The K-POP sensation lives on.

K-POP is no longer just “on the rise” — it has already become a mainstream phenomenon. Thanks to the explosive performances of artists, borderless communication with listeners, and the devoted love of fans, K-POP has become a global sensation. Its impact extends beyond music charts, reaching industries such as entertainment, logistics, distribution, fintech, blockchain, content, and platforms. Many tech startups have emerged in Korea as a result of this trend.

Be a fan and get NFTs

If you’re a fan of the new K-POP girl group ‘TripleS’, you can join the fun. Fans of the girls can purchase a digital photo card and receive one token, which can be converted into a vote. Fans have the opportunity to exercise their rights both as token holders and as voting participants. The agency behind the system, ‘Modhaue’, is a Korea’s web3.0 platform startup. They are the first to combine fandom culture with blockchain technology to monetize the sale of NFT tokens, thus disrupting the K-POP market. This could lead to a culture where artists and their fandoms use their own cryptocurrency to trade content and merchandise.

AI makes TikTokker

Do you want to learn the latest K-POP dance craze? Just grab your smartphone and visit the ‘STEPPIN’ platform. The AI technology on STEPPIN will track your movements and teach you the dance in real time. You can then share your perfect performance on social media and even create a personalized avatar. ‘Sidewalk Entertainment’, the startup behind this service, has gained a global following by sharing dance content on social media. Once you start enjoying yourself, you’ll become a TikTok sensation in no time!

Fandom Logistics Hub

Fans are an artist’s most important customers. To enable them to purchase merchandise such as apparel with the artist’s face, signed albums, and more, a global logistics infrastructure is necessary. ‘Bemyfriends’ offers reliable global e-commerce, including payment and delivery systems, for K-POP fans worldwide. Members can access exclusive content from affiliated creators and purchase official merchandise directly from the gift shop with fast shipping. The success of K-POP is based on the belief that stars and fans are connected, and global K-POP fandom-based fulfillment makes this possible.

South Korea travel essentials: Custom cards

Ninety percent of K-POP fans in Asia, the Americas, and South America are interested in visiting Korea. When traveling to Korea, they can use the ‘Namane Card’, a special card designed for tourists. The card, created by ‘I-Aurora’, offers a unique payment method that allows users to engrave a photo of their favorite artist on the front of the card and even add personalized wording. As a result, many tourists in Korea can be seen using these personalized cards to make payments at convenience stores, department stores, and record stores. This new fintech culture for K-POP fans demonstrates the potential for fandom tech to influence economic behavior. For instance, AI could be used to analyze the best time to purchase concert tickets for optimal seating and make the purchase automatically. It’s similar to how AI robo-advisors can analyze stock portfolios and make investment decisions in many of the fintech services available today.

Live performance interaction with AI

What if instead of humans, AI hosted a show in a digital theater? A tech startup in the entertainment ‘BIGC’ recently launched ‘FanPlay,’ a feature that allows stars and fans to interact with AI. The virtual AI acts as the host, leading quizzes, polls, and other fun events. The AI audience can also support the artist with appropriate reactions to encourage fan participation. Additionally, the AI can filter out profanity and slurs in real time to manage risk during live streams. BIGC has also incorporated STT technology from HyperCLOVA X, a large-scale language model owned by Naver, South Korea’s largest search engine, to automatically generate multilingual subtitles, overcoming the language limitations of K-POP. Imagine a talk show hosted by an AI that speaks multiple languages fluently and has a great sense of humor, rivaling hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and James Corden.