sure maybe the music style and dances are heavily influenced by foreign cultures and music. but what makes kpop kpop, is not just the music- it's the training process, the industry, the stages, and the storytelling. and that's entirely part of Korean culture- both old and new.

we're not devaluing the cultures that kpop is influenced from. The storytelling nature of kpop, however, which is consistent no matter what genre a certain song is in, is the core nature of the genre. and that stems from centuries of musical storytelling.

see, when the three kingdoms of the peninsula (four actually, to be exact) were united that was three very different cultures that had to join together. Ancient Koreans dealt with that by blending and adopting each other's practices, and getting rid of their own outdated ones.

the silla kingdom era (around 2000~1500 years ago) was when many of our modern traditions and practices came into place amidst this cultural blending. song as a method of storytelling became prevalent from this era too; korean music has always been heavily dependent

on facial expressions, fancy clothing and costumes, dancing, large groups of singers, all based on a central storyline.

kpop did not, surprising as it may be to some, come from nowhere. it takes more influences from chinese / japanese 20th century music than it takes from other places. no culture is fully independent from other cultures, but that doesn't mean any culture is worth less than another

go look at pansori; look at korean music in general; narration songs; acting on music stages; the way many kpop songs are based on the five-note music system of east asia; the heavy emphasis on beats and strings; the traditional use of stage makeup...

the unity of storylines over different songs; breaks in melodies and songs to give room for dance and narration; the practice of young children from early ages to become artists; costumes and use of backgrounds; cheering and chanting of a participating crowd;

you don't really think kpop is non korean. you just want to claim kpop as yours because of your 욕심 and maybe a bit of green-faced greed.

music, for us as koreans, is more than just a melody and a song. it's about the narrative, and about the dance, about the crowd singing, and about how we portray the meaning through our bodies, faces, and voices. some of you do not understand that.

it's not about just the dance, or just the melody, or just the outfits. no. it's the preparation, the intent, and the mentality behind a performance and song.... and this is exactly why I hate people looking down on kpop as a 'light' genre.