By: Rachel Geller and D’Amelio, Student Ambassadors, USA Pavilion

Perhaps one of the best things about the 2012 Yeosu World Expo is that it has brought many of South Korea’s hottest K-pop acts to Jeollanam-do province. It is no secret that Korean pop music (known colloquially as K-pop) is growing into something of a global phenomenon. While it was previously limited to countries in Asia, it has recently been making its way onto European and American soil and has garnered for itself a fairly sizeable following in the United States. Many of our Student Ambassadors are ardent fans of K-pop — so when we learned that we would have the opportunity to see many of our favorite artists here at the Expo, we were extremely excited!

So far, Student Ambassadors have been fortunate enough to attend concerts featuring popular boy bands B2ST, MBLAQ, and 2AM as well as girl groups Secret, 4Minute, Wonder Girls, and SuPearls. A number of popular solo artists, such as Se7en and Simon D, have also made trips down to Yeosu. The concerts have been extremely popular not only among the Student Ambassadors, but also with the many visitors who have come to the Expo. If one wants to attend one of these concerts, one has to arrive at the Big O concert venue at least three hours in advance in order to snag a seat!

K-pop is definitely becoming an important tool of Korean soft power and diplomacy. Many young Americans are discovering South Korea through the medium of Korean entertainment and popular culture. The impact is so great that the term “Korean Wave” has been coined to describe the overwhelming influence that Korean music, dramas, and movies have on a young global audience. As a direct result of the Korean Wave, many more students around the world are learning the Korean language and making trips to South Korea to explore this fascinating country with their own eyes.

We really look forward to seeing more awesome concerts in the coming weeks!