Recent news about international trade has mostly been negative — often focusing on tariffs, sanctions, threats and retaliation. But there's one piece of cross-border commerce that's growing without much controversy and seems to be a positive story at a time where there aren't a lot of them.
It may not save the world, but K-pop is bringing more of it together.
You might have missed it on Sunday, but for the first time, a K-pop star performed at the Academy Awards. Not an original song, but Lisa of Blackpink sang “Live and Let Die” — part of a James Bond tribute, which made headlines across Korean media.
In Southeast Asia on Monday, headline K-pop news of a different kind, word that a training academy for would-be K-pop stars is opening in Singapore, which is another first.
Schooling will be underway in June with what the talent agency SM Entertainment calls a 21-week intensive training program. It's aimed at drawing students from across Southeast Asia and during the last week of classes, standout participants will get a chance to audition in Seoul.
Since you canʻt really do a business news story about Asia without mentioning China, even here, K-pop is looking at a brighter 2025.
China has had a de facto ban on Korean popular culture, including K-pop, since 2017 — when the South Korean government deployed a U.S. missile defense system.
The Korea Economic Daily reports China will likely lift that ban this spring because the Chinese government “sees a need to strengthen cooperation with Korea.”
