All 7 members of BTS have enlisted in the army, the question is which group will be able to replace them to continue the mission of elevating Kpop.

2024 is predicted to be a year of many turmoil for the Korean music industry when BTS is absent, members of major groups such as Black Pink and EXO begin to branch out into solo activities, and Big Bang’s G Dragon also left YG to join a new management company. Music critic Cha Woo Jin predicts that this trend will grow strongly in the future. “Kpop has gone global, it is also easier for artists to operate in the international market. With their established reputation, they do not need to rely too much on management companies. Therefore, many terms will have to be met. reset if companies want to retain artists long term.”

Bright candidates

Seventeen is being evaluated as the number 1 candidate. The 13-member group has sold 16 million albums in 2023 alone. Notable is the album FML released in April last year. This music product has received many awards including: Album of the Year at the 38th Golden Disc Awards, Best Album at the 19th MAMA, 8th Asia Artist Awards and Seoul Awards Music 33rd.

Group Seventeen at the 13th UNESCO youth forum

Last year, the group also successfully organized the Follow tour , meeting more than 1 million fans around the world. In November 2023, Seventeen became the first Kpop group to give a speech and perform at the 13th UNESCO youth forum. This affirmed the group’s position as a symbol representing youth, not just a phenomenon of the Korean entertainment industry.

Stary Kids also achieved many impressive achievements. The song Rock Star released last November entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 90, helping Stray Kids become the second Kpop boy group to achieve this achievement after BTS. Stray Kids also had 4 albums that topped the Billboard 200 chart immediately after release including: Oddinary (2022), Maxident (2022), 5 Star (2023) and Rock Star (2023). The group is also highly appreciated by prestigious music experts around the world.

Stray Kid group

According to music critic Kim Do Heon, the concept of “the next BTS” should not be mentioned. “What BTS has created is their own achievement, not that of Kpop. Even when a famous group like BTS appears, the image they build or the message they want to convey is very different. We should look for the next big group, not a replacement group for BTS,” he emphasized.

New recruits promise to make a breakthrough

It’s no exaggeration to say that 2023 is the year of New Jeans when the group’s songs fill the streets. Hybe’s girl group has won many domestic and international awards such as: Highest award in the category of Digital Song of the Year at the 38th Golden Disc Awards , Song of the Year and Artist of the Year at Asian Artist Awards 2023, Melon Music Awards 2023 and MAMA Awards 2023.

IVE group

Get Up , New Jeans’ second album released last July, sold 2 million copies, becoming the fastest girl group to achieve this achievement in Kpop history. Get Up also entered the top 5 best-selling albums in the US market in 2023.

According to Lee Gyu Tag, cultural studies expert at George Mason University, the two groups IVE and Le Sserafim also have a lot of potential. “IVE has special appeal to domestic audiences, but Le Sserafim is very popular with international audiences. Both New Jeans, IVE and Le Sserafim are the future of Kpop,” he commented.