김홍기_정면
Kim Hong-ki

CEO | Space Oddity

Kim Hong-ki is a seasoned music marketing expert with over 25 years of experience spanning live concert planning, artist management, digital music services, and media startups.

In the early 2000s, he pioneered Korea’s first branded concerts such as “Lee Moon-sae Solo Concert” and “Psy’s All Night Stand”, and led marketing for legendary artists including Cho Yong-pil, Shin Seung-hun, Lee So-ra, and Lee Seung-chul.

At NAVER and Kakao, he was one of the earliest to build large-scale promotions with idol groups like Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, and KARA—long before the term K-POP gained global traction. He also spearheaded Korea’s first online livestreams with G-Dragon, Cho Yong-pil, and Seo Taiji.

In 2015, he launched Dingo Music, creating viral music formats such as “Isul Live” and “Vertical Live”, which redefined digital music content culture.

With the founding of Space Oddity in 2017, he led projects like Digging Club Seoul, which helped reignite the Korean city pop boom. He has also collaborated with brands like Laneige and Melon to create new models of music x brand partnerships.

Currently, he oversees a suite of fan-focused platforms including:

  • Blip – a fandom entertainment app
  • K-POP Radar – a data analytics tool for tracking fandoms
  • YAHO – a free Korean language learning gamebook

Through these initiatives, he supports rising K-POP artists and helps them grow structured, data-driven fanbases — paving the way for the future of fandom.

K-Wave 4.0: How Brands Are Tapping into K-POP and Global Fandom Culture

"Isn't K-pop past its peak now?"

Skepticism about K-POP has surfaced in recent years, especially in business headlines. Yet, the global momentum remains strong. BTS and BLACKPINK still dominate headlines, K-POP artists continue to appear at Coachella, and Billboard placements show no signs of slowing down.

K-POP is evolving in more diverse and complex ways—take, for example, Netflix’s original “K-POP: Demon Hunters”, where even fictional characters carry the K-POP banner.

What makes K-POP truly worth watching is its influence far beyond music. A single comment from an idol can move markets, unexpected merchandise becomes global bestsellers, and brands associated with K-POP continue to soar.

K-POP has built a global expressway—and now K-FOOD, K-BEAUTY, Korean travel, even K-MEMES are speeding along it. New and unpredictable things are happening every day.

K-POP is no longer a choice for brands — it’s a strategic necessity.

But collaborating with a popular artist alone isn’t enough. Today’s K-POP landscape is delicate, data-driven, and emotionally nuanced. For non-fans and non-experts, navigating it can be overwhelming — and missteps can lead to backlash.

That’s where Space Oddity comes in. With years of research and data-backed analysis, they’ve studied fan behavior and K-POP trends in detail. In this session, Kim Hong-ki shares what brands need to understand to connect meaningfully with K-POP fandoms.

Key Talking Points

  1. What is a “fan” and how has fandom evolved?
  2. What value can K-POP fans bring to brands?
  3. What is a “multi-stan” and how has fandom complexity grown?
  4. Why data is now essential in navigating K-POP
  5. What defines Hallyu 4.0 — and how can brands ride this new wave?