I Learned Korean to Understand K‑Pop

A British K‑Pop fan who could not wait for her favourite lyrics to be translated into English decided to travel to the Republic of Korea in order to learn to speak the language.

Katy Richards from Newport, Shropshire, who runs the fan group Hallyu Doing, said: "When I first got into K‑Pop you didn't get a lot of English subtitles."

Following the recent comeback of the boy band BTS and the success of the K‑Pop Demon Hunters movie, Katy Richards said: "I think K‑Pop is going to storm the charts and it's going to be brilliant."

Alex Howell, who runs the Lilak shop K‑Pop shop in Shrewsbury, said the genre was "huge" at the moment and the exposure had "made more people, especially parents, more knowledgeable".

Katy Richards said: "K‑Pop was definitely my gateway into Korean culture, which I think it is for a lot of people."

From K‑Pop to Korean Dramas

Katy Richards explained that the initial fascination with K‑Pop music led her to explore Korean television dramas, which in turn deepened her curiosity about the Republic of Korea.

After visiting the Republic of Korea for two weeks in the summer, Katy Richards said she enjoyed the atmosphere so much that she "decided to go back and study for a bit".

At the time, because of the lack of English subtitles on Korean exports, Katy Richards said: "You had to wait for really dedicated fans who could speak Korean to translate voluntarily and put subtitles out for you, and sometimes you had to wait weeks."

"I thought if I go and learn Korean I won't have to wait," Katy Richards reasoned.

Katy Richards enrolled in a Korean language school at a Korean university and said the experience was surprisingly easy to learn.

"Korean is known as the most scientific language on the planet and the actual alphabet you can learn in four hours," Katy Richards said.

The Meaning Behind Hallyu Doing

The word Hallyu in the name of the fan club Hallyu Doing means "Korean wave" and Katy Richards said it is a term used to describe how Korean culture is "washing over the West" at the moment.

"We've all been enjoying Squid Game, Parasite was huge, K‑Pop is huge and so all of that is Hallyu," Katy Richards explained.

The recent livestreamed comeback concert by BTS drew 18.4 million global viewers on Netflix, according to the streaming service.

That concert marked the first time all seven members of BTS had performed together since they took a break to complete their mandatory military service in the Republic of Korea.

Netflix has also announced there will be a sequel to the K‑Pop Demon Hunters movie, which has been one platform's most‑watched movie of all time and a huge critical success.

Katy Richards said that movie was "a separate beast to K‑Pop," with more in common with films such as Frozen or Encanto for its young fans.

But Katy Richards added: "I do think that as those kids get older they'll be more open to listening to K‑Pop music."

Local Business and Community Impact

Alex Howell said Alex Howell got into K‑Pop in 2018 and Lilak shop opened in July 2023.

Alex Howell started importing Korean merchandise as a hobby, with friends, before realising it could be turned into a business.

Alex Howell said: "It's huge, we have a lot of people coming from Telford, Whitchurch and Shrewsbury, so we're really hoping to do more events."

Alex Howell added: "Recently K‑Pop seems so big internationally, I just think it's made more people, especially parents, more knowledgeable about K‑Pop and understand what it is."

Katy Richards believes the language barrier, which once sent Katy Richards to the Republic of Korea, will become less of an issue the more people embrace K‑Pop.