Foreign Idol

While K-Pop has been embraced all over the world, it’s still difficult for foreigners to find their place in the industry. Caty speaks Korean well, but struggles with communication at times. Haeryun wonders if this is getting in the way of her being cast by a K-Pop entertainment agency. Then again, there are very successful foreigners in the industry like Lisa in Blackpink.

In order to determine Caty’s place as an Asian-American in K-Pop, Haeryun traces the origins of the genre from Seoul’s underground nightclubs in the 90s to global stars like Psy and BTS. Then, both Caty and Haeryun meet the K-Pop girl group Blackswan, which is composed entirely of non-Koreans.

Consultant: Suk-Young Kim