"Happy Chuseok." True to Korean tradition, K-pop stars did not miss the opportunity to send a message to their fans for Chuseok, the traditional Korean harvest festival that honors ancestors, celebrated this year on Monday, October 6. Among them was 1Verse (pronounced "universe"), a group formed in 2025, which brings together two North Koreans, two Americans and one Japanese member. As Hyuk (one of the two North Koreans) put it, the group aims to be an "answer to the question: How far can K-pop go in terms of diversity?"

1Verse sent their greetings in both English and Korean, a way to highlight the Korean roots of K-pop – a genre that builds its success on talents honed through years of rigorous training but that must also, amid an ultra-competitive industry, constantly innovate to win fans both at home and abroad. To do so, K-pop embraces inclusivity to attract fans from increasingly diverse backgrounds, breaking taboos and setting new standards in the process.

This strategy began with K-pop stars learning foreign languages – Japanese, Chinese or English − depending on the target market. Next came the inclusion of non-Korean members. The girl group f(x), launched in 2011, included both Chinese and American singers.

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