Capital Economy, Business and Finance
Shares in South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies have reached their highest levels in a year, as investors seek refuge in one of the country’s biggest cultural exports: K-pop.
On Tuesday the stock prices of JYP Entertainment and HYBE rose by 6.09 and 3.15 per cent respectively.
One reason for the spike is that South Korea is the fourth biggest steel exporter to the US. While that industry worries about Trump’s tariffs, K-pop is likely to be insulated from any trade war focused on goods.
Other factors that make K-pop an appealing investment include BTS members finishing military service, BLACKPINK preparing to go on a world tour, and China lifting visa restrictions for South Koreans – sparking hope that Beijing may relax its stance on Korean cultural imports.
Then there’s K-pop’s increasing visibility among western audiences. Lisa from BLACKPINK will be in the new series of HBO’s The White Lotus.
