Over the past few years, K-pop has grown bigger than ever before, making inroads into new markets and re-establishing connections in places where it had been in the past.
Because of its growing popularity and visibility, stories that happen within the industry now get coverage and clicks from around the world and often become trending topic on Twitter.
As the year draws to a close, let's take a look back at some of the biggest K-pop stories of 2021.
The superstars continue to break barriers as they became the first Asian artist to win Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. BTS also won Favorite Pop Song and Favorite Pop Duo or Group.
The past year also saw some of the industry's groups either disband or leave the entertainment agencies they've been with for almost a decade. The members of GOT7 all left JYP Entertainment and are currently pursuing solo careers, while Gfriend, IZ*ONE, and HOTSHOT have announced disbandments.
BTS made their return to the United Nations and delivered their third speech in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The group also performed “Permission to Dance” in the United Nations Grand Assembly Hall.
The spate of bullying accusations that happened in the K-pop industry early on in the year was big news, even resulting in some idol group members being removed from their groups, like (G)I-DLE's Soojin. Other idols that became the target of bullying accusation include iKON's Yunhyeong, Hyunjin from Stray Kids, LOONA's Chuu, Kihyun from MONSTA X, EVERGLOW's Aisha, Seventeen's Mingyu, Sunwoo from THE BOYZ, Kim Sohye formerly of I.O.I, Soyeon from (G)I-DLE, and HyunA.
Last year, K-pop idols weren't just at music events, they were also at one of the most important events of the fashion industry. During this year's Met Gala, CL (formerly of the group 2NE1) and Rose of BLACKPINK were both in attendance.
A former member of the boy group EXO who went on to establish a career in the C-pop industry, Kris Wu got worldwide coverage for all the wrong reasons. The star was accused of sexual assault and rape of several women, some of whom were minors. He was arrested by authorities in August of this year.
Two groups from the fourth generation of K-pop were able to achieve million-seller status this year. Enhypen sold 1,139,099 copies of its album 'Dimension: Dilemma' within a month, as seen on the Gaon Chart. Stray Kids also achieved the same with their album, 'NOEASY,' selling 1.1 million copies a week after its release.
The past year was also the year of male idols getting engaged, married, or becoming a father. Bobby of iKON became engaged and a father in quick succession, while 2PM member Chansung just recently announced that he and his non-showbiz girlfriend are engaged to be married with a baby on the way.
Former Big Bang member Seungri was also sentenced to three years in prison in August of this year. Seungri had been on trial for a number of indictments, which included prostitution, prostitution mediation, and distributing obscene material.
After almost two years of lockdowns, quarantines, and the inability to travel and gather, BTS getting to perform four sold-out shows in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was not only cathartic but a display of how big K-pop has become.