Development Path and Transition in the Global Value Chain Governance of the K-pop Industry

Abstract

While the Korean music industry has gradually demonstrated its creativity and ability to attract global audiences in recent years, its broader production networks and underlying structures have also drawn increasing scholarly attention. The main purpose of this paper is to classify the evolution of the K-pop music industry in accordance with its technology systems and strategic orientations, and to analyze the distinct developmental trajectories and characteristics of each stage. To this end, it divides the evolution of the K-pop music industry into four major phases: 1) the stage of K-pop emergence as the first generation (mid-1990s∼2005), 2) the digitalization stage as the second generation (2005∼2011), 3) the globalization stage as the third generation (2012∼2019), 4) the virtualization stage as the fourth generation (2020∼ present). More specifically, drawing on global value chains (GVCs), it has attempted to identify the unique developmental pathways and defining features of each generation by examining their marketing strategies, fandom systems, and network structures.