K-pop is growing internationally and expanding into Europe and America. K-pop is accelerating increasing AMWF relationships and interactions at an unprecedented rate. At first, it may all just sound like some up-tempo pop numbers, but for those international K-pop fans, K-pop is clearly more than just music.

Hallyu is all the rage right now among young teens in Europe. The term literally means “Korean Wave” in Chinese when the term was adopted by Chinese media. From elaborate 10-step Korean skincare regimens to Korean dramas to Mukbang to AMWF relationship shows on YouTube, it’s safe to say South Korean pop culture has become a prominent cultural influence in Europe. And at the heart of Hallyu is the wildly popular K-pop culture (picture hysterical, shrill, overbearing fangirls!)

Hallyu may have been building for over two decades, but it’s only been five to ten years since k-pop entered the global scene and won hearts with its production values, addictive tunes, and slick choreography. It’s no surprise why white girls in AMWF relationships are often big fans of K-pop. There’s even large communities who support AMWF porn these days.

What is K-pop?

K-pop, full form Korean pop is a subset of the popular Korean pop music that centres around male and female “idol” groups. These groups are constituted by a parade of attractive looking performers who are trained for years in gruelling military-like studio systems until they perfect the art of singing and dancing in perfect synchrony.

Their musical genre consists of pop, rock, R&B, hip hop and electronic. In addition to the music, K-pop has become wildly popular as a subculture consisting of fashion and style mostly emulated by teenagers and young adults. What started as a popular entertainment subculture in Asia has now spread all over the world, taking hold of the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and Europe. As of December 2017, about 73.12 million people from 92 countries have shown active interest in K-pop.

K-pop Wave Laps against European Shores

The international rise of K-pop is best attributed to Psy’s Gangnam Style that swept the world following its release back in 2012. It was the first K-pop song that reached No.1 spot on the British Official Singles Chart and also topped the charts in many European countries like Italy, France, Germany and Russia. It has crossed 3 billion views on YouTube since its release in July 2012.

During the early years in June 2011, Paris saw two sell-out concerts featuring flagship groups of SM like Girl’s Generation, Super Junior and SHINee. The concert drew over 14,000 fans, screaming and singing along with the Korean lyrics. This was the first large-scale K-pop concert in Europe, and it gave them the confidence to take the much-anticipated plunge in the European market according to SM Entertainment CEO, Kim Young-Min. SM Entertainment is just one of the many agencies that handle everything from recruitment of the stars to music production.

Fast forward to 2017, The Great Escape, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe, staged a “K-pop Night Out”, opening up doorways for South Korean artists in the preceding years.

K-pop Success In Europe



K-pop success in Europe is no accident. The South Korean government invested millions of dollars into the ministry of culture, especially K-pop following the Asian financial crisis in 1998. This is popularly referred to as the South Korean government’s Soft Power push. A study released by the University of London said that South Korea has seen an estimated return of $5 for every $1 they spend on K-pop.

Thanks to the likes to Psy and BTS, K-pop in Europe is popular more than ever, joining the mainstream media. People may not talk about K-pop in their everyday life but did you know half of Stan twitter are Europeans? Almost every K-pop concert in almost every European city is sold out in less than 30 minutes, and all VIP seats are sold out in less than 3 minutes.

The Hallyu wave of the 2nd generation (K-pop) made as big of an impact in Europe as it did in the US. Groups like BTS, EPIK HIGH, Seven O’Clock, Sam Kim, AlphaBAT, and IMFACT are widely popular across Europe. Check out this video of JAYKEEOUT interviewing White girls and guys in Berlin, Germany:

Upcoming K-Pop Concerts In Europe

The number of K-pop concerts over the past few years across Europe has increased. It used to be that the closest thing that a K-pop fan could get to their favourite idol groups was YouTube. Things have changed for the better. Thanks to the internet, there is frequent interaction by artists online. It’s become a lot easier for K-pop artists to expand their international reach. With fans eager to see their favourite K-pop idols in the flesh, the tour stops by multiple K-pop bands and artists are increasing by the year.

Let’s start with the biggest.

BTS

After a major sell out in the O2 concert in London back in October, BTS has yet again sold out all of their European dates for their upcoming tour Love Yourself; Speak Yourself. The tickets went on sale on March 1 and saw a major stampede at the Ticketmaster. The ticketing site even trended all over Twitter! According to Metro UK, the 90,000 seats at Wembley Stadium in London sold out in just 90 minutes. For the first time, a K-pop band has now officially joined the ranks of superstars like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Madonna, Ed Sheeran, Queen, Taylor Swift and One Direction that have sold out in the football stadium. This one, definitely, is for the books.

As if this was not overwhelming enough, the demand for the tickets was so high that Wembley had to add another date for June 2. This speaks volumes about the dedication of fans and the far-reaching appeal it has had not just in London but all over Europe. BTS has also added a second show to their Paris (Stade de France) concert for June 7&8.

More Gigs

EPIK HIGH starts tour on March 13 (across 7 countries, 7 cities) and other gigs lined up for April include Seven O’Clock (starting in the Czech Republic and ending in Spain), Sam Kim, AlphaBAT, IMFACT, and MONT. More shows are coming up in the following months like SF9, Bursters, Eic Nam, Monsta X, A.C.E, Hyukoh, Epik High, Sik-K, Bang Yongguk, and more.

All these K-pop acts and more have taken on local arenas and venues for their own tours, some even making history in the process (BTS broke into the top 40 of the UK Official Charts and landed atop the iTunes charts in Europe and across 60 countries). Mind you, 2019 has just begun, and these are just some of the confirmed events happening in the first half of the year.

Now don’t be fooled by the fact that just because BTS and others have sold out their tickets doesn’t mean its all rosy and pink all the time. Some are still progressing, still on their way to greatness. Blackpink for example, despite all set to be the first Korean band to perform at Coachella, have yet to sell out 5 of their 6 concerts as part of their In Your Area tour. Perhaps they are still on their way to the top? Perhaps our fans prefer idol boys over girls? Or perhaps I will leave that for another article another day.

K-pop is Accelerating AMWF Relationships



AMWF couples are rapidly growing in size. Check out the cool AMWF couple above. Speaking of K-pop idol boys, there is an increasing number of happy European girls falling head over heels for these immortal Prince-like dancing machines with dark hair (or not anymore?), sparkling eyes, glass skin, hairless slim physiques, infinitely airbrushed bodies and impossibly perfect dance moves with their back flips and front flips. It’s no wonder these K-pop male idols are called “idols” – they have a religious-like following of fangirls.

It’s safe to assume the K-pop trend has played a major role in the increasing rate of AMWF relationships among European girls and Asian men. Many European fan girls in AMWF relationships or looking for one have developed a slight interest and sometimes extreme infatuation with K-pop thanks to the Hallyu wave. These girls are consumed by the idea of K-pop idols and in such a way that they have started to take a big interest in young Korean and Asian men. Of course, one problem is that these girls may have impossibly high expectations, thanks to the internet which is highly saturated with highly stylized, smooth, and perfectly manicured Korean boys from K-pop videos.

The good thing is that this interest is turning something around for good. For starters, what began as a hunt for replicas of glossy Korean men on the internet is making our European girls realize that they are indeed living, breathing men with the same positives and faults as the men from their own country or any other country for that matter. It has, in a way also helped to break the stereotypical images of Asian men as weak, submissive, short, nerdy and just non-masculine overall that is presented in Hollywood. The result is that white women around the world are invariably turning their eyes to Asian guys and we couldn’t be happier.

K-Pop Fans in Europe

There are many fans of K-pop in Europe. Here’s a preview.

K-pop Fan clubs and meetups

Since K-pop is more than a style of music but a culture in itself. Fans are known to meet up and share impressions, ideas and tips about their favourite K-pop idols. K-pop meetups and clubs have now become a thing across Europe. Social networking sites like meetup.com, for example, has multiple meet up groups for Korean lovers in London and across the continent. There are fan groups, both public and private that meets up to share their love for K-pop, culture, language, food, and more. Punk K-Pop Academy is where fans meet up to learn K-pop dance in Ireland, Cork.

UK BTS ARMY is a notable fan group that comes together every now and then to host fun activities like food, games, karaoke, raffle and discussions about future fan projects. This is for K-pop fans across Birmingham, London and Manchester. Radio Kimchi and RKUK are other meet up groups based in London.

K-pop Parties for AMWF Dating

You can also party the K-pop way! You might even meet and find someone at these k-pop parties who you can start an AMWF relationship with. This technique is a lot easier than using online dating apps. This is a great spot for Asian men and White women to meet. You can be just like some famous AMWF couples out there. There are K-pop parties hosted frequently these days, and the one recently was the one with O2 Islington on 29th March in London. Living outside of London? No worries. YoungBros have got some great K-pop parties lined up across the UK, and they will be held in three cities in Glasgow (Scotland), Bristol (UK) and Manchester (UK). This is a part of the next month’s ‘Spring Blossom Edition’ on 6th, 12th and 13th April respectively. If you’re coming, remember to wear something floral.

Pushing the Boundaries: Plastic Surgery Social Acceptance

A unique aspect of K-pop boy bands is the fashion-forward attributes among the members. It is very common for male K-pop stars to sport clothing or items that are fashion-forward like makeup, earrings, and are open to plastic surgery enhancements. K-pop is well known for pushing the boundaries of gender roles and cosmetic surgery acceptance globally, and you can see traces of it in the South Korean contemporary society. One example is the increasing demand for plastic surgery among men, clearly inspired by a culture that cares about beauty. A survey showed that about 44 per cent of the male students in University considered undergoing plastic surgery to enhance their looks. (Holliday & Elfving-Hwang, 2012). It’s no surprise how culture-forward Asian men are in the plastic surgery market. As a result, Asian men are becoming more and more handsome and appealing to white girls, and the AMWF tide is more than just a trend.

Conclusion

It was only recently that K-pop started to break out huge in the European market, but it has already started growing at a rapid pace. It is no ordinary feat for a foreign speaking band to be able to sell out in a stadium that only the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna and Beyonce were able to do so. AMWF couples – Asian guys and white girls are incredibly happy about the growing trend. The talent and the potential it has is fast leveraging its way into the European mainstream market, and before we know it, every kid will be grooving to K-pop numbers. So who is your favorite K-pop band and do you think k-pop will help accelerate AMWF relationships? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to follow us on Instagram.