K-pop TikTok: TikTok's expansion into South Korea, TikTok Stage, and platformed glocalization.

This article examines TikTok's expansion into the South Korean market through its strategic partnership with the K-pop industry, illustrating a process termed "platformed glocalization," where global platforms adapt to strong local cultural and socio-political contexts. After initial resistance due to TikTok's reputation as a "Chinese app" and criticism of its content as vulgar, TikTok gained acceptance by launching the successful "TikTok Stage" event series during the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging K-pop stars and fan engagement to create new forms of promotional labor. The study highlights how K-pop stars and fans collaboratively produce and circulate content on TikTok, transforming traditional fan practices—such as live chats, fan chants, and "ment" (artist-fan interactions)—into digital forms that sustain parasocial relationships and platform growth. This symbiotic relationship has reshaped K-pop's digital economy but also raised concerns about homogenization and barriers for emerging artists within the platformized K-pop ecosystem.