by A park in Vienna, Austria.
K-pop songs resound, and people’s footsteps and eyes stop.
This is the scene where the K-pop cover dance group ‘Unlimited’ filmed its video.
[Flora Heming / K-Pop Fan: Of course, I heard K-Pop! I’ve been studying in Korea for a few months, I can’t speak Korean, but I’ve experienced many K-pop-related things. It’s excellent music, and the Korean group’s performances and choreography are amazing. K-pop is fantastic, original music, and I’m so happy I get to know more about K-pop in Europe.] The charm of K-pop that swept through Europe also worked in Austria.
The Hallyu event was held at Europe’s largest outdoor music festival, and 11 K-pop cover dance groups competed.
The group ‘Unlimited’ is the largest among them, with 25 members.
It is also gaining popularity online, with over 20,000 fans.
[Diana Cruz / K-Pop Cover Dance Group: In Europe, K-Pop is primarily popular among teenagers and 20s, and a large fan community exists. We can say with confidence because we are one of them.]
Why did K-pop become so popular in Austria?
To this question, K-pop fans cite various reasons.
[Andres Frecht / Leader of K-Pop Cover Dance Group: I think Vienna in Austria is a country of music, so I usually listen to a lot of music at home alone or with friends. I like American and Korean music, so I think K-pop greatly influences Vienna.]
[Laurin Amin / K-pop cover dance group leader: K-pop is so popular (in Austria) that K-pop is global and Austrian. Besides, it is popular with young girls, and there are many customers in related media. And I think I’m getting interested in Korean culture through Squid Game or Netflix’s other Korean dramas.]
As more and more people enjoy K-pop and K-pop cover dance as a hobby, which is now established as a culture enjoyed by young people,
dance academies always have students. Is filled with
It’s a dance class, but dancing skills are not essential.
It is an exciting time because we can gather with the same interests and have fun.
[Victoria / K-Pop Dance Class Students: Many of my friends listen to and enjoy K-Pop. We all want to go to K-Pop concerts and have many K-Pop fans on TikTok and Instagram. They enjoy K-pop.]
The popularity of the Korean Wave that started with K-pop now extends to beauty and fashion.
Jong-ah Lee, who has been running a beauty salon in Vienna for 12 years,
has recently been feeling the power of K-Pop.
[Lee Jong-ah / Beauty salon management: As K-pop became fashionable, food, culture, these people looked at celebrities, and people came to me looking at their hair, young Europeans, Austrians, and young people. The Korean star, I knew then. Ah, that’s what Hallyu is like. K-pop made me feel more advanced in my work. I had that thought. In the past, if, for example, there were ten people, now I think the number has increased 5 or 6 times because of K-pop.]
Bryna, a regular, was also looking for a place where she could get a K-pop star’s hair styled and a place where she could get a K-pop star’s hairstyle. I found out
Since then, I have entrusted Mr. Jong-ah to style my hair for several years.
[Brina Yanuer / Guest: Jong-ah is special. I can do everything (style), and if I go to an Austrian hairdresser with the style of a K-pop star, they’re not good at it. So sometimes I was disappointed. But Jongah finds her on the internet and gives her the best style. I like the styling I received today. Every time I come here, I am satisfied with the class.]
[Andrea Januer / Guest: I come to this salon because there are no hair salons in Austria that can do Korean style. I prefer the Korean style. The Korean style has a different feel to it with a different atmosphere. So I like it.]
When I first came to Austria 12 years ago, adapting to the thin hair of Koreans and other Europeans was challenging.
The initial trial and error have become a nutrient that can satisfy all customers.
[Sima Mizumo / Guest: Mr. Jong-Ah has a lot of oriental style experience and is being educated. This Austrian style and Mr. Jong-ah’s style are very different.]
This salon started targeting Koreans in Austria but is now loved more by locals looking for Korean style.
It has become so popular that you must make a reservation at least 2-3 weeks in advance.
[Lee Jong-ah / Beauty Salon Operation: When a customer comes and says, please do this, the next time you visit or the next time you visit, it would be great if you do this. K-pop stars. Then those friends, the guests, can I do this? And then, I dream of being a hairdresser who wants to promote Korean beauty through me.]
Jong-ah’s next goal is to spread Korean beauty technology as much as the popularity of K-pop and K-content.
From K-pop dancing to styling!
The Hallyu craze, which is gradually expanding its territory, has captivated even the city of music that gave birth to numerous masters.
