Abstract:
Globalization has influenced cross-cultural communication, particularly the Korean Wave, which has increased South
Korea's cultural and economic influence. K-pop, South Korea's most successful cultural export, is driven by digital
marketing strategies and social media engagement that are resulting in increasingly intense relationships between idols
and fans. However, intense pressure and demands from fans often lead to severe mental health problems and identity
crises for K-pop idols. This thesis examines the rise of NewJeans, a fourth-generation girl group, and their struggle to
maintain personal identity amidst fan pressure, thereby contributing to understanding the psychological impact of fame in
the K-pop industry from OMG music videos with visual grammar and tex-image relationship analysis. As a result, the
following three aspects complement each other in representing and conveying the main message from the artist's point of
view to fans in the music video: (1) The artist is used as a “product”; (2) the artists are not the only “cure”; and (3) the
tragic impact of K-pop fans' toxic behavior.
