How K-Pop took over the world - Workbook

How K-Pop Took Over the World

A Cross-Curricular Exploration

In 2012, a song in Korean became the most-watched video in YouTube history. By 2019, BTS were selling out Wembley Stadium. K-Pop did not just become popular; it changed the global music industry, pioneered social media strategies now used by artists everywhere, and built a multi-billion dollar cultural export industry from a country the size of Wales. This booklet explores how, and why, and what it all means.

Packed with real facts, genuinely interesting questions and solo activities designed to build knowledge across multiple subjects.

What is inside:

Chapter 1: What is K-Pop? How it differs from Western pop music; the idol system, the album model and the total entertainment package approach. Includes a K-Pop vs Western pop comparison activity.

Chapter 2: The Korean Wave. How a financial crisis became a cultural strategy; and how South Korea became one of the world's biggest cultural exporters. Includes a global mapping activity.

Chapter 3: The Idol Factory. Trainee contracts, years of training, the Big Four companies and the ethics of the system. Includes a perspective-taking writing activity.

Chapter 4: Fandoms. ARMY. BLINK. EXO-L. How K-Pop fandoms are organised, coordinated and genuinely powerful. Includes a fandom analysis activity.

Chapter 5: The Business of K-Pop. Revenue streams, album versions, lightsticks, stock prices and why one announcement dropped a company's value by 28% in a day. Includes a follow-the-money activity.

Chapter 6: K-Pop and Social Media. How K-Pop broke YouTube's maths, pioneered fan interaction strategies and changed what a music video is for. Includes a visual analysis activity.

Chapter 7: Design Your Own Idol Group. A structured creative project applying everything learned; concept, members, fandom, social media strategy and visual identity.

This booklet has no age label. It is written for curious minds, and curious minds come in all shapes, sizes and ages. If the topics sound interesting to your young person, it will work for them.

Format: instant PDF download, 23 pages, A4, print or use on screen.

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