From Niche to Kitsch: Virtual idols shake K-pop industry

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NEWs GENERATION is a program hosted by Arirang TV covering Korea’s latest trends and current affairs from the perspective of those in their twenties and thirties (millennial and Gen Zers, dubbed the ‘MZ Generation’ in Korea). For all of my appearances, visit
NEWs GENERATION Appearance.

Plave is just one of the many virtual idol groups that has shaken up the K-pop industry. We're going to talk about why virtual idols are growing in popularity. Let's first start our discussion by asking our panelists if they are aware of any virtual or AI artists and how popular they are.

Virtual idols have absolutely become a huge hit in the entertainment industry especially to young people in Korea, not only PLAVE. In fact, there was recently a relay pop-up event at a department store in Seoul where visitors could see and buy goods of their favorite virtual idol groups, which saw a total of 100,000 visits and 7 billion won in sales in just a month. Considering that the average sales for a fashion brand pop-up in the same period are usually around 1 billion won, you can really tell how popular they’ve become.

Though the virtual idols we're seeing now seem almost life-like, it wasn't always like that. And AI tech merging with the pop culture scene dates back to the late 90s.

I feel like the technology must’ve evolved so much since Adam came out as Korea’s first virtual singer. Today, advanced tracking gear and software make it possible for the words and movements of a real person to be displayed in real-time through a virtual character, so it’s really fascinating to see everything from their facial expressions to the smallest things like their hand movements being replicated in the virtual world.

It’s really no different than interacting with a real person or idol except the obvious fact that they’re shown through a monitor or screen of some kind instead of being in the physical world.

What’s also interesting is that even way back in the 1990s, people included detailed backstories, features, and personalities in these virtual idols. Much like a real person, they have birthdays, favorite foods or colors, and distinct traits that don’t necessarily have to be based on the real world or person.

Then why do you think virtual idols and artists are booming in popularity these days?

I find virtual idols really fascinating in that the only limit really is your own imagination when it comes to their production and storytelling. Today, virtual idols have their own journey of starting as a trainee and practicing together exactly like real idols and interact with their fans through livestreams and videos. Because they’re no longer limited by the constraints of the physical world, they can choose to be in any virtual environment at any time, which could be a park or outer space, and that differentiates them from real-world idols.

An added benefit of them being loosely associated with a real person but not being the actual person themselves is that they don’t have to go through the personal privacy issues that some idols go through, like stalking, so the risks of them being caught in scandals or controversies that could be a huge hit to a group’s reputation are far lower.

Then what do you guys think will happen to the AI, or virtual artists and celebrities trend?

I feel like the virtual idol industry still has a lot of room to grow, as it’s still in its infancy with its first groups, and I especially think that how these idols interact with their fans will become an area for growth in the future. For example, we’re already seeing developments in holographic display technologies where it feels like the idols are really in front of you, moving in 3D, and metaverse spaces where you can meet them in the virtual world.

I also can see these virtual idols being combined with developments in AI, as we’ll probably get to see fully non-human virtual idols doing the same things that real idols and people do. This means that there will also be chatting apps where you can talk to these idols like they’re your friends whenever you want. This does of course raise a lot of ethical questions and considerations for what we can call an ‘idol’ and what they can say or do, but it is nevertheless something that I see in the future.