Korean Folk Music in the Spotlight Inside K-pop in Argentina—Special Exhibition Featuring BTS, Stray Kids, and K-pop Demon Hunters

A Joseon groove that shook the other side of the globe in South America… ‘K-pop’, dressed in traditional attire

In the heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in South America, the deep resonance of ‘Korean traditional music’ has arrived. The special exhibition ‘K-POP, Meet Korean Traditional Music’, which the Joo Argentina Korean Cultural Center opened on the 27th (local time), is not just a cultural exchange. It is a provocative and deeply researched program that explores the essential roots of ‘K-pop’, which has taken hold as a global mainstream.

‘BTS (Bangtan Boys)’ and ‘idol (IDOL)’, through ‘Stray Kids’’ ‘sorikkun’, to the global animated series ‘K-pop Demon Hunters’. Behind the mega-hit content that thrilled fans around the world, ‘gukak’—a distinct piece of Korean identity—breathes. The exhibition takes this dynamic cultural fusion apart through the lens of local viewers and then reassembles it.

Aesthetic deconstruction and fusion: ‘Good’, ‘God’, and ‘Kkun’

The exhibition shines a light on the evolution of Korean art by threading through three sharp keywords.

• ‘Good (Ritual)’ : A modern twist on shamanic rites. Using the animated ‘K-pop Demon Hunters’ as a conduit, it dissects how ‘good’—shamanistic practices meant to pray for the well-being of a community—gets transformed into an explosive performance within the modern K-pop universe.

• ‘God (Hat & Elegance)’ : The hip of a scholar. It visualizes the aesthetic link between the quiet sensibility embedded in late Joseon-era mealtime culture and scholar life, and the visual and musical styling of today’s K-pop.

• ‘Kkun (Entertainer)’ : The collision of traditional folk performances and pop music. It proves the overwhelming synergy created when traditional performance elements—such as pansori, pungmul, and mask dances—borrowed into songs by ‘BTS’ and ‘Stray Kids’ combine with powerful beats.

Learning the sounds of Joseon through the senses

Watching is not limited to what visitors see. Inside the exhibition hall, the space is filled with three-dimensional objects including traditional instruments such as the gayageum and geomungo, as well as clothing and masks. The organizers built an area where visitors can experience the primal beats of ‘traditional percussion’ by striking janggu and drums themselves. A participatory ritual where people hang wish postcards on the ‘dangsan tree’ is a powerful device that helps local viewers feel Korean sentiment directly.

The Joo Argentina Korean Cultural Center said, “We hope local people will naturally explore the depths of ‘Korean traditional music’ that lies beneath the flashy exterior of ‘K-pop’,” outlining the purpose of the planning. Running through Aug. 5, the daring special exhibition—where past and present, Asia and South America intersect—will continue in Buenos Aires.