logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
16m 51s

Who’s got the power? K-pop stars, their ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

K-pop girl group NewJeans announced they were leaving their record label during an emergency press conference last week. This follows months of public disagreements between the label, the band, and fans. But the group is tied into a contract until 2029. So, what happens now?

Our reporter, Fan Wang, breaks it all down and the BBC’s Music Correspondent, Mark Savage, helps us with the question on everyone’s lips… if they do leave their agency do they get to keep their music and their name?

We also talk about Riize. One of its members has recently left the band after fan backlash. We take a look at how much power K-pop fans have over their idols with Julie Yoonnyung Lee, our resident K-pop expert.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison, Emily Horler and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

Up next
Today
Why your plane’s GPS might be sabotaged (but don’t be scared)
<p>GPS interference or GPS ‘jamming’ is getting more common. It’s when radio signals on the same frequencies as GPS satellites are used to overwhelm and block legitimate navigation signals. It’s led to pilots having to make emergency landings or switch to older non-GPS systems. T ... Show More
8m 57s
Yesterday
COP30 made some progress, but not on fossil fuels
<p>COP30, the big meeting where countries discuss climate change annually, has finished. This year it was hosted in the city of Belem in Brazil, in the Amazon forest, which is directly affected by it. The role of the two biggest emitters has also made headlines. The United States ... Show More
14m 27s
Nov 21
The ancient origins of kissing
<p>Scientists at Oxford University in the UK now think that kissing evolved more than 21 million years ago, and it wasn’t humans that started it.</p><p>As a behaviour, it has no obvious survival or reproductive benefits but it’s seen across the world, in humans and animals alike. ... Show More
11m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
NewJeans, Hybe, and the battle at the heart of K-pop, and Rema's new album HEIS
There’s a very messy and public fight between Hybe and the CEO of its subsidiary label ADOR, Min Hee-jin, who produces the popular K-pop group NewJeans. Michelle Cho and Jennifer Zhan look at what this feud says about the high stakes of the K-pop economy and the future of NewJean ... Show More
26m 55s
Aug 2024
CALLING OUT TOXIC KPOP FANS (Le Sserafim Film, New Sabrina Carpenter, & Weirdo Stans)
With documentaries coming out about K-Pop groups, trainees, and solo artists, we decided to focus on the one that has sparked the most conversation between us — the Le Sserafim Docuseries 'Make it Look Easy'. From our opinions as fans of idols to our personal stories regarding th ... Show More
39m 33s
Apr 2025
K-pop Stans (teaser)
<p>Ever since Seo Taiji and Boys broke onto the scene in their baggy overalls back in 1992, Korea has been working to cast as wide a cultural net as possible on the world stage. And, by placing young talent through rigorous game show incubators and pumping out dozens of attractiv ... Show More
5m 49s
Sep 2024
Member Series: Jungkook
We finish up our our member series (which progressed in fan chant order) and spend more than an hour talking about the golden maknae, Jung Kook. We discuss our favorite tracks and traits, and talk about his pre-debut life and time in the dorms. Links referenced: BTS’ My Biography ... Show More
1h 11m
Jul 2024
K-Pop & Billionaire Weddings
'Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience' is coming to the BBC. It will show five boys from across the UK as they are put through the K-pop training process, the end goal being to launch a new boy band on the global stage. Why has South Korean become the cultural beacon for some man ... Show More
43m 27s
May 2024
BLACKPINK - Rise of the K-Pop Queens and Global Phenomenon
This comprehensive episode chronicles the meteoric rise of BLACKPINK, the wildly popular K-pop girl group. It covers their carefully curated formation by YG Entertainment, trailblazing debut that shook the K-pop world, global tours and record-breaking music releases like "DDU-DU ... Show More
13m 24s
Oct 16
Introducing Mission K-Pop
Caty Szeto is a woman with a dream: to become a K-Pop superstar. The 23-year-old Asian American is traveling from her home in LA to South Korea’s capital Seoul to attend a K-Pop academy. There she’ll do hardcore training in singing, dancing and styling. All this is to prepare for ... Show More
39m 48s
Sep 10
K-pop Stars ATEEZ Want to Keep Performing Even When They’re Grandfathers
K-pop Stars ATEEZ Want to Keep Performing Even When They’re Grandfathers. 
22m 14s
Oct 3
KPop Demon Hunters keeps slaying
The Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters is a mega cultural phenomenon. And the studio that used to own animation, Disney, is watching its dominance be tested...and maybe even fade. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-ch ... Show More
25m 50s