Paper short abstract:

AR in K-pop is used in Music videos (MVs), concerts, etc., by giving the audience a sense of ‘closeness’ through an almost real-time experience. This paper will focus on how K-pop has utilized AR during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical interactions between fans and artists were put on hold.

Paper long abstract:

K-pop is a cultural product of the Korean Wave or Hallyu. It is a transnational cultural phenomenon that began in the 1990s in East and Southeast Asian countries such as China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. Hallyu has been divided into Hallyu 1.0, Hallyu 2.0, Hallyu 3.0 based on the advancement of technology, social media, diffusion, and spread of Hallyu worldwide. Today under Hallyu 3.0, K-pop has gained a huge fanbase worldwide from the biggest boyband in the world ‘BTS’ to the new generation idols such as Aespa. K-pop is distinguished from western pop through its uncommon storylines, concepts, and unique messages. The new generation idols utilize Augmented reality (AR) while developing group or solo concepts. AR is defined by Encyclopedia of Multimedia (2006) as “A system that enhances the real world by superimposing computer-generated information on top of it.”. K-pop is known for always being at the top of its game while launching K-pop idols to the world. Entertainment companies invest in high-end technology and focus on enriching the audiences’ experience whether online or offline. AR is also used in Music videos (MVs), concerts, etc., by giving the audience a sense of ‘closeness’ through an almost real-time experience. Therefore, this paper will focus on how K-pop has utilized AR during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical interactions between fans and artists were put on hold. Additionally, K-pop’s growing interest in VR (virtual reality) and AR will also be discussed to understand the future route of this music industry.