Washington, D.C.

's access to cultures from around the world affords us, its residents, an array of opportunities we couldn't get anywhere else, and that access gave me a chance to chase my pop star dreams.

Oh!

I am so excited.

The K-pop Academy!

Let's go!

Woman: Hello, Felicia.

Curry: Hello!

Welcome to the Korean Cultural Center.

Curry: Thank you.

Woman: Come in.

Curry, voice-over: The Korean Embassy's cultural outreach arm is hosting a two-week dance class in a worldwide cultural sensation known as K-pop, taught by Jay Kim, who has danced and choreographed for some of the biggest names in K-pop.

Now based in London, he has led K-pop workshops around the world, but this is his first time at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.

Hi, Jay.

Didn't mean to interrupt.

Hi!

Welcome!

Welcome to the K-pop Academy.

Thank you.

So good to meet you.

Thank you for coming today.

I know you're with a beginner class today.

Are you getting them ready for Saturday's performance?

Yes.

Can we do a little something now?

Will you show me a little-- just a little something?

Yeah, of course.

It's very simple.

OK, perfect.

That's exactly what I need.

It's just like kicking your right leg... Yeah.

but so, like, kick, and left leg kick, and then shoulder shake like this.

There's my favorite part.

[Laughter] Man: ♪ Let's go ♪ Curry, voice-over: K-pop emerged in the early 1990s with Seo Taiji and Boys, who blended hip-hop, techno, and rock with Korean language, fashion, and culture.

Unlike many Western artists, who control their music and image, K-pop performers are cast, trained, and tightly packaged by entertainment companies in what's known as the idol system.

By the 2000s, K-pop had fans worldwide.

By the 2010s, it was a global phenomenon.

BTS, launched in 2013, became the fastest act since the Beatles to earn 6 U.S.

number one singles.

Blackpink: ♪ Hey, ha ♪ ♪ How you like that?

♪ Curry: Blackpink, debuting in 2016, has over 54 million Instagram followers.

Blackpink: ♪ How you like that?

♪ Huntrix: ♪ Run, Run, we run the town ♪ Curry, voice-over: K-pop has become so popular that Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" about rival K-pop groups drew over 33 million views in 93 countries just two weeks after its August 2025 release.

♪ Jay: 5, 6, 7, 8.

Curry, voice-over: At the Korean Cultural Center's K-pop Academy, 40 K-pop fans, 20 beginner and 20 intermediate students, have just two weeks to prepare for a final showcase.

Jay: From the beginning.

Don't forget.

Try to keep formation.

[NCT Dream's "Boombox" playing] 5, 6.

♪ [Singing in Korean] Girl: I have some older friends, and they always chat about BTS.

"BTS, BTS, BTS."

"BTS this, BTS that," and I'm like, "What is that?"

And they show me some videos, and I'm like, "Oh, I don't understand a thing," but I liked it.

♪ I'm so happy that I got accepted for being here.

I was dancing K-pop by myself at home.

And English is not my first language, so I'm like, oh, I hope to try to connect.

♪ NCT Dream: ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Singing in Korean] Woman: I'm a professional violinist, like, classical.

Weird, right, that I'm in a K-pop academy, but life happens.

When I was 15, I was introduced to K-pop by my close friend in high school... [Fingers snapping] KATSEYE: ♪ Hey ♪ Maya: and then when KATSEYE got really big and they released their documentary last year, I was like, "Oh, like, I'm curious," because you don't see the K-pop idol training.

They keep that behind closed doors, and I'm like, "Wait.

this is pretty much exactly my preparatory conservatory training."

NCT Dream: ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ So I felt like I could actually connect to them.

Woman: I was a little bit afraid because I am 27 years old I was--maybe I was going to be one of the oldest.

I really loved K-pop but never got into the dance because I think it was a little bit hard for me, even though I am an active person.

I like to go to the gym and ride a bicycle.

Jay: Ha ha.

Head down, hand down.

Aimee: When they sent the email about the K-pop Academy, I was like, "Hmm.

It's an opportunity of a lifetime," so even though I had any experience before, I just went for it, and here I am.

Jay: We're gonna use your right hand first and then left hand.

6, 7, 8!

Kick, kick, kick, and up, up, pull out, pull, and cross.

Jump!

And oh, oh, oh.

OK.

We are improving, I think.

[Laughter] ["Beatbox" playing] [NCT Dream singing in Korean] ♪ Curry: Is this your first time taking K-pop?

It's my first time.

Why K-pop?

My niece is a K-pop dancer, and she shared her video, and I saw it.

I'm like, "Oh, this is cool.

"Looks like I can do it.

It doesn't look too hard."

Ha ha!

But wait.

Then you get in the class.

Yeah.

The beginner class.

It's so hard.

♪ It's not as intimidating now because he breaks down the steps.

Curry: As a group, You all look so cohesive.

It looks so fun.

Thank you.

♪ NCT Dream: ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ So why K-pop?

It did help me a lot whenever I was going through tough times to listen to some of the music.

It's always happy for me, or it understood kind of where I was coming from.

-Yes.

-So to hear it always made me feel better.

NCT Dream: ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ Jay: And then bow and finish.

OK.

♪ Curry: In Korea, lucky aspiring idols train under the rigorous corporate system.

Outside of Korea, fans teach themselves routines and team up to re-create performances.

[Speaking Korean] Curry: The Korean Cultural Center's K-pop Academy started in 2016.

How has K-pop been in terms of importance to the nation of South Korea?

K-pop has become a way the world gets to know about Korea.

People start to enjoy the music first, and they're like, "Oh, I want to learn more about what the lyrics is talking about," and they get to learn the Korean language, and they're like, "I want to learn more "about what kind of outfit they wear, the makeup and food and drama," and that ends them to be more curious about the Korean culture.

And is that why you felt it was important to include the K-pop Academy as part of your programming here at the Cultural Center?

Yes.

It's one of the biggest culture of ours.

We saw some of the students already starting to have pieces of their costumes that they were wearing in class.

Yes.

So it's not just the dancing.

They're really embracing the culture, as well.

Mm-hmm.

What else do you hope they take away?

I want to create a space where K-pop fans can discover their passion, discuss their interests, and have the sense of belonging and just to have fun.

Jay: 5, 6, 7, 8.

KATSEYE: ♪ Boba tea, gnarly ♪ ♪ Tesla, gnarly ♪ Girl: I like to dance to everything.

I'm Hispanic, so, you know, bachata, salsa, a little bit of everything, but, yeah, mostly Korean, which I guess goes into hip-hop, contemporary, and a bunch of different styles.

♪ There's a lot of endurance, cardio.

We get here at 1:00, we finish at 5:00, so that's 4 hours nonstop.

♪ KATSEYE: ♪ Everything's gnarly ♪ [Cheering] Sophia: A friend showed me, like, Korean drama, and I just went deeper into the hole, discovered the music, food.

Recently, I started studying Korean, so I'm all in.

OK, 6, 7, 8.

Cha cha cha hoo hoo hoo!

Curry: Why K-pop?

I started with Afrobeats because that's what my culture is.

I'm Cameroonian, so I grew up on Afrocentric dances, and then it leaned more into hip-hop and then K-pop, and I really liked how conceptually aesthetic it was and how they actually had set choreography, and I found that really intriguing.

♪ Jay: Movement is fine, but our energy's too flat.

[Speaking Korean] So thank you, everyone, and then I'm proud of you guys.

Thank you so much.

[Applause] Curry: Do you feel like he was hard on you all because you're good?

-Yeah -Yes.

-Yeah.

It's very clear that he respects us as people and as dancers in the way that he talks to us.

He'll come around and literally just be in our face.

Curry: I saw that.

Alexis: Like, yeah.

[Laughter] And that's very comfortable.

I was gonna say do you feel like that motivates you to work harder both for yourself and for him?

Dominick: And for him.

Alexis: Yes, definitely.

Because there's a level of respect I feel like we have with him and understanding that's just like, "All right, we got this.

We understand.

Let's go."

Thank you.

I can't wait to see you on Saturday.

♪ Curry, voice-over: After just two weeks of rehearsals, the day of the big performance has arrived.

Curry: Who's coming to watch today?

My dad is over there.

He's actually filming right now.

Is he?

Hey, Dad.

Ha ha ha!

♪ Woman: You look good, by the way.

Yeah!

[Laughter] ♪ Woman: Our leader organized making and signing a card to give to our teacher as a thank you for teaching us.

-Hey!

-Hey!

Jay: I'm just waiting for you guys there, so see you later.

-OK.

-OK.

Curry: Jay, it is the day of the show.

Yeah.

What do you tell the students right before they go out onstage?

Don't stop.

If you make a mistake, don't stop and don't look at me.

♪ Sua: Audiences are coming in.

Make sure to stay in this green room and listen to Claire, OK?

-OK.

-Follow Claire.

I can't wait.

It's almost showtime.

Audience is coming in.

I got to take my seat!

♪ Man: Come on in, everyone.

Proper greeting.

[Speaks Korean] [Audience repeats] Very good.

Welcome to the K-pop Academy Showcase here at Imagination Stage.

We've been putting together this culmination of one of our favorite programs of the year, K-pop Academy.

We're gonna get this party started with our intermediate group, and they're gonna be performing "Gnarly" by KATSEYE.

Let's hear it for them.

[Cheering and applause] KATSEYE: They could describe everything with one single word.

You know, like... ♪ Boba tea, gnarly ♪ ♪ Robotics, gnarly ♪ ♪ Fried chicken, gnarly ♪ ♪ Party in the Hollywood Hills ♪ ♪ Uh-huh ♪ ♪ This song, gnarly ♪ ♪ Oh, my God, that new beat ♪ ♪ Freaking gnarly ♪ ♪ Oh, God, is this real?

♪ ♪ Gnarly ♪ ♪ Oh, we're in a session tonight ♪ ♪ Gang, gang ♪ ♪ Gang, gang, gang, gang ♪ ♪ Gnarly ♪ ♪ Gnarly ♪ ♪ Everything's gnarly ♪ ♪ Na na na na na gnarly ♪ ♪ Na na na na na gnarly ♪ ♪ I'm legit, I'm legit ♪ ♪ Na na na na na gnarly ♪ ♪ Na na na na na gnarly ♪ ♪ I'm legit, I'm legit ♪ ♪ Everything's gnarly ♪ [Cheering and applause] Badvillain: ♪ Pull up with the girls, so let's go ♪ ♪ Let's go ♪ [Singing in Korean] -♪ Let's go ♪ -♪ Let's go ♪ ♪ Take it, gotta breathe in, breathe out ♪ ♪ Yo ♪ [Singing in Korean] -♪ Let's go ♪ -♪ Bang ♪ ♪ Breathe in, breathe out ♪ ♪ Bang ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Zoom, gotta zoom ♪ ♪ ♪ Zoom, gotta zoom ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Like, like, like, like ♪ ♪ You don't wanna to do this ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Step aside ♪ [Singing in Korean] [Echoing] ♪ Like ♪ ♪ Zoom, gotta zoom ♪ ♪ Zoom, gotta zoom ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Like, like ♪ ♪ Zoom ♪ [Cheering and applause] [NCT Dream's "Beatbox" playing] ♪ Yeah ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Cool kid...kick on the drum, drum, drum ♪ ♪ Sugar pop, I got some, some, some ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Like a morning call ♪ ♪ Dance, dance, dance, dance ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Singing in Korean] ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Cheering and applause] Emcee: Let's hear it for them one more time.

[Cheering and applause] Jay: Thank you so much.

[Zerobaseone's "Blue" playing] [Singing in Korean] ♪ Curry: I'm giving you a hug.

Aw!

You did it.

Ha ha ha!

How are you feeling?

Sua: I'm feeling great!

I'm kind of relieved that it's over, but again, I am so proud of our students.

I hope this will be a chance for them to get into Korean culture more in general and hopefully visit Korea one day.

I hope you get to take a nap.

Congratulations.

Yes, I will.

I'm gonna take a good nap tonight.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Felicia, for coming.

["Beatbox" playing] NCT Dream: ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Singing in Korean] Curry, voice-over: The Korean Cultural Center of Washington, D.C., typically holds its K-pop Academy in July.

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For local K-pop events, follow @kpop-in-dc and follow @stepswithjay to keep up with Jay Kim's travels.

[Singing in Korean] ♪ Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox ♪ [Cheering and applause] So fun.