In 2019, it was discovered that a popular South Korean reality survival show called Produce 101, where contestants competed to make it into a fan-voted idol group, was rigged. For four whole seasons, viewers would call in and collectively pay millions to vote for their favorite idols, all to find out that it was just one big grift. Fans received some respite when a small handful of fall guys bowed their heads in apology before going to jail. However, something important was lost in an industry that was built entirely on parasocial trust.

Bear in mind, this is no small market. The Korean popular music (K-pop) industry makes billions in annual revenues, has as many as 225M global fans, and reached almost $900M in export value in 2023. Future growth remains positive, with a number of core catalysts expected to boost revenues throughout 2026. There is now also a whole new cohort of super fans being introduced to the market via Kpop Demon Hunters, which recently became the most-watched animated movie of all time on Netflix.

However, these drivers of growth do not replace the importance of trust in an industry that relies almost entirely on the fandoms that support it. Nor does it directly