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An increasing number of IT and game companies here are capitalizing on K-pop stars, who have gained popularity in the international music scene, aiming to expand their presence in the global market and increase overseas revenue, according to industry officials Tuesday.
"K-pop stars such as BTS are attractive resources for companies to boost global services and sales as they have secured global fandom," said an official from an IT firm, asking for anonymity.
Naver, the nation's largest portal operator, has joined hands with Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, for its webtoon and character businesses utilizing the images of the group's members.
On Jan. 17, Naver Webtoon, a subsidiary of Naver, launched the webtoon "In the Mood for Love: Save Me" in seven countries including the United States, Japan, China and Thailand.
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| Naver Webtoon releases "In the Mood for Love: Save Me," a webtoon utilizing images of BTS members, Jan. 17. / Courtesy of Naver |
The company said Big Hit Entertainment offered the story featuring the seven members for the 16-episode webtoon.
"We expect the webtoon utilizing BTS members, who have gained explosive popularity globally, to offer a totally new experience to readers," an official from Naver Webtoon said.
Line Friends, the character merchandising unit of Line, Naver's subsidiary in Japan, also collaborated with BTS members to release BT21 ― a collection of characters created by BTS members and related merchandise.
BT21 is being sold in Line Friends flagship stores in Korea as well as stores abroad in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States. Global fans have also rushed to online shopping malls to buy BTS items, according to the firm.
Netmarble, one of the leading game firms, plans to release "BTS World" this year, hoping to reinvigorate its sluggish performance.
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| Netmarble plans to release "BTS World" within the first half of the year. / Courtesy of Netmarble |
"We aim to release BTS World in the global market within the first half of the year," a Netmarble official said.
The game, which uses more than 100 video clips and 10,000 images of the boy band, allows users to nurture a BTS member in the game.
Expectations of the success of the game in North America have been raised especially after the iconic seven-member boy band was named "Top Social Artist" for the second year in a row at last year's Billboard Music Awards, beating out Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes.
Telecom companies are also active in utilizing K-pop stars in their new businesses.
SK Telecom, the nation's top mobile carrier, signed an agreement with SM Entertainment to push its next-generation media business during one of the world's largest IT tradeshows, the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas earlier this month.
At the two firms' joint booth, visitors could meet a member of NCT 127 in virtual reality (VR) with a head-mounted VR device.
LG Uplus released a mobile application in October offering diverse video content of K-pop performances.
The app has been offered only to users in Korea for now, but the firm said it is also considering releasing it on the world market in a bid to better respond to the global popularity of K-pop.
