Virtual Idols Break Through Real-World Boundaries... PLAVE and Issegye Idol Dominate Major Stage Performances

Virtual idols are opening up new frontiers within the K-pop industry. By presenting avatars created through motion capture technology that conceal the identities of real people, these virtual idols are achieving commercial success and hosting large-scale concerts, thereby shaping the future of K-pop. PLAVE has set a groundbreaking record in K-pop history. According to Korea’s music tracking agency Circle Chart, its third mini-album “Caligo Pt. 1,” released in February, marked the first time a fully virtual Korean idol group surpassed one million units sold. This represents the first successful case among numerous attempts at developing cyber singers and AI characters over roughly 30 years of Korean music history. Like the British virtual band Gorillaz, PLAVE consists of real musicians hidden behind digital avatars. Founded as a computer graphics studio named VLAST, this entertainment company created the group of five members—Yejun, Bamby, Noah, Eunho, and Hamin—inspired by Korean webtoon comics. They were meticulously brought to life in 2D using motion capture technology. According to the developers, all of PLAVE’s members are professional musicians with backgrounds in K-pop or R&B, responsible for composing and producing songs, creating choreography, and playing instruments at a high creative level. The stalking issues surrounding PLAVE have also drawn attention. VLAST recently stated that it has identified persistent stalking behavior from some fans who follow or attempt to approach the members. The company holds evidence such as CCTV footage and car dashcam recordings and plans to request severe penalties from law enforcement, including criminal charges and potential prison sentences, for those who repeatedly engage in such stalking. Given the nature of motion capture technology, it appears some fans show excessive interest in the real people behind the avatars. Online, photos of certain men have been circulated claiming to be the actual members of PLAVE, but netizens are urging fans to ignore such claims and refrain from making unfounded speculations. Issegye Idol has expanded the stage experience available to virtual idols. It performed at the “Issegye Festival 2025” music festival held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on May 16–17, taking to a large dome stage capable of holding 20,000 people. This marked the first time virtual idols performed on the Gocheok Sky Dome stage. Issegye Idol appeared on the final stage on the 17th, sharing the stage that day with K-pop and global artists such as Sipseyunchi, Sunmi, BOYNEXTDOOR, tripleS, and the Japanese girl group AKB48. Organized by Parable Entertainment, this festival first took place in Incheon in 2023 and has grown into a large-scale music event featuring K-pop stars and virtual idols together.