Despite the mixed joys and sorrows, the status of K-content was solid. K-movies, which were hit the hardest since the COVID-19 incident, held out hope by releasing two 10 million-viewer films this year, and K-dramas, which achieved globalization through global OTT, succeeded in solidifying their position more firmly with ‘K-romantic comedy’ as their weapon. K-pop has expanded its influence beyond Asia, North America, and now even to Europe and South America, firmly establishing itself as a ‘genre’. We looked into the K-content that received love from people all over the world this year, categorized into movies, TV dramas, and K-pop.

The music industry in 2024 was rocked by numerous incidents and accidents, but it was also a year in which genuine hit songs that captivated both fans and the public were unleashed. If there‘s one thing that the main characters who rocked the K-pop scene this year have in common, it’s that they each put their own solid ‘identity’ forward.

Girl group aespa and band DAY6, who dominated the music charts this year, are representative examples. Since their debut in 2020, aespa has consistently put forward their so-called ‘ir taste’, based on electronic sounds, as their trademark. Thanks to further solidifying their identity with ‘Supernova’ ‘Armageddon’ in May and ‘Whiplash’ in October, they succeeded in achieving three consecutive box office hits. They also set a new K-pop record, such as the longest-running #1 on Melon (Supernova).

DAY6, who will be celebrating their 10th debut anniversary next year, has finally reached their ‘Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa’ while persistently digging into band music. They have created a ‘band boom’ within K-pop following the reverse popularity of ‘Turn a Page’, ‘Welcome to the Show’, and ‘Happy’ this year. ‘Melting’, which was released in September, also succeeded in dominating the charts for a long time, and they have grown into ‘K-pop leaders’, and have achieved the feat of being the first Korean band to perform at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 20th and 21st.

The series of reunions of ‘legendary groups’, such as BIGBANG and 2NE1, were also the result of a journey in which each member retrace their own identities. G-Dragon, who resumed solo activities in October after 7 years and 4 months, gained explosive popularity with ‘Home Sweet Home’, which he sang with BIGBANG members Taeyang and Daesung, meaning to find “my home”. 2NE1 held a solo concert in October and officially announced their team reunion after 8 years, receiving an explosive response.

Global groups such as BLACKPINK and BTS focused on solo activities this year, revealing to the world their own charms that had been somewhat overshadowed by their groups‘ individuality.

BLACKPINK’s Rosé broke new records for female K-pop artists on major overseas charts such as the US Billboard (#8 on the ‘Hot 100’) and the UK Official (#2 on the ‘Singles Top 100’) with her album ‘Rosie’, which honestly captures her 20s, and the track ‘Apartment’. Lisa and Jennie have truly demonstrated their capabilities as solo artists with global hits such as ‘New Woman’ and ‘Mantra’, respectively.

BTS‘s RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who released a series of works they completed before their military service, also showed off their continued prowess by placing their solo songs side by side on foreign media’s year-end charts such as Billboard and the UK‘s NME.


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com