From British Royal Knighthood Ceremonies to the London Film Festival... The Global K-Pop Boom Powered by “Golden”

K-Pop’s global influence is being visibly recognized by the British royal family and across Europe. When Britain’s legendary footballer David Beckham received his knighthood in front of King Charles III, the royal orchestra performed the theme song “Golden” from the Netflix film *KPop Demon Hunters* as a string quartet piece. It was unusual to choose a K-Pop song rather than classical music as background music at the honor ceremony, and the royal family stated that this track was also played during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. “Golden” remains at number one on the UK Official Singles Chart this week, surpassing the new song by American pop star Taylor Swift, demonstrating clearly how K-Pop songs now dominate both the British royal sphere and global pop charts, reflecting a significant shift in K-Pop’s cultural status. In London, the 20th London Korean Film Festival has opened, showcasing 13 Korean films. High demand from audiences was evident when Kim Jong-gwan’s anthology film *Someone Beyond the Cloudy Window* was shown as the opening film, selling out all 450 seats. Sun Seung-hye, director of the Korea Cultural Center in the UK, commented, “Korean films, which convey the pain of deprivation and dreams through rich emotions on screen, have evolved into a language understood worldwide and have established themselves as an art genre representing our era.” K-Pop’s global expansion is also evident through KBS Music Bank’s 15 years of overseas performances. Starting in 2011, Music Bank’s international tour has included 20 country tours, featuring 76 K-Pop groups and reaching over 370,000 overseas fans. At a performance in Lisbon, Portugal, fans displayed K-Pop’s global fandom by writing down familiar K-Pop group names. Members of LE SSERAFIM expressed that observing performances by various artists greatly broadened their perspectives. The KBS K-Pop Festival, held annually since 2023 at the end of each year, consistently sells out tickets, and the 2025 Music Bank Global Festival is scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, and Songdo, Incheon, next December. This fall in the UK, a variety of events promoting Korean culture are underway, starting with a K-Music Festival and including seminars on “Korea Day,” allowing locals to experience firsthand the global enthusiasm for Korean culture.