[News Terms] Y2K: The 'Y3K' Surpassing the Year 1000 Is Coming

Futuristic 'Soe-mat' Sensibility of the 3000s
Active Use of K-pop Idol Singers like aespa
Reflecting Future Outlook Rather Than Millennial Anxiety

Y3K is gaining attention as a new trend beyond the Y2K retro craze. Y3K stands for 'Year of 3000,' with the 'K' derived from the first letter of 'Kilo,' which denotes a thousand in English.

Y3K refers to a futuristic style that might exist in the 3000s. It mainly features silver, glossy, and metallic materials commonly associated with the 'future,' combined with fantasy elements from sci-fi movies and games. The concept is completed by subtly adding current digital sensibilities such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, and holograms, creating a science-fictional theme.

Girl group aespa

This trend is said to have started primarily in East Asia, including South Korea. In particular, K-Pop idol singers have actively incorporated Y3K elements into their albums and stage concepts, gaining popularity both domestically and internationally. The girl group aespa is famous for pursuing costumes, makeup, and choreography aligned with their AI worldview established since their debut in 2020. Earlier, in 2013, the boy group TVXQ attracted attention by performing a song titled 'Y3K' while riding a moving spaceship model at their Nissan Stadium concert in Japan.

The fashion and beauty industries are also paying attention to Y3K. On the 26th of last month (local time), a fusion fashion show called 'Y3K Kore' was held in Paris, France, reinterpreting stage costumes of K-Pop singers. The fashion show drew attention with attendees including representatives from famous Parisian department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon March?, as well as VIPs from the French fashion industry. The cyborg look showcased by American Hollywood actress Zendaya, a representative star of Generation Z in the U.S., at the February premiere of the sci-fi fantasy film 'Dune: Part 2' surprised the related industries.

Y3K is not actually an unfamiliar concept. A similar cyber concept was popular in the late 1990s. The stage for the song 'Molla' from singer Uhm Jung-hwa's fifth studio album released in 1999 utilized a cyber warrior worldview. Games set in space, such as the strategy simulation 'StarCraft,' where humans and aliens compete for power on alien planets, were immensely popular.

StarCraft Remastered GG Together
[Photo by Akyung DB]

However, Y3K differs from the retro sentiment of Y2K, which is currently trending. Y2K reflects the anxieties felt by the millennial generation around the year 2000. At that time, the Y2K (Millennium) bug, a computer date notation problem, and the fear of the apocalypse predicted by the medieval European prophet Nostradamus swept the world. Y2K is a style that freely reflects vague and unknown anxieties about the future.

In contrast, Y3K expresses a stronger sense of 'futurism' rather than anxiety. It reflects a more advanced world and future possibilities realized through AI technologies such as the metaverse and avatars. The biggest appeal of Y3K is breaking down the boundaries between reality and virtuality. Due to the cold feeling given by silver, gloss, and metallic elements, Y3K is sometimes called 'soemmat' (literally 'metal taste'). When cultural and artistic sensibilities meet advanced technology, how to digest the 'soemmat' elements is a key point in bringing the Y3K sensibility to life.