[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] "Over the past 30 years, the K-pop idol industry has grown into a global industry through countless trials and errors. Now is the time to move beyond that success and prepare for the next 30 years."

Professor Kim Jeong-seop of the

at Sungshin Women’s University made these remarks in a recent interview with Edaily, reflecting on the growth history of the K-pop idol industry.
Professor Kim recently published a paper in the *Journal of the Korean Society of Entertainment Industry Studies* titled “Survival and Hit Structures in the K-Pop Idol Music Industry: A Comprehensive Analysis of 1,182 Groups Debuting Over the 30 Years Since H.O.T. (1996–2025).” Based on data accumulated over the 30 years since the emergence of “manufactured” idol groups, this study elucidates the competitive structure and principles of success in K-pop and proposes future directions for growth.
Professor Kim explained, “1996, the year H.O.T. debuted, marked the official beginning of the era of managed idol groups in Korea,” adding, “From that point onward, a system took root in which trainees were selected, systematically trained, and then debuted as groups.”
According to the results of the comprehensive analysis, only 3.55% of all groups sold more than 300,000 copies of a single album, and only 1.61% surpassed 1 million copies. Groups with cumulative sales exceeding 10 million copies accounted for just 0.59%, highlighting the dominance of major agencies with strong financial resources and global distribution networks.
The average activity period for the groups surveyed was 4.12 years, and the survival rate three years after debut was 55.03%. Noting that the three-year survival rate is higher than the 41.5% rate for general small and medium-sized enterprises, Professor Kim emphasized, “The view that the idol industry is like ‘pouring water into a bottomless jar’ is an exaggeration. We must objectively reassess investment risks to ensure that investments flow toward agencies and content with growth potential.”
Professor Kim identified the following as key tasks for the development of the K-pop industry: △ fostering idols for long-term growth; △ establishing a system that allows for a second chance after failure; and △ expanding shared infrastructure to strengthen the financial stability and competitiveness of small and medium-sized agencies.
He said, “Over the next 30 years, we must aim for the entire K-pop industry—beyond the success of individual artists—to make a full leap into the global mainstream cultural industry, and we must focus our efforts on building a sustainable ecosystem.”