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Hearts2Hearts' "RUDE!" becomes the first K-pop girl group song of 2025 to hit 100 million Spotify streams, while rookie group XLOV claims their debut award and Japan grapples with a growing AI voice cloning crisis that has implications for Korean creators too.
From XLOV's first award win and upcoming album drop to Hearts2Hearts hitting 100 million Spotify streams, and a major think tank arguing K-beauty and K-food could power Korea to $1 trillion in annual exports — it's been a defining week for Korean culture and the economy behind it.
From XLOV's first-ever award win and a second mini-album on the way, to Hearts2Hearts crossing 100 million Spotify streams with "RUDE!", plus a major economic report arguing K-beauty and K-food could power South Korea to trillion-dollar export territory — it's been a big week for Korean culture.