‘Why do idols go to study abroad in Korea?’ K-pop documentaries are appearing one after another

by times news cr

‘Made in Korea’ is currently airing on BBC
Analysis of joint venture group of Korean-British entertainment companies
Apple TV+, 6-part documentary released last month

“I haven’t learned it yet, so there’s a lot I need to practice.”

James Sharp, a member of the five-member boy group Dear Alice, all of whom are British, said this in his training suit in the practice room. He was clearly nervous about the first trainee evaluation. The other members also said, “I’m a little nervous about showing my dance moves,” and “I’m a little nervous, but I’ve prepared hard.”

British localized boy group Dear Alice, featured in the six-part documentary ‘Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience’ that aired on the BBC in the UK since last month. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

This is a scene from the documentary “Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience” that has been airing on the BBC since the 17th of last month. Dear Alice is a K-pop localization group presented by SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment’s North American integrated corporation in collaboration with a local entertainment company in the UK. The documentary, which has been released up to episode 3, shows the members of Dear Alice staying in Seoul for 100 days and receiving K-pop training from SM. It covers the idol production process in depth, including vocal and performance training, teamwork, and member style concept planning. The documentary, consisting of six episodes, airs locally in the UK every Saturday at 5:15 PM, which is prime time.

Recently, a series of overseas documentaries have been released that deeply examine the localization of K-pop and its global expansion. Some of these include documentaries with famous production teams. There have been documentaries that focused on live performances by BTS, Blackpink, etc. in the past. However, recently produced overseas documentaries are different in that they go beyond that and analyze the Korean entertainment industry in depth. Jang Yoon-joong, co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, who appears in the documentary “Made in Korea,” said, “K-pop is now a ‘visual genre’ that combines flashy costumes and perfect performances,” and “It will continue to grow as a global phenomenon in the future.”

On the 30th of last month, Apple TV+ released a six-part documentary series, ‘Welcome to K-Pop: Idol Stories.’ This documentary, which covers the behind-the-scenes efforts of various K-pop singers, features the four-member multinational girl group Black Swan under DR Music, female solo artist Jessi, and the nine-member male idol group Cravity. It shows the foreign members of Black Swan struggling to learn Korean, rap, and dance, as well as the conflicts that arise between members due to the difficult life in Korea.

‘Why do idols go to study abroad in Korea?’ K-pop documentaries are appearing one after another

Catseye, the American version of HYBE’s girl group, featured in the Netflix 8-part documentary ‘Popstar Academy: Catseye’. Netflix capture

The eight-part documentary ‘Popstar Academy: Cat’s Eye’, released on Netflix on the 21st of last month, sheds light on the birth of the girl group Cat’s Eye, a joint venture between HYBE and Geffen Records in the US. Cat’s Eye, which is active in the US, is comprised of three Americans, one Swiss, one Filipino, and one Korean. The documentary features many famous producers and trainers who have worked with world-famous pop stars such as Madonna and Britney Spears.

K-pop documentaries have famous overseas production crews. ‘Made in Korea’, which deals with Dear Alice, was produced by Nigel Hall, the producer of ‘The X Factor’, the audition program that created the boy group One Direction. ‘Welcome to K-pop’ was produced by Jay Peterson and Todd Rubin, who have won previous Emmy Awards.

Reporter Sa Ji-won [email protected]

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2024-09-02 20:50:33

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