From SM’s 30th Anniversary Special to Stray Kids’ Billboard Achievements: The Leap Forward of the K-POP Industry

Efforts to highlight both the history and current achievements of the K-POP industry continue. SBS produced “K-Pop The Beginning: SM Town 30” to commemorate SM Entertainment’s 30th anniversary. This special is divided into two parts; the first part explores the journeys of artists who drove K-POP manias, from H.O.T., Shinhwa, and S.E.S. to BoA, TVXQ!, SUPER JUNIOR, and Girls' Generation. The second part focuses on SM’s unique music genres such as SMP (SM Music Performance) and its SM Culture Universe concept. It reviews the lineage that includes groups like SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, aespa, NCT, and RIIZE, while also revealing how new artists are developed through SM’s expertise and systems. The program features footage from “SMTOWN LIVE 2025 ‘THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE’ in SEOUL,” which took place at the Gochek Sky Dome in Seoul on the 11th and 12th, along with honest interview videos of artists from each generation. K-POP’s global influence is also evident in Stray Kids’ recent accomplishments. The South Korean boy group Stray Kids achieved the historic record of having all six of their debut studio albums reach number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Formed through a JYP Entertainment reality show in 2017 and officially debuting in March 2018, Stray Kids are currently regarded as the most successful group among fourth-generation K-POP boy bands in terms of streaming numbers, album sales, and YouTube views. The key to Stray Kids’ success lies in their creative autonomy. Leader Bang Chan personally assembled the group, and the “3RACHA” unit, consisting of Bang Chan, member Han, and Changbin, composed and produced most of the songs for the past six albums. This creative freedom has fostered a deep emotional connection with fans, and it is seen as the result of JYP Entertainment refining and expanding BTS’s global K-POP strategy to fit the digital platform era. K-POP’s musical diversity is also continuously recognized. Throughout 2024, various styles of K-POP songs received attention, including One Pact’s “Deserved” (UK garage genre), Cravity’s “Mr.” (second-generation swag style), The Kingdom’s “Energy” (synth-focused track), and Wooseok’s “Navy Blue” (his solo debut song). This demonstrates that K-POP is an industry ecosystem where individual artists’ musical identities and creativity thrive, going far beyond mere “dance and songs.”