[K Changers](19) Eternity Approaches K-pop's First Virtual Idol Concert

K-Pop's First Virtual Idol Eternity
Solo Concert on 14-15 This Month
Launched by Graphics Company, Not Entertainment Firm

The first virtual idol in K-pop is holding a solo concert. The protagonist is the 11-member girl group 'Eternity,' created by an AI (artificial intelligence) graphics specialist company. Eternity will hold a total of two concerts, once a day, on the 14th and 15th of this month at Ibex Studio in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. While virtual idols have occasionally appeared on music shows or events, this is the first time they are holding a long solo concert. The audience capacity is around 1,000 seats.

11-member virtual girl group Eternity (Photo by Pulse9)

Eternity debuted in 2021. It is South Korea's first virtual idol group. It can be considered the origin of recently popular virtual idols such as 'Lee Sedol,' 'Maeve,' and 'Playb.' It is truly another evolution of K-pop. There is also overseas interest. French AFP news agency and Chinese CGTN have mentioned Eternity as a new symbol of the K-pop industry, and the British BBC even came to Korea last year to cover Eternity. At that time, BBC introduced them as "the new leaders of the Korean Wave." An idol created by a seven-year-old startup company with about 20 employees has received global attention.

Application of Deep Real AI Technology

Jane appeared on home shopping (Photo by Pulse Nine)

Pulse9 created Eternity by applying the 'Deep Real Engine.' It is a 2D-based engine that can simulate changes and features of the body by learning from image data sources. For 20 years, K-pop stars have been classified into four styles, and an 'Ideal Type World Cup' was conducted among the general public to select the most chosen images as the debut team. The Ideal Type World Cup is a tournament-style content where participants choose their preferred option to determine the final winner.

The response at the time of debut in 2021 was not good. Virtual idols themselves were rare worldwide at that time, and since the company was not a specialized idol entertainment agency, they appeared somewhat 'amateurish.' In the first album's music video, they only moved while looking straight ahead. Many reactions called it 'childish.' However, when the quality of the second album changed dramatically, the 'harsh criticism' turned into 'praise.' This was thanks to the music video becoming more convincing, like that of a real idol. Their active communication also drew positive responses. At that time, employees replied to thousands of YouTube comments one by one. The latest fourth album's music video 'DTDTGMGN' has reached 6.5 million views, with over 90% of views coming from overseas. The fan community is also unique. They use 'Discord,' a messenger that includes voice chat, video chat, and screen sharing functions. They targeted Discord users who are highly interested in virtual streamers or idols.

Virtual Idols Expand Their Stage in Reality

CEO Ji-eun Park of Pulse Nine (Photo by Pulse Nine)

The 'captain' leading Pulse9 is CEO Park Ji-eun. She, who had marketing experience at Naver Happybean and CJ ENM, founded the company in 2017. Driven by curiosity about deep learning, she also attended graduate school related to it (Seoul Institute of Science and Technology Graduate School) and established a business. Initially, they created images focused on artworks, but they improved their technology to the point of creating virtual human faces, and then the idea to produce K-pop stars emerged, leading to the birth of Eternity. Her background as a marketing expert played a significant role in promoting Eternity. Eternity regularly hosted a news briefing segment on SBS Morning Wide and appeared on Arirang TV's 'Visible Radio.' These series of offline activities were all firsts for domestic virtual idols.

The virtual human market, including idols, is expected to explode from about 14 trillion won in 2020 to about 688 trillion won by 2030. Pulse9 plans to increase the IP (intellectual property) value of Eternity through active collaboration with partner companies. The first full-length album, to be released this November, includes a remake of the late Kim Kwang-seok's 'Because of Love,' composed by hitmaker Kim Hyung-seok. In addition to the concert, merchandise (MD) will also be launched. These activities are no different from those of regular idols. Furthermore, at the end of this month, they will participate in the 'Immersive Content Festival' hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) to promote K-pop virtual idols in Sweden and the UK. To secure funding, they won projects from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and KOCCA and received investment from 'Neptune,' a Kakao Games affiliate.

Park Ji-eun, CEO of Pulse9, said, "In this concert, with media art and beam light production that transcend reality and virtuality, the audience will be able to experience a new experience they have never had before in an immersive space.”