K-Pop Fans Branch to North Korean Groups

In a shocking new trend, many K-pop fans have started to listen to North Korean K-pop music. This new trend has shocked many political leaders throughout the world, as they once thought it was impossible for North Korea to gain popularity. It was “entirely unprecedented that North Korea’s tainted political history would not affect its grasp on fans around the world,” the foreign minister of the United States of America stated. Meanwhile, many teenagers and young adults have become loyal fans or “stans” of these North Korean groups. These groups consist of the Pyongyang Powerhouses, a boy group of government officials who perform biweekly in front of the government building; the Missiles, a group of army personnel created to boost the morale of the North Korean army; and the Supreme Divas, a popular girl group for teenagers across the world. Stans of these bands have also created nicknames such as “Pyongyang Pop” to describe the Powerhouses’ unique composition of music and “Missile Music” to describe the Missiles’ explosion in popularity. 

Even North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has joined in on the trend, funding his own K-pop group, the Moranbong Band, also known as the Moran Hill. The girl group, consisting of only female members with high positions in the army, has started to rise in popularity among women on social media. Fan edits created for this band have been circulating throughout TikTok, Instagram, and X, generating hundreds of millions of views. Many of the most liked comments on these fan edits describe the girl group as “girlbosses” and say that they “slay.” One TikTok user, known as HyonsThighs, has their page dedicated to Hyon Song-wol, the main vocalist of the group. The buzz has also spread to news stations, radio stations, and newspapers across the world. In one instance, NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt asserted, “the explosive momentum of the popularity of the Missiles has yet to reach sky high.”  

The popularity of these groups has persuaded Un to personally finance them further, with individual members now receiving higher wages. With a larger budget, groups like the Missiles and the Pyongyang Powerhouses have started to include much more “explosive” ideas in their concerts, with the Missiles using fireworks in sync with the beats of their songs. However, these fireworks are only supposed to be used during special holidays in North Korea to light the patriotism of North Korean citizens. Yet it is the Supreme Divas who have garnered the most controversy with their use of actual explosives during their concerts. Although it cannot be seen during television broadcasting, these explosives actively destroy the natural landscape, throwing debris across the concert area and harming some people in the audience. However, concert-goers often state with excitement that “being harmed during the Supreme Divas’ concert is the best honor you could receive.” 

The rising popularity of these North Korean K-pop groups has brought the attention of famous bands and singers. Many of these artists are known worldwide, with Metallica and even Beyoncé, who mentioned in a tweet that she knew about the band and would be open to collaborations, having stated their support for their favorite groups. Many new songs from these collaborations have been rising in the music charts, with “Nuclear Romance” made by the Missiles and Freddie Mercury coming in 11th globally, “Isolated Love Game” made by the Pyongyang Powerhouses and Bruno Mars coming in sixth, and “Lipstick Wars” made by the Supreme Divas and Billie Eilish coming in second. The success of these songs have prompted fans around the world to beg for a world tour, although it has been deemed highly unlikely. However, it does seem like Kim Jong Un considers this proposition as a possibility to build better foreign ties, firmly stating during a public speech that “not only do these groups bring much patriotism to our country, it could also lead to economic prosperity for all of us.” 

As North Korean K-pop groups continue to break music records and captivate audiences from around the world, the boundaries of music have not only been redefined but have also shown a unique opportunity for the diffusion of cultural exchange. Time can only tell if these groups will continue to “explode” in popularity throughout the world, both figuratively and literally. The younger generations of the world may be influenced by these groups due the spread of the North Korean language along with the uniqueness of these groups when compared to those of South Korea like BTS or Red Velvet.