Why South Korean music is now popular in the Gulf?
Monday, 28 March 2016
Thousands gathered at the world's largest K-pop festival held for the first time in the Middle East last week. At night, more than 5,500 people, many singing along in Korean, watched South Korean boy band BTS, Taeyeon of Girls' Generation, Kyuhyun of Super Junior, Double S301, Ailee, Mosta X and Spica perform. "It'd been unclear whether the event would succeed in the Middle East where significant cultural barriers exist," said Ahn Suk-joon, head of CJ E&M's Music Performance Division. "But we wanted to explore it as a new market for 'hallyu' anyway."
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