Value of music industry exports from South Korea from 2005 to 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)

In 2024, the export value of the music industry in South Korea amounted to around *** billion U.S. dollars.

K-pop

The main export in the South Korean music industry is K-pop. Korean pop music has been increasingly popular all around the world. In 2024, a survey conducted in 28 countries across the world found that around ** percent of respondents considered K-pop to be very popular in their country. The most popular K-pop stars worldwide were the boy group BTS.

Music in South Korea

While K-pop is known for being successful outside of South Korea’s borders, Korean music is of course also enjoyed domestically. A 2025 survey found that ballads and K-pop were the most popular music genres in South Korea. The most popular way of listening to music in 2025 was via one's smartphone, by streaming or downloading music. While the South Korean music streaming industry was previously dominated by a handful of domestic streaming services, most notably Melon, YouTube was the most popular music streaming service in 2024.