The book Fattore K: L’ascesa della cultura pop coreana by Paola Laforgia, published by ADD Editore, analyzes Korea’s evolution from a war-torn country to a global economic and cultural powerhouse. The book explores the phenomenon of Hallyu (the Korean Wave), which refers to the worldwide spread of K-pop, K-dramas, and other aspects of Korean culture, such as cuisine and literature.

In her book, Laforgia highlights the crucial role of the government and major corporations, such as Samsung, in supporting this expansion and emphasizes the influence of fandoms in bringing Korean culture from East Asia to the United States and Europe. The essay encourages readers to move beyond Western-centrism and prejudices against non-Western cultures, offering a broader perspective on globalization.

The book is recommended both for those who want to deepen their understanding of the Korean pop culture phenomenon and for K-pop fans interested in its origins, with historical references such as Seo Taiji & Boys, considered pioneers of the genre.

We had the opportunity to meet the author in December 2024 during her promotional tour in Napoli.

Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your studies and what brought you to Korea?

I was born and grew up in Bari, Italy. I started listening to K-pop and watching K-dramas around 2006, after stumbling upon them on the internet. I actually came across J-pop first, most likely because Japanese pop culture—such as anime, for example—was better known in Italy at the time. That opened the door to BoA, a K-pop singer who was incredibly popular in Japan at the time. A similar pattern led me to discover K-dramas: I first watched the J-drama Hana Yori Dango after reading the manga, which was available in Italian, and then I watched the Korean version of it. Soon, I was watching only K-dramas.

I visited Korea for the first time in 2015, when I was 22 years old. That same year, I moved to London, UK, to pursue a master’s degree at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies, because the university offered the possibility to focus my studies on Korea and Japan. I ended up living in London for six years because I started working at the renowned independent radio station and music platform NTS (music has always been a passion of mine).

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and I found myself suddenly working from home, I started to seriously consider the possibility of moving to Korea. And so I did in August 2021. For a year, I kept working for the radio remotely from Seoul while studying Korean. Then, in August 2022, I quit my job, started freelancing, and soon after landed a position at the Korea independent record label SoundSupply_Service.

In the spring of 2023, I started working on my book Fattore K. In the past, I had written a few articles and essays about K-pop and Hallyu; given the growing interest in such topics in Italy, I thought it was the right time to delve a bit deeper.

What are the themes often addressed in K-pop music that you find interesting?

When I first heard K-pop, it sounded very novel to me. Rather than specific themes, what lured me in was that, musically, I found it to be more experimental and interesting than much of Western, and particularly American pop. One example is the recurring changes in key and melody that occur in many K-pop songs. I also loved the mix of musical genres within a song, an album, an artist’s repertoire. I was also drawn to the choreographies and the visual side of it all. Another thing I enjoy is the mix of languages: lyrics in Korean with a sprinkle of English, the Japanese versions of songs, and so on.

Could you tell us about the unique communication system that Korean idols maintain with their fans?

It feels like there is less of a barrier between K-pop idols and their fans compared to Western pop stars, as there are more opportunities for them to interact directly. This includes specific apps  where they can leave messages for each other, live streams where idols talk to their fans, and fan calls or fan meetings where face-to-face interaction is possible for a couple of minutes. Fandoms also have specific names, which contributes to creating a sense of belonging. 

How important has the role of fandom been in the expansion of the K-pop phenomenon in the West in your opinion?

Enormously. When I started listening to K-pop, the only way to access it in Europe was thanks to the work of fans who shared the music, translated interviews and song lyrics, and added subtitles to variety shows and more. The same applied to K-dramas—subtitles were the result of devoted fans' efforts. 

Even today, with Hallyu having spread globally, Korean celebrities touring worldwide, and Korean products being readily available in many countries, fans still play a crucial role in amplifying the success of certain stars through fan edits and similar activities.

K-pop has also helped break down racial prejudices, especially regarding Asian men. How much do you think appearance, as well as the fact that these idols serve as role models for ethnic and gender minorities, has influenced the success of K-pop bands abroad?

The Korean diaspora, and more broadly the East Asian diaspora, has definitely been one of the first communities to embrace K-pop outside Korea and has, of course, played a significant role in spreading it abroad. However, perhaps surprisingly, there have always been fans from various ethnic backgrounds, even in the early days. They were likely drawn to what felt like an alternative to the predominantly Anglophone mainstream music scene. Moreover Korean idols appeal to regions and cultures where their more innocent, less sexual image—compared to the Western counterpart—is favoured.

The most diverse crowd I have ever seen at a concert was at G-Dragon’s concert in London, UK, in 2017. The global reach of K-pop and Hallyu has immensely contributed to breaking stereotypes and prejudices about Asians, but there is still much work to be done, as Korean stars often remain the targets of such biases.

The elements of Koreanness are one of the reasons for the success of Korean music abroad. In your opinion, what are these elements, and how can they be identified?

It is very difficult to pinpoint the specifically Korean elements in K-pop, as it is neither produced nor performed exclusively by people of Korean nationality or ethnicity; it is not sung solely in Korean; and it lacks a distinct rhythm, instead encompassing a multitude of musical genres. I would argue that the ‘Korean’ element can be identified in the way global music genres are re-assimilated, reinvented, and reassembled in novel ways, resulting in the creation of something new and original. The way the music is reinterpreted and re-presented can reflect local cultural practices and concepts: from favoring certain song structures to infusing lyrics with local references, incorporating traditional musical elements, and integrating cultural symbols and imagery into live performances. 

We have witnessed a parallel development in the history of the music, and not only imitation. Sviluppo parallelo nella storia della musica, non solo imitazione (dalle Kim Sisters agli Stray Kidz). Can you talk about the influences or other genres on Korean pop.

Some might not like this take, but K-pop as we know it would probably be very different if it weren’t for the impact that both the US and Japan have had on the history of Korea and its cultural landscape. However, this isn’t to say that K-pop isn’t original. When it comes to music, it’s important to remember that the US and Japan are the two biggest recording industries in the world, and their influence therefore stretches across continents. In the case of Korea, the three countries also share history. What I want to emphasize, as I mentioned in my previous answer, is that all contemporary music, especially pop, is the result of mixing multiple influences.

For example, now that Afrobeats and Reggaeton have reached enormous popularity, K-pop has drawn inspiration from these genres, sometimes in ways though that have sparked criticism within the international fan community.

In recent years, there have been efforts of glocalization within the K-pop world, with more and more K-pop groups releasing songs in English and adopting musical structures that are more familiar to Western audiences. This has been an attempt to enter the Western market more swiftly and gain airplay on radio or TV. However, K-pop has already proven successful abroad before these efforts, which makes us wonder if this shift is truly necessary.

Let’s talk about categorization. Is it correct to distinguish K-pop from pop music? We’ve seen that this distinction has been used, for example, at the MTV Music Awards, where Korean groups compete in a separate category. What are your thoughts on this?

When nominated for music awards abroad, K-pop artists are often relegated to the K-pop category and excluded from broader categories such as Best Album or similar ones. This has prompted indignation among fans, who have frequently argued that this is a form of racist ghettoization, as well as a tactic to prevent K-pop artists from sweeping all the most prestigious awards. In recent years, K-pop has often broken global records and surpassed its American and Western counterparts by a significant margin.

Does a separate category for K-pop make sense? In a similar way, many genres from Latin America have always been grouped under the umbrella term of Latin music, and there are separate Latin Grammys for them, for example.

Today, the "K" is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it leads to the ghettoization of K-pop, as it labels a range of different songs and artists solely by the country in which they began their careers. On the other hand, now that K-pop has become incredibly popular, many artists in Korea may feel that being included in this label can help them gain international recognition. Meanwhile, many artists and labels abroad are trying to replicate K-pop's success and draw inspiration from it.

Traditional instruments and traditional singing (pansori) are often integrated into indie/rock music by artists like Jambinai and Haemon Lee. Is there also experimentation with these elements in K-pop?

Yes, especially in the last few years. Take, for example, Daechwita by Agust D, aka Suga of BTS, which samples an actual daechwita, a piece of traditional Korean military music, or Thunderous by Stray Kids, a song known in Korea under the title 소리꾼 (Sorikkun), which refers to the singer of pansori, a Korean folk music genre. Indeed, there is a part in the song where one of the members raps in a style reminiscent of that, but that’s not even the only traditional musical element present. Also infamous is the opening scene of the Pink Venom music video by Blackpink, where member Jisoo plays the geomungo. These are just some of the best-known examples.