The South Korean musical group BTS, which this weekend performed in front of 84,000 people in all at two concerts here in the nation's largest city, was all it took for thousands of young Brazilians to immerse themselves in K-Pop culture.

Beyond the concerts on successive nights at Allianz Parque Stadium, the presentations of Son RM, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, Jin, V and Jungkook were further proof of the impact these seven young musicians are having on the new generations of South Americans.

As had already occurred in Sao Paulo with famed artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction, expectations for seeing BTS in a grand concert kept building for several months, to the point that many youths from every region and even from neighbouring countries camped out for as long as 90 days to make sure they got the best seats.

Gabriela, who travelled here from Buenos Aires, told EFE that K-Pop culture entered her country with the South Korean kiddie dramas shown on TV, and now she longs for BTS or some of the other bands in the movement to visit Argentina.

Romina, an Uruguayan medical student, said that K-Pop became part of her life when she first heard a song by BTS on the radio in her dad's car. The group, she said, also "has its visual side. Besides singing, they dance," so they put on more of a show onstage.

But it's not just youngsters that identify with K-Pop - 49-year-old Rocio Arguello, who travelled to Brazil from Paraguay with some 60 other people, got to know the K-Pop movement through his daughter, a fan of another South Korean band.

"K-Pop has a lot of fans in Paraguay. The biggest group is the BTS. It grew and we've already had a festival with lesser groups," Arguello told EFE.

The year 2018 was an absolute record for BTS, which besides its recorded hits became the first South Korean group nominated for Grammy Awards, and even without singing in English topped the Billboard list of sales in the United States.

The global impact of BTS and of the whole K-Pop culture also made it big in Brazil, a country with a large volume of Asian immigration in the last century.

The Brazilian sisters Hiromi and Miuki of Japanese descent consider that in K-Pop, "it's all different, really diversified, a lot of new things that Americanized things don't have nowadays," and noted, besides the music videos and choreography, the "love that is perceived" by its followers.

For diehard fans, habitual purchasers of food, clothes, makeup and K-Pop albums, social networks have contributed to spreading the name and fame of South Korean bands, "chiefly in schools," where hair coloured and cut in the BTS style is seen all the time and every bit of news about the group is greeted with screaming enthusiasm.

The first signs of the movement appeared in 1998 and were seen by the South Korean government as "power." After realizing that this youthful style was injecting $4.7 billion into the nation's economy through trade, tourism and industry, it created the Culture Ministry's K-Pop Department.

In the decade between 2007-2017, South Korea went from 30th to sixth place in the world disc market, ahead of such countries as Brazil.

The South Korean musical group BTS, which this weekend performed in front of 84,000 people in all at two concerts here in the nation's largest city, was all it took for thousands of young Brazilians to immerse themselves in K-Pop culture.

The South Korean musical group BTS, which this weekend performed in front of 84,000 people in all at two concerts here in the nation's largest city, was all it took for thousands of young Brazilians to immerse themselves in K-Pop culture. Beyond the concerts on successive nights at Allianz Parque Stadium, the presentations of Son RM, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, Jin, V and Jungkook were further proof of the impact these seven young musicians are having on the new generations of South Americans. As had already occurred in Sao Paulo with famed artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction, expectations for seeing BTS in a grand concert kept building for several months, to the point that many youths from every region and even from neighbouring countries camped out for as long as 90 days to make sure they got the best seats. Gabriela, who travelled here from Buenos Aires, told EFE that K-Pop culture entered her country with the South Korean kiddie dramas shown on TV, and now she longs for BTS or some of the other bands in the movement to visit Argentina. Romina, an Uruguayan medical student, said that K-Pop became part of her life when she first heard a song by BTS on the radio in her dad's car. The group, she said, also "has its visual side. Besides singing, they dance," so they put on more of a show onstage. But it's not just youngsters that identify with K-Pop - 49-year-old Rocio Arguello, who travelled to Brazil from Paraguay with some 60 other people, got to know the K-Pop movement through his daughter, a fan of another South Korean band. "K-Pop has a lot of fans in Paraguay. The biggest group is the BTS. It grew and we've already had a festival with lesser groups," Arguello told EFE. The year 2018 was an absolute record for BTS, which besides its recorded hits became the first South Korean group nominated for Grammy Awards, and even without singing in English topped the Billboard list of sales in the United States. The global impact of BTS and of the whole K-Pop culture also made it big in Brazil, a country with a large volume of Asian immigration in the last century. The Brazilian sisters Hiromi and Miuki of Japanese descent consider that in K-Pop, "it's all different, really diversified, a lot of new things that Americanized things don't have nowadays," and noted, besides the music videos and choreography, the "love that is perceived" by its followers. For diehard fans, habitual purchasers of food, clothes, makeup and K-Pop albums, social networks have contributed to spreading the name and fame of South Korean bands, "chiefly in schools," where hair coloured and cut in the BTS style is seen all the time and every bit of news about the group is greeted with screaming enthusiasm. The first signs of the movement appeared in 1998 and were seen by the South Korean government as "power." After realizing that this youthful style was injecting $4.7 billion into the nation's economy through trade, tourism and industry, it created the Culture Ministry's K-Pop Department. In the decade between 2007-2017, South Korea went from 30th to sixth place in the world disc market, ahead of such countries as Brazil.

South Korean pop music awes Brazilian youth

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiled, clapped and said he was "deeply moved" by a rare performance by South Korean K-pop stars in Pyongyang, state media reported Monday.

The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people.

Kim, the first North Korean leader ever to attend a show by entertainers from the South, shook hands with the performers and "expressed his deep thanks to them," the North's official KCNA news agency reported.

"He said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South's side," KCNA said.

The visit by the South's entertainers, seen as part of a cultural charm offensive by Seoul, comes as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace on the peninsula ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit later this month.

Kim said he was likely to be busy "because of his complicated political program early in April," so he was glad to make it to the concert which he credited with bringing the "spring of peace".

The 120-member South Korean group -- 11 musical acts as well as dancers, technicians and martial artists -- gave one concert on Sunday with another set for Tuesday.

Kim and his wife were seen clapping their hands during the two-hour Sunday event, which was also attended by Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the North's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam.

The concert at the elaborately decorated 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theatre ended with a standing ovation by the packed audience after a finale featuring all the stars singing a song about unification.

'They sang along'

One of the most closely watched acts was Red Velvet, part of the South's hugely popular K-pop phenomenon that has taken audiences in Asia and beyond by storm.

Even leader Kim acknowledged that there had been "so much interest in whether I'd come to see Red Velvet or not".

The five-member girlband -- known for its signature K-pop mix of upbeat electronic music and high-voltage choreography -- performed two of their hits, "Bad Boy" and "Red Flavour".

"The North's audience applauded our performance much louder than we expected and even sang along to our songs... it was a big relief," band member Yeri told reporters.

The ongoing rapprochement was triggered by the South's Winter Olympics, to which the North's leader Kim Jong Un sent athletes, cheerleaders and his sister as an envoy.

Kim followed up by agreeing to a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and offering a face-to-face meet with US President Donald Trump. Kim also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week during his first overseas trip.

The inter-Korean summit, the third such event after meetings in 2000 and 2007, will be held on April 27. No date has been set for the US-North Korean summit although it is expected before the end of May.

 
&nbsp

The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiled, clapped and said he was "deeply moved" by a rare performance by South Korean K-pop stars in Pyongyang, state media reported Monday. The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people. Kim, the first North Korean leader ever to attend a show by entertainers from the South, shook hands with the performers and "expressed his deep thanks to them," the North's official KCNA news agency reported. "He said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South's side," KCNA said. The visit by the South's entertainers, seen as part of a cultural charm offensive by Seoul, comes as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace on the peninsula ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit later this month. Kim said he was likely to be busy "because of his complicated political program early in April," so he was glad to make it to the concert which he credited with bringing the "spring of peace". The 120-member South Korean group -- 11 musical acts as well as dancers, technicians and martial artists -- gave one concert on Sunday with another set for Tuesday. Kim and his wife were seen clapping their hands during the two-hour Sunday event, which was also attended by Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the North's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam. The concert at the elaborately decorated 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theatre ended with a standing ovation by the packed audience after a finale featuring all the stars singing a song about unification. 'They sang along' One of the most closely watched acts was Red Velvet, part of the South's hugely popular K-pop phenomenon that has taken audiences in Asia and beyond by storm. Even leader Kim acknowledged that there had been "so much interest in whether I'd come to see Red Velvet or not". The five-member girlband -- known for its signature K-pop mix of upbeat electronic music and high-voltage choreography -- performed two of their hits, "Bad Boy" and "Red Flavour". "The North's audience applauded our performance much louder than we expected and even sang along to our songs... it was a big relief," band member Yeri told reporters. The ongoing rapprochement was triggered by the South's Winter Olympics, to which the North's leader Kim Jong Un sent athletes, cheerleaders and his sister as an envoy. Kim followed up by agreeing to a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and offering a face-to-face meet with US President Donald Trump. Kim also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week during his first overseas trip. The inter-Korean summit, the third such event after meetings in 2000 and 2007, will be held on April 27. No date has been set for the US-North Korean summit although it is expected before the end of May.

Kim Jong-un 'deeply moved' by South Korean pop concert: State media

south-korean-pop-concert

South Korean Pop Concert, News on South Korean Pop Concert, stories on South Korean Pop Concert, articles on South Korean Pop Concert, South Korean Pop Concert stories at Wion, South Korean Pop Concert news, South Korean Pop Concert latest news

south korean-pop-concert

South Korean pop music awes Brazilian youth

Kim Jong-un 'deeply moved' by South Korean pop concert: State media