aespa’s shaky ABC performance reignites the question: What is K-pop really about?

Every few months, a familiar controversy hits K-pop. An idol act takes the stage abroad, delivers a somewhat stripped-down or seemingly lip-synched performance and the internet erupts — they can’t sing, they can’t perform without the spectacle.

This time, it’s girl group aespa. But behind the repeated criticism lies a deeper question: in an industry built as much on fan engagement, visuals and storytelling as on music itself, what exactly should K-pop idols be judged on?

SM Entertainment’s aespa has become the latest K-pop act to face scrutiny over an “underwhelming” showing after performing “Rich Man” on ABC’s flagship morning program “Good Morning America” (1975-) on Sept. 12 without any backup dancers or the dynamic camera work typical of Korea’s music show programs. Visible mistakes and occasionally uncoordinated choreography fueled a wave of criticism online.

Most of the negative reactions under the performance video on YouTube, predominantly written in Korean, center on the group’s choreography, which many viewers described as awkward and disorganized under the program’s straightforward, unembellished filming style.

“Idols are indeed products crafted by numerous experts,” wrote one user, earning some 6,700 likes as of October 2, indicating that without the visual polish provided by elaborate stage production, idols appear noticeably less charismatic.

“I feel solemn after watching this… Why did they do this?” wrote another user with 8,000 likes.

The quartet is hardly the first to be caught in the crosshairs. Illit, Le Sserafim, Blackpink’s Lisa and even BTS have all, at different points, been criticized for live stages that failed to meet expectations.

It’s a familiar controversy that resurfaces every few months, with similar criticism resurfacing as well — pointing out that K-pop idols struggle to hold their own without elaborate staging such as intricate camera work, booming backtracks, a bunch of backup dancers and spectacular stage effects that often define their high-octane performances.

But it also raises an uncomfortable question at the heart of the industry of what K-pop is really about.

For some, the genre’s foundation lies in music and performance, or the pure ability to command a stage. For many others, it’s a larger package where concept, production, fashion, choreography and active fan engagement weigh as heavily as performance ability.

If stage presence is truly meant to be the alpha and omega of K-pop idols, why does it feel like the expectations keep rising everywhere and not just for the music itself?

The most explosive recent example came with Le Sserafim’s Coachella in April last year, when the group drew massive backlash for uneven live vocals — something that was occasionally brought up by critics while pointing to aespa’s latest performance.

While Le Sserafim’s controversy focused on vocal issues, and aespa’s centered on overall stage execution, the underlying critique remains similar at its core — they were seen as falling short of expectations for delivering a polished, well-rounded performance, a standard often assumed to be basic for anyone who considers themselves a singer.

Following the widely criticized performance of Le Sserafim, music critic Choi I-sak, who described the controversy as “the biggest singing skill scandal in Korea’s history,” noted that the performance overall was compelling, as the quintet delivered an intense set list coupled with powerful choreography that inevitably strained the vocals.

“I believe K-pop needs to be more honest about how demanding too much from singers has led to the long-established system of ‘division of vocal labor,'” Choi wrote on her social media account at the time.

BTS’s RM noted in a 2023 interview with El Pais that the K-pop system can be dehumanizing in some aspects, as trainees are pushed from a young age to perfect choreography, vocals and visuals all at once, while also noting that it is this very system that makes the genre distinctive.

Industry insiders acknowledge that the bar has only risen higher amid the rapid expansion of K-pop’s audiences and fan base over the past decade.

“The standard of audiences watching K-pop idols’ performances has gotten higher, so what idols deliver needed to follow as well,” said a source from a K-pop agency who wished to remain anonymous as she was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company.

While conceding that meeting those expectations is part of an artist’s job now, the source added, “At the end of the day, they are all humans — I do think the overall sentiment shared among fans has gotten extreme, as there’s little tolerance or understanding for human limitations.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]