Nowadays, K-pop groups such as BTS and Blackpink are household names around the world, and numerous other K-pop acts have millions of global fans. Yet 30 years ago, on April 11, 1992, when the first recognisable modern K-pop song – Nan Arayo (“I Know”) by Seo Taiji & Boys – had its premiere in a television contest on South Korean channel MBC, it received a panning from the show’s jury and the country’s music critics. It was a song that was to change the course of South Korean popular music and its entertainment industry, though, with its infectious lyrics and blend of dance music genres from new jack swing to hip hop. It would ultimately set the stage for K-pop as we know it today. “I was in the eighth grade when I watched their performance on TV, the famous MBC show that they were [on, and it was] criticised by critics and older musicians,” says Gyu Tag Lee, associate professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea. “I really liked it, [though] they were not treated in a good way by musicians and critics.” According to Lee, the show aired on a Saturday, and despite the bad critical response to Nan Arayo, it was the biggest talking point among youth by Monday. It was shocking to see them performing hip-hop music and dancing on TV when trot and pop ballads … dominated the charts Gyu Tag Lee, associate professor of cultural studies “Almost every classmate of mine talked about them and their music! Soon we came together to support them, and it was a very interesting moment. We felt we were connected to them, Seo Taiji & Boys, and to each other,” Lee says. It wasn’t just the music performed by Seo, Yang Hyun-suk (who would go on to found music label YG Entertainment, home to groups including Blackpink and BigBang) and Lee Juno, but their incorporation of b-boying, or breakdancing, and other pop dance elements that gave the Korean music industry a jolt. “Before the song, hip hop and rap music had not been fully introduced to Korean audiences, though many young people knew it was very ‘hot’ in the US and the world,” Lee says. “So it was shocking to see them performing hip-hop music and dancing on TV where still [at that time] trot and pop ballads – music that was a bit too old-fashioned – dominated the charts. It was truly music for the teens and people in their early 20s.” Seo Taiji & Boys were only active as a group until 1996, but are considered one of the tastemakers of modern South Korean pop music thanks to their hit songs, many of which addressed social issues of the day. Their music and style had an impact on the rest of the industry, with Seo earning the nickname “President of Culture”. “They became an important social phenomenon, not just as musicians but as opinion leaders, such as by challenging the censorship system [in South Korea at that time],” says Lee. “Before them, popular music musicians were considered not really important, or even lowbrow. But after their success, people came to know the influence and power of them.” Seo Taiji & Boys made an impact by combining hip-hop and Western pop trends with Korean sensibilities and lyrics about social issues in South Korea. They also created the template for how celebrities in South Korea, especially pop idols, would be treated moving forward. The way the trio promoted their albums and the way they engaged with fans, creating intense bonds between artists and audience, also laid the groundwork for others in the South Korean music industry to launch K-pop stars and groups whose music and performances would resonate with fans around the world. “They showed examples [of what] the ‘Korean idol’ should do both on and off the stage, though they were not ‘idols’ themselves,” Lee says. (Pop idols in South Korea are typically highly stylised artists managed by entertainment giants whose output combines music, dance, visuals and fashion.) Seo personally inspired many acts, performing in recent years with the likes of BTS , while Yang created, in YG, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies. Nowadays, while various legal and personal issues have taken the shine off the three men behind Seo Taiji & Boys, the act’s arrival with Nan Arayo remains one of the most impactful moments in modern K-pop history. “[ Nan Arayo ] changed the Korean music industry dramatically and very quickly,” says Lee. “I can even say the current Korean music industry is still under their influence.”