Japanese Band Official Hige Dandism is set to hold its second concert in Korea in December. Courtesy of AEG Presents Asia

Chang Ji-yoon, an office worker in her 20s, managed to secure a ticket on Friday to the December concert of Japanese pop duo YOASOBI in Korea after a fierce "ticketing war," known locally as "picketing," due to its intense competition.

"I logged in right at the ticketing start time, but my waiting number was in the 4,000s, so I barely managed to get a canceled ticket," she said. The first and second rounds of tickets for the concert were sold out within a minute of going on sale.

The popularity of Japanese pop music (J-pop) is surging in Korea. At least one Japanese artist or group is performing in Korea every week, including solo concerts and festival appearances. Over 20 solo concerts are scheduled until the end of the year, featuring a range of artists from top-tier stars to niche musicians.

Japanese pop duo YOASOBI / Courtesy of RIVET

More J-pop artists coming to Korea

As the number of concert-goers has increased, so has the size of the venues. In December, singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze will perform at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, which can accommodate around 20,000 people.

This will be the first time a Japanese artist has performed at this venue. Other prominent Japanese artists, such as X Japan, Namie Amuro, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and KAT-TUN, have performed at the Olympic Park KSPO Dome (formerly the Gymnastics Arena) in Seoul, which holds around 10,000 people.

The frequency of concerts has also shortened. YOASOBI, which became a global sensation with the anime "Oshi no Ko" theme song "Idol," held its first concert in Korea last December, performed at the Weverse Con Festival in June this year, and will have another solo concert in December at the Incheon Inspire Arena, which has a capacity of 12,000 seats.

Official Hige Dandism, a Japanese band that performed in front of just 500 people in 2016, will now perform at KINTEX Hall 5 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, which holds about 10,000 people.

Tickets for this concert also sold out immediately after they went on sale. A "J-Pop Festival" featuring prominent Japanese artists will also be held.

Fujii Kaze / Captured from Fujii Kaze's official website

J-pop expands streaming services

The "Wonder Rivet" festival, scheduled from Nov. 8 to 10 at KINTEX in Goyang, will feature more than 20 Japanese artists, including popular girl group AKB48, singer-songwriter MIREI, rock band Saucy Dog and female group Atarashii Gakko, performing alongside Korean acts.

While Japanese music currently accounts for only about 1 percent of the Korean music market, it is rapidly expanding, particularly among people in their 10s to 30s.

The Japanese music industry, which had been hesitant to embrace streaming services due to concerns over declining CD sales, has recently become more active in providing digital music.

This shift, along with increased exposure of J-pop on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels, has significantly boosted its visibility. According to the music platform Genie Music, the number of J-pop streams doubled last year compared to the previous year.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.