Sayart.net

Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com 

Now, K-Pop's popularity is expanding beyond Asia to all continents, including Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa.

In particular, the high popularity of K-Pop in the United States and Europe, which are called the home of popular music, was unimaginable until just a few years ago.

The two-day "MIK FESTIVAL Paris 2023" held in Paris, France, from the 18th to the 19th, was an event that clearly proved how popular K-Pop is now in Europe beyond Asia.

▲The performance scene of "MIK FESTIVAL Paris 2023" where you can feel the enthusiasm of K-Pop fans in Europe. / Captured by MIK FESTIVAL's official Twitter

MIK FESTIVAL is the largest K-pop festival in Europe. MIK symbolizes K-Pop music with the initials of 'Made In Korea'.

This event provides a great opportunity for European fans who are unable to access K-Pop performances frequently to enjoy them together in the same space as K-Pop musicians.

Last year, "MIK FESTIVAL" was held at Southwark Park in London from July 30th to 31st (local time), and this year, Paris, the "City of Art", was filled with K-Pop fever.

K-Pop fans from France and neighboring countries flocked to Paris, raising the heat of the K-Pop festival.

"MIK FESTIVAL PARIS 2023" was staged by popular K-Pop stars on "K-Pop Day" on the 18th.

▲K-Pop concert that heated up Paris. / Captured by MIK FESTIVAL's official Twitter

Among K-Pop musicians, Pentacon, Cherry Bullet, Kard, and BTOB drew attention on the first day of the performance. In particular, veteran K-Pop girl groups Hyo-yeon and Taeyeon of Girls' Generation attracted fans' attention by directing their respective solo stages.

The next day, "Hip-Hop Day", a large number of hip-hop musicians representing Korea appeared, raising the heat of the festival amid enthusiastic support from European hip-hop fans.

Korean talented hip-hop musicians such as Jay Park, JJANGYOU, Giriboy, Kid Milli, and CL participated in the performance, showing the skills and potential of Korean hip-hop music at the same time.

▲Image of MIK FESTIVAL Paris concert hall / Captured by MIK FESTIVAL's official Twitter
Thanks to K-Pop world stars such as Psy, BTS, and Black Pink, K-Pop has now changed its status as a mainstream pop culture beyond Asia and North America and beyond in Europe.

Tickets are usually sold out in an instant at concerts by Korean K-Pop stars, and tens of thousands of European fans flock to the concert hall to dance, sing, and go wild together.

Korean music critics said, "In the future, K-Pop stars are expected to perform more in Europe. This will eventually serve as a catalyst to further increase the popularity of K-Pop in Europe."