A few recent news reports have highlighted the popularity of Korean pop music in France. On TV, there were interviews with young French K-pop fans, who gathered in front of the Louvre calling for an extra concert of Korean teen idol groups after the tickets for the first sold out. Another report covered the arrival of 50 French teens who visited Seoul for an event to meet a pop band. Many Koreans felt that the "Korean Wave" has finally arrived on Europe's shores.

And why not? Impeccably groomed, their dances worked out to a T and with addictive rhythms to boot, they are bound to dazzle young audiences. But it may be too early to conclude that the Korean Wave has gripped Europe after a few performances by a handful of groups.

Paris is a melting pot where people from a wide range of different cultures co-exist and a culture of mutual respect has grown up. Also, the French are interested in learning about unusual things and are very open to other cultures. It is quite common to see different cultures becoming chic among the French. Interest in Asian culture has been around for some time, with Japanese and Indian culture among the favorites. Asian food, comics, geishas, Jacuzzis, yoga, meditation and Buddhist beliefs have spread.

Also, France has no manufactured bands of its own, and it has become increasingly difficult to find them even in the U.S. But teens are always searching for figures they can look up to, and French youngsters are getting a taste of teen idols from around the world from YouTube and other Internet sources. That is the medium offering Korean idol groups a chance to reach European audiences.

The European market is huge, but it is also very difficult to break into. Korean singers need to offer more than beats and tunes familiar to European audiences and must appeal to their craving for originality and pizzazz. They have to offer something fans will love even when they grow up, otherwise they will be a flash in the pan. They need to appeal to audiences' emotions.

I have met French people who told me that the synchronized dances of K-pop bands remind them of Fascism or other ideologies that stress group uniformity, while others said all of the singers look the same. Others said they have never heard of Korean pop music.

In fact, the popularity of K-pop may remain restricted to a small niche market. People in each European country have vastly different tastes. Many people in Europe may simply think Koreans, Japanese and Chinese are more or less the same and refer to all of us as "Asians." We should not overestimate the fad.

Unlike other industries, the music industry is cultural in essence and reflects a constant flow of feelings and moods among the people of a particular era. Before calculating their potential profits and taking on the European music market, Koreans in the industry need to get a feel of the emotions and cultures of each European country.

By Shin Yeon-ah of the band Big Mama