Accelerated Global Spread of K-POP-Centered Hallyu Content — Webtoon Animations, “2025 K-POP ROAD” Project, and Asian Pop Festivals

K-POP, the core of Hallyu content, is expanding further across the world. From animating Korean webtoons to large-scale K-POP projects and music festivals across Asia, Korea’s global cultural influence is growing through various platforms. The animation market based on Korean webtoons is experiencing rapid growth. The webtoon “Solo Leveling,” created by Annie and Yuki under E-Tion, was produced into an anime by A-1 Pictures and aired globally in January 2024, gaining massive popularity. Season 2 premiered in early 2025. Distributed to over 15 million international subscribers via Crunchyroll, “Solo Leveling” accumulated 614,300 user reviews on the platform by March 2025, surpassing the 605,000 reviews for “One Piece,” which had been accumulating over 12 years. A one-year-old series thus overtook a long-running hit series. The music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, combined with A-1 Pictures’ dynamic animation style and the story of a weak hunter gaining superpowers, resonated with viewers worldwide. In addition to “Solo Leveling,” several other Korean webtoons have been adapted into animations. “The Tower of God” by SIU, a collaboration between the webtoon and Japanese animation studio Telecom Animation Film, premiered in April 2020 and was aired simultaneously in Korea, Japan, and around the world. The original webtoon “The Tower of God” reached 4.5 billion views globally, and the anime received praise for its faithful storytelling and rich world-building, leading to the release of Season 2 in 2024. Additionally, “Noblese” produced by Production I.G. (aired on Crunchyroll from October to December 2020) and “The Tower of God” produced by MAPPA (aired from July to September 2020) were also adapted into animations and distributed via Crunchyroll. This trend indicates that Korean webtoons have emerged as an important content source for the anime market based on Japanese manga. Large-scale projects aimed at promoting K-POP worldwide are also gaining momentum. “2025 K-POP ROAD,” sponsored by Shinhan Card and in partnership with TikTok, is a project designed to discover and nurture K-POP fans and future talent globally. “FAN AUDITION” will take place from August 1 to November 31, targeting vocalists, dancers, models, creators, and, in Korea, actors as well. Participants must upload one self-introduction video and two performance videos to TikTok. “FAN IDOL” will run from September 1 to November 31 and serves as a new content format for global K-POP fans, featuring 16 idol groups growing together with their fans. Voting reflects the preferences of fans, and blockchain technology is used to record and verify the voting process. This project will be held in approximately 10 countries, including Korea, with K-POP experience booths set up in the Myeongdong area of Seoul. Through 20 official TikTok accounts, over 3,000 short-form and live content pieces will be created. At the “K-POP ROAD Concert” held in December, the finalists from the auditions and the 16 idol groups will perform together on stage, connecting with fans through global broadcasts. Music festivals across Asia are also expanding K-POP’s influence. The 2025 Asian Pop Festival, now in its second edition, brings together more than 50 music acts from 8 Asian countries. It will be held simultaneously at multiple locations within Paradise City on Yeongjongdo Island in Incheon. The outdoor “Culture Park” will offer performances in a picnic-style atmosphere, while “Chroma” will provide a large-scale club concert experience. On the first day, June 21, Korean alternative rock band Silica Gel and global rising star Se So Neon will perform, while Japanese genre-blending group Ego-Wappin’ returns to Korean stages after 10 years. Indonesian pop band Lomba Sihir will also take the stage. On June 22, the iconic Korean rock band Jaurim will serve as the headliner, joined by unique singer-songwriter Chang Kiha, Japanese indie band Lamp, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Enno Cheng, who won two awards at the 2023 Golden Melody Awards, and Japanese rock band Yogee New Waves. The global spread of Korean content is occurring through multiple channels, including webtoon animations, K-POP projects, and Asian music festivals. This demonstrates that Korea plays a central role in the global creative ecosystem, going beyond simple cultural exports.