Rise of virtual idols broadens K-pop spectrum

On the entertainment front.

Virtual idols are doing their part to better promote K-pop amid a growing fan base and greater advances in technology.

Our Park Kun-woo met up with one such group.

Five K-pop band members who claim to come from outer space.

They make up PLAVE, the first virtual idol group to sell over a million albums.

As their fan base continues to expand, a special cafe has even been created, offering an exclusive space for fans to enjoy related content.

Fans from all over the world gather here daily, proving the popularity of these virtual idols.

"I think it was just really refreshing. I didn't really listen to K-pop that much before. I was also interested in the technology behind it."

Artists like PLAVE, who use motion capture technology from sensors attached to real artists behind the avatars, tend to be more popular than those created purely with advanced technology without an actual person.

As a result, more motion-captured idols are being created, and finding ways to reach a broader audience.

"Virtual idol groups aren't just performing but they're connecting with fans just like any real-life idols. Let me show you how they send their love."

Virtual idols also have advantages on the production side, especially as they save time and money.

"They don't need travel time or large entourages during tours and since they're not real people, the risk of mistakes is minimized. Investment costs are much lower compared to real artists, especially in areas like appearance management."

The virtual artist market is growing rapidly and one research firm predicts it will grow tenfold by 2028 compared to 2021.

"Virtual idols are based on animation and sub-culture, which makes it somewhat difficult to connect with the mainstream audience at first. But if they continue to share their "humanity" with their own stories included in their music-making efforts, they could gradually break through and become more accepted."

He also said virtual idols with "humanity" traits are similar to real K-pop idols in terms of their appeal to the audience, meaning the K-pop scene would be able to continue expanding, breaking beyond reality.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.