101 East - South Korea's Pop Wave

“I catch up with my sleep while I’m in the car and in the salon” T-ae, a member of prominent K-Pop girl group RaNia says in this twenty-five minute exploration of the Korean pop music business.

With high-energy performances juxtaposed with shots of girls falling asleep while having their hair styled, the visuals alone tell a story of the gruelling truth that’s driving a glamourous fantasy. Despite its upbeat, bubblegum attitude, the K-Pop phenomenon that’s currently capturing the imagination of fans across the world is in fact an industry haunted by rumours of corruption, exploitation and prostitution.

The emphasis in the industry is right now moving towards international domination, with multi-lingual RaNia hoping to crack America. The manufactured nature of Korea’s pop groups, however, could be enough to hold them back, with critics saying that the industry is not one built on artistic integrity, and so has no longevity.

Watch the video now to hear everything about K-Pop that you could possibly want to learn in under half an hour.