K-Pop Conquering Japan, Taking the Global Stage [The Future of K-Content④]

Discovering Artists Through CJ ENM's Value Chain 'MCS' Survival Programs
Operating Platforms for Fan Interaction, Producing Mnet's "Boys Planet"
Localizing "Produce 101" in Japan
"Japanese Entertainment Companies Use K-pop as a Model"

K-pop is produced, distributed, and consumed through multinational and multicultural processes. It is more open than any other global popular music genre and crosses the boundaries between mainstream and non-mainstream. Its unique inclusiveness and flexibility are most effectively demonstrated when cultural universality is added through media platforms. The model that maximizes this system is CJ ENM's MCS (Music Creative eco-System). MCS is a 'value chain' encompassing intellectual property (IP) planning, platforms, and management. It discovers and supports artists through survival programs and creates spaces for interaction with fans via various platforms. A representative example is "Boys Planet," which aired on Mnet in 2023. It received 9.4 million votes from K-pop fans in 184 countries, leading to the formation of ZeroBaseOne.

JO1, the first group to debut under Lapone Entertainment, is expanding its fandom globally.
[Photo by CJ ENM]

This strategy is also effective in Japan. In 2019, CJ ENM partnered with Japanese entertainment agency Yoshimoto Kogyo to establish Lapone Entertainment. They transplanted the survival program "Produce 101," which was conducted in Korea, into the local market and formed JO1 and INI. The former has topped the Oricon charts with every album released. Expanding their fandom globally, they have been conducting a world tour across North America and Asia since last month. The latter sold over one million copies of their album released last year. INI and Snow Man are the only boy groups to achieve million-seller status in Japan last year.

The reasons for their popularity are similar to those of ZeroBaseOne. Takami Mino, a JO1 fan, said, "Because the system allows fans to vote for their favorite members to debut, they perceive the idols not as 'given idols' but as 'idols I discovered.'" Yoko, who supports another Lapone group, Issue, said, "They were selected through auditions and have excellent musical and linguistic expressiveness. Their music videos are more sophisticated than those of typical Japanese groups."

As JO1 and INI gain popularity, changes are occurring in the Japanese music industry. Broadcasters are increasingly scheduling audition programs similar to "Produce 101 Japan." Entertainment companies managing idol groups are actively incorporating rap and K-pop performances. They are also accelerating overseas promotion and performances through social networking services (SNS). Japanese K-pop journalist Yuka Kuwahata said, "Many entertainment companies are adopting K-pop artists as business models," adding, "They refer most to Lapone groups, which are the closest successful examples."

JO1, embarking on a world tour, will also perform at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Seoul on the 29th and 30th.
[Photo by CJ ENM]

Lapone has also brought about a major innovation in the broadcasting industry. The first episode of the first season of "Produce 101 Japan" was aired not on TV Asahi, which has a close relationship with Yoshimoto Kogyo, but on TBS. Afterwards, it was streamed on GYAO, Yahoo Japan's video streaming platform, and the final episode was again broadcast on TBS. The second season was supplied exclusively to GYAO and Lemino, a video platform owned by NTT Docomo, rather than any broadcaster. The third season aired episodes 1 through 10 on Lemino, with the final episode on TBS. All broadcast content was uploaded to YouTube three days after airing. Media industry critic Dr. Youngshin Cho evaluated in his book "After Netflix" that "it clearly targets the global market in a way impossible under the typical production committee system."

In fact, the ultimate goal of Lapone groups is global establishment. Heeseok Lim, Lapone's Chief Operating Officer (COO), said, "JO1 has performed on KCON stages held in Korea, Japan, the United States, Germany, and other countries since their debut year," adding, "After completing their world tour at Tokyo Dome on the 21st of next month, we plan to collect reactions and data from each country to determine the next step." Kuwahata recalled her experience covering the launch press conference of "Produce 101 Japan" in 2019 and predicted a bright future. "At that time, I wrote in an article that 'Japanese idol trainees also have a chance to fly to a distant world.' Now, five years later, watching JO1 on a world tour is deeply moving. More groups can break through the barriers of the global market that J-pop could not overcome by modeling themselves after K-pop."