K-pop idols are enhancing their global status day after day. Recently, a new type of idol has appeared through the use of virtual technology, making a splash in the K-pop industry. The virtual boy group Plave proved its popularity by surpassing 200,000 sales for its first mini album on August 2023. In this regard, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will explore what virtual idols are and how they are creating a new paradigm in the idol industry.
Virtual Idols in the Real World
- Who Are They?
A virtual idol is a type of K-pop band that lives in the virtual world as a character. The first cyber singer in Korea, Adam, debuted in 1998. His debut album Genesis was a big hit, which sold around 200,000 copies, and his significance even reached the national news. However, despite high public interest, Adam’s activities were suspended after the second album due to technical limitations. In the late 2010s, the introduction of the virtual universe by various K-pop idols led to virtual reality beginning to make a mark again. In particular, the girl group Aespa introduced a new concept with a virtual character called “ae.” As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the virtual industry has grown significantly under the name of the metaverse as non-face-to-face activities have become more common, and new forms of idols from virtual technology have begun to emerge. These virtual idols appeared in two forms: idols completely designed from appearance to personality and voice or idols acted by real people behind virtual characters.
- The Craze behind K-Virtual Idols
Virtual idols who have appeared like comets are gaining notable success. Among them, Isegye Idol, Mave:, and Plave stand out as examples of successful groups.
|
Isegye Idol Isegye Idol is a six-member girl group that debuted on December 17th, 2021. Real people act behind cartoon-style characters. Their third album, Kidding, drew enthusiasm, ranking third on the Billboard South Korea Songs Chart. |
|
Mave: Mave: is a four-member girl group that debuted on January 25th, 2023. They are fictional characters that are not based on real people. The music video for their debut song, Pandora, achieved incredible success, reaching 10 million views within 13 days of its release. |
|
Plave Plave is a five-member boy band that debuted on March 12th, 2023. These characters are played by real individuals. Their digital single titled Merry PLLstmas was released on December 12th, 2023, and was ranked seventh on the Melon Top 100 chart in only six hours. |
Closer than Virtual, Far from Real
- I Am a Fan of...
As virtual idols mainly operate on stages in the virtual space, their content, including music and performance, jumps over space-time constraints. Their content often embodies fantastical elements, which are challenging to bring to real life, creating richer entertainment within the virtual space. Additionally, virtual idols have captivated existing K-pop fans by showcasing their ideal appearance, singing, and dancing skills. Lee Song-hyeon, a fan of Plave, explained to the SKT, “Unlike traditional idols, the perfect cartoonish appearance of virtual idols helps to focus more on singing, rapping, and dancing.” In the case of virtual idols acted by real people, they communicate directly with fans in real-time, fostering a sense of direct connection. While one-way communication was considered a significant drawback of the previous virtual idols, advanced technology now allows two-way interaction between virtual idols and their fans. Kim Jin-seok, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Enhance Motion Production (EMP), told the SKT, “The rapidly developing artificial intelligence and virtual technology will have a great impact, enough to call it a revolution of the new media industry.”
- Inside a Screen
Although virtual idols created a new horizon in the K-pop industry, various limitations remain. The process of manually correcting technical errors is not possible due to real-time broadcasting, causing accidents such as a character’s hand or leg bending in front of the audience. This shortcoming breaks the audience’s immersion and ultimately disrupts the bond with fans. Moreover, even though two-way communication with fans has become easier, the fans’ inability to meet their idols in person is a major obstacle. In offline activities such as concerts and fan meetings, fans are bound to only meet idols through the screen, which creates a psychological distance. There is also a problem that because virtual idols use digital images, their sexual commodification could be more severe than real individuals. In reality, the love simulation game Love Delivery 2 stirred controversy by depicting a character reminiscent of a particular virtual idol in a suggestive manner. Due to this incident, the game’s sales were suspended for 25 days after release.
Future Hype of K-Pop
Although virtual idols are still in their beginning stages, technological developments can break down the boundaries between real and virtual idols. Regarding graphic limitations, two-dimensional (2D) motion graphics compositor PingPonG explained to the SKT that graphical errors during live broadcasts could be solved with numerous trackers and cameras, as well as large studio spaces. Additionally, agencies of virtual idols could impose legal regulations on indecent behaviors against them. If a virtual character is identified as the character of an actual individual, criminal acts such as malicious comments, deep fake videos, and sexual harassment become punishable according to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. Completely designed virtual idols can also be legally protected through obstruction of business, violation of the Information and Communication Act, or copyright infringement.
With professional production and management, it will not be long before virtual idols are considered true artists. They are already breaking existing prejudices and forming fandoms. The SKT hopes that Kingos will pay attention to the growing popularity of virtual idols, who could later become a centerpiece of the K-pop industry.