s Kpop, sexualisation hasn’t disappeared, it has become more subtle. #Artists often present more confidence and empowerment than « sex appeal ». This can be explained by a shift in #audience expectations and growing female audiences but also a #global market sensitive to gender issues.

From 2005 to 2010, many #kpop groups used overly #sexualised concepts to attract #attention, often looking for the male gaze. Outfits, lyrics and dances were less subtle and female idols had less control over their image. Which was mainly shaped by male producers and their agency.

So, while empowerment messages in K-pop are not meaningless, they often serve #marketing goals more than genuine change. Without greater artistic freedom and social support, these messages risk being just another commercial #strategy.

In South Korea, gender #inequality remains strong, and #feminism is still controversial. Female idols face backlash for expressing feminist ideas, showing that true empowerment is not fully accepted or supported in the mainstream media.

Though empowerment themes can inspire young #women, they are often delivered through highly controlled and sexualized images. Idols must balance a “strong” image with #societal expectations of purity, limiting the real #freedom these messages seem to suggest.

#Kpop often presents female empowerment through lyrics about independence and confidence. Songs like BLACKPINK’s “Pretty Savage” showcase boldness, but these messages are shaped by #entertainment companies aiming to appeal to wide audiences, including male fans.

Following this article: « Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics » by Jin and Woo

They also admit that many Kpop songs today don’t show much of Korean culture which I also agree with.

This means that English is now used not just in names or titles, but also in lyrics of #songs. Still Jin and Ryoo say that the languages mixing can create something new and special: what they call the « third-space ». Where Korean culture and global styles meet.

This shows how #Korea is trying to connect with global markets. In their article Jin and Ryoo said « English mixing in contemporary Kpop goes beyond the level of song titles and names of artists and bands » and is now « present on a large scale in the main body of the lyrics of contemporary Kpop ».

The use of English in #Kpop songs shows how #global and local #cultures are mixing. As Kpop becomes more popular around the world, more Kpop artists are using English in their lyrics to connect with #international audiences. This change started a few years ago and has grown quickly.

All of this being linked to using Mingyu who is know for having the « perfect » image of the authentic, talented and handsome guy of Seventeen.

In this campaign CK used a strategy of emotion eliciting. Seeing Mingyu who’s a Korean Artist on a global campaign. Allowing the different cultures to work together. Making Seventeen’s huge audience, Gen Z and Asian product consumers want to buy CK’s products.

We can imagine that in this campaign, Seventeen’s music is not what’s the most interesting to use but Seventeen’s popularity and Mingyu’s appearance are what matter in this campaign.

Using Mingyu for their campaign along with his friend Jungkook from BTS. In terms of sales, Calvin Klein didn’t get more financial impact. However, in terms of impact in media Mingyu being shirtless approximately the whole campaign made people talk a lot and share the pictures on social media.

One campaign that got super popular last year is Calvin Klein’s 2024 fall campaign with Seventeen’s main visual Kim Mingyu.
Mingyu is known in Korea for being the tall and handsome member of Seventeen that already appeared in a lot of advertisements.

In the Kpop world, Seventeen is a popular group that appears in a lot of various advertisements. It can go from clothes brands to makeup and skincare products.