NYT: K-Pop Stars More Productive than American Teen Idols

NYT: K-Pop Stars More Productive than American Teen Idols The US daily reported Monday that American teen-pop at its peak has never been as productive as K-pop after fans in New York had the chance to see SM Entertainment's showcase at Madison Square Garden Sunday night starring major K-pop stars.

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The New York Times article noted that Korea is rich in companies that specialize in manufacturing a steady stream of teenage idols, unlike the United States where a vast amount of work is required to make just one like Justin Bieber. The paper also commented that K-pop has excelled at putting together large groups of various configurations that seem to defy logic and order which was made possible by Korea's environment of relentless change and adaptation, both in participants and in style.

After watching the show, the writer rated SHINee as the "most ambitious" based on their bold looks, boy band Super Junior as one of the show's highlights, and Girls' Generation as the best representation of K-pop's coy, shiny values in keeping with a chaste night that satisfied the demand of American fans.

K-pop has been gaining global influence and popularity over the past few years, and in August, Billboard inaugurated a K-Pop Hot 100 chart reflecting the spread of Hallyu, or the Korean wave.
Many acts release albums in Korean and in other languages, and inroads, however slight, are being made into the American marketplace.

Song Ji-sun, Arirang News.