K-POP ARTIST' IDENTITY CRISIS: A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NEWJEANS’ ‘OMG’ MUSIC VIDEO

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.