What Is “K”?*1): Hybridity, Identity, and Global Perceptions of K-Pop

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines how the meaning and boundaries of K-pop are constituted through the interplay of musical hybridity, industrial structure, and audience recognition. Moving beyond descriptive accounts of K-pop’s global success, it proposes a comparative and theoretically grounded framework that situates K-pop within the broader landscape of global popular music. Through analyses of its relationship with Swedish pop, Latin pop, and world music, the paper argues that K-pop is neither defined by fixed musical or linguistic features nor confined to Korean ethnicity or geography. Instead, its distinctiveness lies in a business model-an integrated “agency– idol system” based on “total management strategy” that combines long-term training, synchronized choreography, audiovisual storytelling, and coordinated multimedia rollouts. While this model anchors K-pop’s Korean provenance, it simultaneously enables transnational adaptability. The paper further explores how the “K” functions as a polyvalent signifier: a marker of national authorship for domestic audiences, a symbol of cosmopolitan modernity for global fans, and a representation of cultural visibility for diasporic communities. By reframing K-pop as both a cultural product and an institutional practice, this study contributes to broader discussions of hybridity, globalization, and cultural identity in popular music. It concludes by calling for further empirical research on audience perception and fan reception to clarify how K-pop’s meanings are negotiated across different cultural contexts.