[Han Sang-jin] Beyond ‘factory’ critique: BTS and Hybe

Recent coverage by a global news outlet has revived a familiar criticism of K-pop: It operates as a “factory-like mass production system,” driven by discipline, hierarchy and tightly controlled training. The critique is not without basis. It reflects real structural tensions within the industry. Yet it ultimately misreads what is most significant about the global rise of BTS and Hybe. The issue is not whether the system exists. The issue is how we understand it. To describe K-pop primarily as “f

By The Korea Herald