There’s no denying that, in 2023, K-pop has woven itself into the very fabric of global pop culture. Whether in international diplomacy, fronting fashion campaigns or dominating the music industry, the Hallyu Wave continued to make its indelible mark on the world. We saw idols headline festivals (BLACKPINK at Coachella, Tomorrow X Together at Lollapalooza), perform at award shows (New Jeans at the Billboard Music Awards), and land major brand deals (there are honestly too many to name). And while international charts were topped along the way (both Jungkook and Jimin from BTS hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with solo releases), there were also some interesting developments along the way. A number of groups took their agencies to court over unfair contracts, and of course a whole generation went into mourning over the compulsory military enlistment and subsequent hiatus of BTS.
If you’ve been paying attention you’ll have gathered by now that K-pop isn’t a monolithic genre, it’s a whole damn culture. So, as another year comes to a close, here are some of the most important things that happened to K-pop in 2023.
1. BSS made a comeback after five years
The year got off to a brilliant start when BooSeokSoon aka BSS – the SEVENTEEN sub-unit made up of DK, Hoshi and Seungkwan – made a return after five long years. Their high-energy anthem “Fighting”, featuring Lee Youngji, encouraged listeners to push through the stresses of life and also bagged Performance of the Year at the 2023 Asia Artist Awards. Double win!
2. Idols began suing their agencies
2023 saw a number of K-pop idols take their record labels to court over things like lack of payment transparency and long contract lengths. Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin (CBX) of EXO settled their dispute with SM Entertainment over what their legal representatives deemed were “slave contracts”. LOONA also won their case and were emancipated from their contract with BlockBerryCreative after claims of mismanagement. But FIFTY FIFTY’s request to suspend their exclusive contracts with their agency ATTRAKT was denied by the courts, with members Aran, Sio and Saena subsequently being kicked out of the group after the company claimed that the lawsuit “slandered and defamed the agency”. Another member, Keena, meanwhile, dropped the lawsuit and returned to the agency. There’s a desperate need for a K-pop Union, basically.
3. K-pop fashion brand deals were everywhere
This was without a doubt the year of the brand deal for idols, with the fashion industry truly waking up to the power they wield. Felix of Stray Kids, RIIZE and Le Sserafim all became ambassadors for Louis Vuitton; ENHYPEN teamed up with Prada; TXT joined Dior; and Big Bang’s Taeyang joined Givenchy. Meanwhile, DK and Vernon of SEVENTEEN became ambassadors for Bally and Kenzo; Hongjoog joined the Balmain Army; and Versace swooped up Hyunjin of Stray Kids. Then there were the campaigns: BTS’ Jimin starred in one for Dior while BLACKPINK’s Jennie appeared in them for Calvin Klein and Jacquemus. The major fashion houses were truly collecting K-pop idols like Pokémon.
4. We witnessed the rise and rise of NewJeans
The world woke up to NewJeans this year. Not only did they perform at the Billboard Music Awards, the ADOR girl group also edged their way to the top of charts around the world with a refreshing new sound. It was “Super Shy” — one of i-D’s favourite songs of 2023 — that really rocketed them to stardom. Leaning into Jersey club, it sees Danielle, Hanni, Minji, Haerin, and Hyein perfectly illustrate catching feelings for someone who doesn’t know you exist – and who among us cannot relate?
5. Stray Kids won Best K-pop group at the VMAs
The “Maniac” singers had a memorable VMA debut performing their single “S-Class” and winning the Best K-pop category – one introduced in 2019 and previously won by BTS three years in a row. Stray Kids’ shocked faces when they won was everything.
6. EXO powered through with “Cream Soda”
The return of EXO may have been disrupted by the legal battles of CBX and by the abrupt enlistment of Kai (over which we are still mourning), but it didn’t stop the remaining members from cementing their legacy as vocal legends. On a poppy dance track, the “Love Shot” singers blessed us with layered vocals, sweet ad libs, and innuendos aplenty. “Put the children to bed / grown folks are talking” – indeed!
7. SEVENTEEN proved manifestation works
SEVENTEEN member Wonwoo manifested a successful year for his group when, on their anthem “Super”, he uttered the words “I always win”. The 13-person group went on to do exactly that, selling over five million copies of their album, Seventeenth Heaven. They also made time to address and performed at the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris, and won their first MAMA Daesang for Album of the Year.
8. BLACKPINK’s Jennie made her acting debut on The Idol
This summer, discourse around The Idol was everywhere. The music industry satire show starring Lily-Rose Depp was blasted for looking more like “sexual torture porn”, with edits of The Weeknd’s abysmal acting ending up littered across the internet. The only thing the show got right was casting Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK as Dyanne, Jocelyn’s backup dancer and supposed friend. Now that Jennie’s had a taste of acting — and in her villain era too! — we hope to see get more of the screen time she deserves.
9. Le Sserafim collabed with Demi Lovato and Rina Sawayama
Le Sserafim’s single “Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife” may have been a bit of a mouthful, but the song was a real banger. Taken from their debut album, the addictive club anthem became an international hit with Demi Lovato and Rina Sawayama even jumping on remixes. Who knew that declaring to the world that “I’m a mess in distress”, could be so much fun?
10. Jackson Wang and Ciara covered XG at Coachella
South Korea-based, Japanese girl group XG smashed it in 2023. For their single “Left Right”, they channelled 90s R&B and successfully delivered the message that you can be whoever the hell you you want to be. No wonder Jackson Wang and Ciara did a surprise performance of the song at Coachella.
11. HYBE built their Dream Academy girl group, KATSEYE
In hopes of bridging the gap between the East and the West, HYBE (the South Korean record label behind BTS, SEVENTEEN & TXT) and US label Geffen Records announced they’d be putting together an international girl group via a TV show, The Debut : Dream Academy. After beating 120,000 applicants and undergoing a strict K-pop trainee process, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Rajagopalan and Megan Skiendiel (United States); Yoonchae Jeong (South Korea); Sophia Laforteza (Philippines); and Manon Bannerman (Switzerland) came out victorious. Read our interview with them here.
12. STAYC went viral for a sports mix-up
Girl group STAYC went viral for reasons you may not expect on the US leg of their Teenfresh World Tour in October. Deciding to pay tribute to Dallas baseball team The Rangers while in town, Sumin and ISA accidentally sported the vintage jerseys of the Rangers football team from Scotland instead. All Rangers involved laughed off the mistake and the “ASAP” singers were even invited by Rangers FC to take a tour of their home stadium in Glasgow.
13. BTS enlisted in the military
The sound of hearts breaking was audible when, following oldest member Jin’s compulsory military enlistment in December 2022, the remaining six members of BTS followed suit through 2023. Fans held back tears on seeing the customary shaven head selfies as the septet saw each other off to their respective military departments. Their return to music in 2025 couldn’t come fast enough.
14. BLACKPINK renewed their contract
After going on a mammoth world tour that grossed $148 million and involved headlining Coachella, fans waited with bated breath to see if BLACKPINK would extend their contract as a four member group under their YG, or if they would leave and pursue solo careers. On December 6, Blinks finally got confirmation that the powerhouse quartet had renewed “exclusive contracts for group activities”. Phew.
15. Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” was named TikTok’s top song of 2023
You’ve almost definitely heard Fifty Fifty’s viral hit “Cupid”. With 696 million streams, the disco pop single was named TikTok’s top song of 2023 and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, with the aforementioned legal dispute and imminent lineup reshuffle, we’ll never know where the road to success could have taken the promising girl group.
16. BLACKPINK received MBEs
In November 2023, BLACKPINK received honorary MBEs from King Charles in recognition of their role as COP26 Advocates for the United Nations climate summit held in Glasgow in 2021. The “How You Like That” singers made a state visit to Buckingham Palace alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, while the palace band played their single “ddu-du ddu-du”! The King of England even told the group that he hoped to see them perform one day.
17. SEVENTEEN took inspiration from their fans
Who knew that the comment “I don’t understand but I love you” left by a non-Korean speaking fan on SEVENTEEN’s livestream would spark one of the best B-sides of 2023. The Performance Unit of SEVENTEEN made up of Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino took that comment and turned it into a well-produced, silky-smooth R&B track. The song was a true reminder that music is an international language.
18. ZEROBASEONE broke the record for debut album sales
In July, ZEROBASEONE set the record for bestselling debut record in K-pop history with 1,240,700 copies sold on the first day of sales alone! They certainly earned the title of monster rookies.
19. Kevin from The Boyz finally saw Beyoncé live (iykyk)
It’s no secret that Beyoncé is the celebrities’ celebrity, with K-pop idols like Hyolyn, Hwasa and WayV all expressing their love for her. But within K-pop, there’s surely no bigger fan of Queen B than Kevin from The Boyz, who has been proudly showing off his merch, performing covers and loudly declaring his love for the icon for years. When the Renaissance tour dates were released, Kevin told fans how desperate he was to attend, so when he finally made it over to LA for a show — with designer and former Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott no less — K-pop enthusiasts were so excited for him that it became a trending topic on Twitter. Cute!
20. K-pop embraced the Smoke Challenge on TikTok
The popular South Korean street dance competition show, Street Woman Fighter 2, returned for a new season and boy was that felt on social media. Viral dance challenges were soon birthed on TikTok, with fans and idols alike recreating moves including Click Like by Latrice Kabamba of Jam Republic (with Shownu of Monsta X and TXT jumping on the trend) and the infamous Smoke Challenge choreographed by Bada Lee (embraced by Jungkook and V of BTS, Yeji and Ryujin of ITZY, as well as Hoshi and DK of SEVENTEEN).
21. G-Dragon was cleared of drug charges
The latest in a string of South Korean artists embroiled in narcotics cases, G-Dragon (the frontman of BIGBANG) was caught up in the debacle. The “Good Boy” rapper — who had maintained his innocence from the beginning — was reportedly cleared of any suspected drug use charges in December by Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency.
22. (G)IDLE released a girl power anthem
While some in K-pop treat the topic of women’s empowerment as a taboo subject, (G)IDLE released a fun and decidedly camp girl power anthem this year. With lyrics like “A girl who’s thin or thick/A girl full of confidence/ That allows girls to feel however they want,” the quintet encourage women everywhere to be fierce and fearless.
23. JungKook took inspiration from UK garage
Leaning into UK garage (and nodding to Craig David’s “7 Days”) with the help of US rapper Latto, Jungkook of BTS used “SEVEN” to kick off his solo career with a bang. With soulful vocals and risqué lyrics like, “Every hour, every minute, every second/You know night after night/I’ll be f*ckin’ you right” the ‘maknae’ of the septet made it explicitly clear that he has grown up.