At the forum, Kim Young Min made an address on the topic of 'Direction of Korean Music Market's Development.' Through this address, Kim asserted that Korea and China must cooperate to form a more systematic and more progressive music market in Asia, mainly via online platforms and management methods.
He explained, "I believe Hallyu's driving force was consistently influenced by the agency system. It wasn't the agency itself [that impacted Hallyu] but I think it played a central role. Unlike [agencies in] other countries, Korean talent management agencies oversee all aspects from casting, training, producing, to marketing."
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Kim continued, "In this progress, SM's concern was human relations. Super Junior, EXO, and f(x) all have Chinese members. This year, an EXO concert will be held in Japan. It is expected to mobilize around 52,000 concertgoers. However, some of the Chinese members (Kris, Luhan, Tao) will not be present for the concert in Japan due to their lawsuits with SM. What I'm mentioning isn't just a story between SM and EXO or a story between the agency and the artists. I just wanted to state that depending on how the management rules are formed, the scale and area that the synergy impacts could change."
Kim Young Min then mentioned the former EXO members (though he didn't specifically say their names), saying, "Using the weaknesses in the legal systems of Korea and China, they could pursue their personal, economic, short-term gains. They only followed their 'selfs,' without any communication with the fans who have been with them from the beginning and with the music market. This can all be seen as their personal matters. However, for personal gains, they are not attending the concert that will mobilize over 50,000 people as part of a group that unites Chinese and Koreans. In the Asian market, and as Chinese-born artists, I wonder what honor they have. I think it's something to consider."
He concluded, "It's not the time to argue the differences between the Korean and Chinese markets but the time to discuss how the Korean and Chinese leaders can lead, expand and advance the Asian market. We have to think about the online platforms and the overall management rules and devise an alternate course of action. There may be trial and error but we have to create a cohesive mechanism that will evolve the Asian market into the biggest market that the West has seen."
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