Park Jin-young Discusses K-pop's Journey in the U.S. Market

Park Jin-young, a prominent figure in the K-pop industry and the mastermind behind successful groups like Wonder Girls, TWICE, and Stray Kids, shared his insights during a press conference in Los Angeles on the 21st. He emphasized that while there have been many success stories, K-pop has yet to become mainstream in the American market. "There remains a significant challenge in appealing to the general public beyond the existing K-pop fanbase," he stated.

Park is in the U.S. to perform at the CJ ENM 'MAMA Awards,' which will take place at 7 PM local time (12 PM KST) on the 22nd. This marks the first time a domestic music awards ceremony has been held in the U.S. since its inception 25 years ago in 1999. He noted the importance of creating 'noise' in the U.S. music market, which he believes is crucial for garnering the attention of the general public. He views this event as a necessary step in elevating K-pop from a 'marginal culture' to mainstream recognition. During the awards, he is set to share the stage with renowned American artist Anderson .Paak.

As a pioneer in K-pop's expansion into the U.S. since the 2000s, Park reflected on his journey, stating, "When I first attempted to introduce K-pop to America, it felt like a wild dream. Looking back, it feels surreal to be performing at the MAMA Awards here today." He also mentioned his close friend, Lee Mi-kyung, Vice Chairperson of CJ Group, who shared a similar dream and has achieved significant success, including an Academy Award for the film Parasite, which was invested in by CJ ENM. He remarked, "Our reckless challenges have become a reality."

However, Park acknowledged that K-pop still has a long way to go to establish itself in the world's largest music market. He questioned why it has taken so long for an awards ceremony to be held in the U.S. despite the global popularity of many K-pop artists. He explained that becoming mainstream in the American market is a complex and challenging task that cannot be achieved through popularity alone. He considers the fact that this attempt is happening now to be very special.

Regarding future strategies for K-pop to grow into a mainstream phenomenon, Park stated, "The success of K-pop can be attributed to accurately analyzing what fans want. Moving forward, we need to expand the fanbase of existing artists while also introducing localized artists to build entirely new fan segments." He acknowledged that while groups like TWICE and Stray Kids are exceptional, their primary activities cannot solely be based in the U.S., necessitating the introduction of localized artists to broaden K-pop's reach. He even suggested that AI virtual idols, which lack nationality and human characteristics, could be a potential direction for the future.

During the pre-event press conference, the SM Entertainment boy group RISE expressed their aspirations, stating, "If we showcased our determination at last year's MAMA, this year we want to present a more relaxed and grown-up version of ourselves." American member Anton shared his excitement, recalling his past experiences as an audience member at CJ ENM's KCON in the U.S. and how meaningful it is for him to perform on that stage now.

Park Chan-wook, head of CJ ENM's Convention Business Division, highlighted the significance of hosting the MAMA Awards at the Dolby Theatre, the venue for the Academy Awards, and mentioned the potential for expanding the event to other U.S. cities in the future.