K-pop

K-pop is an abbreviation for Korean popular music, specifically from South Korea (there is practically no popula

K-pop is an abbreviation for Korean popular music, specifically from South Korea (there is practically no popular music industry in North Korea). Many of the K-pop stars, most notably BoA, TVXQ, Rain, SuperJunior and Se7en, are very popular in China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other parts of Asia. The popularity of K-pop is often considered a part of the rise of the Korean Wave, or "Hanryu", in the region.

BoA, who has released albums in both South Korea and Japan, has sold over 10 million records in Asia. In 2004, she won the Most Influential Artist award at MTV Asia Music Awards held in Singapore. In 2005, BoA's 15th single released in Japan, entitled Do the Motion, hit #1 on the Oricon chart making her the first non-Japanese singer in over 21 years to top the chart. She is only the fifth non-Japanese singer to have achieved this feat. That same year, she participated in the NHK Best Singers contest in Japan becoming the only foreign artist to ever be invited to attend four years in a row.