La Paz, Bolivia’s administrative capital, has approved a municipal law aimed at promoting and supporting youth artistic activities linked to K-pop, in a rare institutional move for the genre in Latin America.
The Municipal Law for the Promotion and Development of Youth Artistic Expressions Related to K-pop, passed by the city council, provides a legal basis for police security at K-pop events, the inclusion of K-pop activities in the municipal government's culture and arts agenda, the hosting of cultural exchange events such as K-pop festivals and administrative support for youth K-pop groups.
The embassy said it is exceptionally rare for a municipal government in Latin America to enact an ordinance promoting and supporting K-pop.
Embassy officials said they would use the opportunity to boost cooperation with La Paz and related agencies to expand Korean culture in the region, including by hosting K-pop competitions and Korean cultural events.
K-pop and Korean culture have experienced massive growth in popularity across Latin and South America, with social media platform X saying in 2021 that Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador ranked among the top 20 countries by number of K-pop fans.
K-pop is closely associated with young people in La Paz, according to a 2022 study titled "K-pop Influence in La Paz, Bolivia" by the Universidad Mayor de San Andres in the Bolivian city.
"Living in a country so far from South Korea, K-pop followers do not share anything in person with their artists, but they identify with them through virtual interaction and through the media communications of Korean entertainment and various online networks," the paper said, identifying several fandoms and clubs following the artists in La Paz.
"Because many young people closely follow this K-pop trend, they change their hairstyles, consume related products and adopt some Korean customs."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
