Is K-pop's global strategy backfiring? As popularity soars abroad, domestic interest wanes

Korea Herald

a day ago

Absence of breakout rookie girl groups and weakening domestic fandom raise concerns for K-pop's future at home
Despite chart-topping hits on Billboard and sold-out world tours across the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, K-pop's grip on its home turf appears to be slipping.
Industry experts are sounding the alarm over a growing disconnect between the genre's global success and its dwindling influence at home — particularly as the domestic fanbase, once the engine of the K-pop phenomenon, shows signs of fatigue.
At the heart of the issue is a conspicuous absence of breakthrough rookie girl groups in the first half of 2025. These groups have historically driven fandom growth and revitalized the market, but this year's lineup failed to deliver the same impact.
Data released in the Circle Chart's 2025 Mid-Year Report backs this up.
Total digital music consumption for the top 400 songs fell by 6.4 percent year-on-year and compared to the genre's 2019 peak, it has plunged by a staggering 49.7 percent.
Meanwhile, physical album sales — a metric typically bolstered by passionate fans — also dropped by 9 percent, totaling 42.4 million units, down from 46.7 million the year before.
The number of albums surpassing one million units in sales fell from nine to seven, and not a single release managed to exceed three million — a feat achieved by Seventeen just a year ago. These numbers suggest stagnation, or even a decline, in the size and spending power of domestic fandoms.
Kim Jin-woo, a data journalist at Circle Chart, noted a sharp drop in girl group dominance in the domestic market.
'In the first half of 2024, NewJeans held the top spot in market share and five girl groups were in the top 10. This year, only aespa, Ive and NewJeans made the cut,' Kim said.
Kim also cited growing listener fatigue stemming from similar-sounding concepts and English-heavy lyrics aimed at overseas audiences — part of a broader 'de-K-pop' strategy that may be alienating local fans.
'Many groups now focus on global accessibility, often gravitating toward a narrow range of genres and English lyrics,' Kim said. 'This might attract international listeners but has started to exhaust interest at home.'
Music critic Lim Hee-yun also pointed out that shifting media consumption habits have weakened the dominance of idol groups.
'With music increasingly consumed through self-produced content, fan platforms and social media, fandoms are less concentrated,' he said. 'Idols used to dominate the charts thanks to mass fan activity, but that's no longer the case. In contrast, solo artists are resonating more with casual listeners.'
The Top 10 of the 2025 mid-year digital chart paints a telling picture: Solo acts like Woodz with 'Drowning' at No. 1, Hwang Garam with 'I Am a Firefly' at No. 3 and Jo Jazz with 'Don't You Know' at No. 7 — none of whom enjoy major global recognition — significantly outperformed their idol group counterparts. Seven of the Top 10 artists were solo performers, leaving aespa, Ive and Boynextdoor as the only groups in the Top 10.
Lim added that while idol tracks are 'fun and powerful,' they often lack emotional depth.
'Ballads or rock-inflected songs with strong melodic structure and individual expression are better suited for immersive listening,' he said.
Industry officials warn that this trend raises serious questions about the sustainability of K-pop's current trajectory. A sluggish domestic market could eventually undermine the health of the entire ecosystem.
'As K-pop pursued global mainstream appeal, the music took on a more (Western) pop-oriented flavor — but unless you're on the level of BTS' Jungkook, that strategy rarely pays off,' an entertainment official said. 'Even with its global expansion, K-pop remains confined to a subculture category rather than breaking into the true global mainstream.'