Haley Yang is a culture reporter at the Korea JoongAng Daily specializing in K-pop, Korean society and multiculturalism. She was also a big fan of K-pop growing up.

She spoke to me about how K-pop began to find its own unique style following the break from J-pop in 2007, the effects of Big Bang on the music scene as OG gender benders despite some of them later being involved in crime rings, and K-pop as a niche musical element inside Korea. Haley also called the fetishization of K-pop idols by international fans the elephant in the room and the subsequent loyalty shown to idols as being the result of the artists replaceability rather than any unique talents. She also drew attention to fan chat services by companies such as SM which encourage parasocial relationships between the fans and the stars. In terms of media reporting, the race for YouTube views is described by Haley as a pissing contest among fans and this is causing platforms to reassess how they measure songs' real popularity. She also explains how a throwaway line on Gag Concert about TVXQ became a turning point for fans' album purchases.

The conversation ends on the subject of mental health, suicide, and social values in the entertainment industry and society more broadly as well as where one can find positivity and hope in K-pop. *I wish the audio of this chat was a bit better because I learned a lot listening to Haley and gained some new perspectives