Numerous universities across the United Kingdom pride themselves on their vast array of society and club choices available to students, ranging from popular sports to more niche interests.

The latter of these arguably includes the ever-growing nature of K-Pop societies, seen more and more frequently as the South Korean music industry extends its reach around the globe.

From Sheffield, to Cardiff and Glasgow, university K-Pop societies typically engage members in a mix of K-Pop choreography dance classes, K-Drama viewings, and Korean language learning sessions to name just a few activities these societies boast. 

Despite seeming a very particular interest, the popularity of K-Pop has grown over the past few years. As a result, fans come together to share the experience, as stated by a Washington Post article: “For fans, it’s not just about the music, but the sense of community.” Such a community can be cultivated in a university setting, bringing together many young people who share the same interest in and passion for South Korean music, celebrities, and media.

As early as the 2000s, research and ethnographic studies have noted the growing interest in Korean music and its adjacent culture within a UK context. It has been claimed that “it was social media that facilitated the spread of K-Pop popularity” and this has become no less true as the years have progressed.

This has led to incredible statistics and developments across the country; BTS sold out both of their Wembley Stadium concert dates back in 2019 to 60,000 fans, and K-Pop albums have become available in-store in HMVs, ASDAs. Now, UK-based Korean stores such as SOKOLLAB and KStars, and K-Pop societies at university have become the opposite of few and far between. 

When combined with the incredible popularity of Tottenham Hotspur forward football player and South Korean captain Son Heung-min, the claim by the Guardian that “Sonny [Heung-min] and K-pop have done more to promote Korean culture in the UK than theything the government or official tourism department have been able to do” begins to make more sense.

Asking the students

When asking university students and graduates about their experiences within their K-Pop societies, responses are somehow (despite miles of distance and a good few years of age between them) extraordinarily synchronised. 

Answering the question, ‘What motivated you to join the K-Pop society you are/have been a part of?’, as part of an online survey conducted by CHERRY CHU Magazine, students and graduates alike reasoned that they had previously been interested in Korean music, media, and culture and looked for “like-minded people” – a phrase that appeared in multiple individual responses.

Such motivations appear to stem from a lack of general understanding as to the appeal of K-Pop within the UK. Many young people engaged in the industry are therefore actively seeking out those who do understand what is a fairly complex pastime, with its own jargon (using words like ‘bias’, ‘training’, ‘maknae’, ‘comeback stage’), celebrity figures, iconic songs and moments, and cultural events like award shows, let alone a whole new language for many UK residents. 

K-Pop societies allow both newbies and seasoned fans to come together to celebrate both the music and artists they love, as well as collectively experience the huge supply of content provided by K-Pop idols and the adjacent Korean media. Events and activities held by K-Pop societies are therefore diverse, as explored down below:

The infographic above indicates the range of opportunities for those who may have sought after friends to share a unique hobby with, or simply to “learn to dance” (Mitali, 19) because they love K-Pop choreography (Moyosoreoluwa, 19).

Meeting new people and friends is arguably the most common positive effect of K-Pop societies, with 73% of participants citing a variant of this as the answer to the question ‘What have you enjoyed about being part of the society?’.

Alongside being introduced to new foods and partaking in dance-based exercise, the social aspect of K-Pop comes to the forefront for many people as it grows in popularity, with the word ‘community’ making itself prevalent in many of the survey responses. 

“More people are listening to K-Pop all the time,” says Amber, 24, University of Plymouth K-pop Society, “I think its influence and presence has increased and people crave to be among their own people and K-pop is a great way to be able to do that.

“It's like its own little community. Especially when I first joined, it was more of a rare thing and [there is] something really special to be able to find those people with the same interest as you. I think in general it's just about people wanting to have a nice time.” 

With regard to whether or not K-Pop societies will continue to become more and more popular as time goes on (and why), our readers were overwhelmingly positive, with all believing that they will only gain more traction. Whether this is due to K-Pop’s takeover of social media coinciding with young, university-aged people’s social media usage (Olivia, 23) or a larger exposure of the Hallyu wave in the Western world, for some it is more straightforward as to why K-Pop societies are growing: 

It is clear from both the survey responses and the number of people setting up and joining their own K-Pop societies that the only way is up for the Korean music industry as its reach grows seemingly infinitely across the planet. International music, movies, and media are evermore popular and, in a globalised world, it appears that this will do nothing but continue as people share their interest in it.

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.