[2024 K-POP Review]② Winds of Generational Change: 4th Generation Idols and New Challenges

Global Market Domination by the 4th Generation: The Evolution of Fandom and the Dual Aspects of Business
New Challenges Posed by ESG Value Consumption and the Emotional Economy

The year 2024 marked a significant advancement for 4th generation idols in the K-POP market, clearly showcasing a generational shift. Female idol groups such as IVE, LE SSERAFIM, and NewJeans, along with male idol groups like Stray Kids, ATEEZ, and ENHYPEN, achieved remarkable results on global charts, ushering in a new era for K-POP.

Group NewJeans. [Photo by Adore]

NewJeans garnered explosive global reactions with "Super Shy," which recorded 1.5 billion views on TikTok, while IVE proved the strength of their global fandom by surpassing 100 million views on YouTube with their new song "Haya." Stray Kids reached 4th place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Lose My Breath" and set a historic record by achieving six consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200, a first in the 69-year history of the Billboard charts.

Aespa sold over 2 million copies in the first week with their first full-length album "Armageddon," setting a new record for the longest consecutive number-one on Melon and achieving a perfect all-kill on music charts. ATEEZ conducted over 50 world tours mainly across Europe and North America, attracting approximately 800,000 attendees, while ENHYPEN expanded their influence in the global market by entering the top 10 on Spotify’s global chart with their first English single "Dark Blood."

Group Stray Kids. [Photo by JYP Entertainment]

Major entertainment companies accelerated global expansion by diversifying platforms to strengthen communication with fans. HYBE built an independent platform centered on Weverse, generating an estimated fandom economy worth 465.6 billion KRW annually according to the securities industry. SM Entertainment expanded its connection with the MZ generation through short-form content on YouTube Shorts and TikTok, while JYP Entertainment pushed for local subsidiaries and audition programs to enter the South American market.

The former CEO strongly criticized the vicious cycle at a press conference, where entertainment companies and music distributors push large quantities of albums onto intermediate sellers to boost sales through "push sales." Additionally, fan sign events are held until the intermediate sellers exhaust the stock, all to increase first-week sales on the album release day. The photo shows a picture posted on an online community of the new album by the group Seventeen discarded on the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

Meanwhile, the MZ generation, the core of the 4th generation idol fandom, is forming a new fandom culture centered on ESG values. Notably, there is a marked shift in awareness regarding environmental culture. In May, Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, publicly criticized the large entertainment companies’ "album bulk-buying" marketing during a press conference, which led to an organized fandom movement demanding the introduction of eco-friendly packaging for sustainable fan activities.

Group aespa.
[Photo by SM Entertainment]

The public revelation of Aespa’s Karina’s relationship earlier this year exposed structural challenges within the 4th generation idol industry. Joo Hyun Lee, a professor in Culture and Technology Convergence at Sungkyunkwan University, analyzed, "In the current fan platform system, the affectionate relationship between idols and fans?from albums, concerts, and pop-up stores to communication and merchandise?is converted into monetary transactions, becoming a kind of contractual relationship." Jaewon Lee, a research fellow at Ewha Womans University’s Communication and Media Research Institute, pointed out, "The real crisis for current K-POP idols lies in opening an 'emotional economy market' where 'genuine emotions' have disappeared."

This phenomenon also drew attention from global media. The New York Times in the U.S. analyzed, "For K-POP to expand in the global market, a cultural shift respecting artists’ personal rights is necessary," while the UK’s The Guardian evaluated, "Idols’ dating reveals the clash between fandom expectations and reality," forecasting that this could escalate into a structural problem within the K-POP industry.

Group IVE.
[Photo by Starship Entertainment]

Amid rapidly changing global standards and fandom culture, the K-POP industry and 4th generation idols face the challenge of finding a new balance. The shift in awareness regarding environmental values and artists’ rights is expected to be both a new challenge and opportunity for the K-POP industry.