“WINNER Debuts in Japan & iKON Goes to China”: YG’s Reason Behind Big Moves
[TV리포트=김예나 기자] WINNER and iKON were raised by YG Entertainment like brothers. The big brother WINNER made a debut this August while iKON is gearing up for theirs in January 2015. As the two groups are quite different, they head to different foreign markets: WINNER to Japan and iKON to China.
WINNER and iKON became known to the public in the 2013 survival program “WIN: WHO IS NEXT” as Team A and Team B. Team A, seizing victory on the show, then became WINNER, and Team B was back to being trainees. And in 2014 another survival program MIX & MATCH was made to determine the final group iKON, evolving from Team B.
Making their debut in August, WINNER started promoting in Japan from September. They held a concert in Japan right after their album release. WINNER opened BIGBANG’s Japan Tour concerts, and thanks to that experience they already secured a solid fan base. Under the title “WINNER 1st JAPAN TOUR 2014” WINNER travelled across 5 cities to perform 11 times, attracting 25,000 fans from Tokyo, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka.
WINNER is currently preparing their new album. YG’s YANG HYUN SUK commented, “WINNER will not be limited to the Korean music market. They will promote both in Korea and Japan. There is no set border for them, and that applies to their music genre as well. There is a lot to show. WINNER will continuously grow like BIGBANG.”
Now the announcement of the finalists is left for iKON. On Oct 22 the final match was held in Korea University’s HwaJung gym. 150,000 people entered to win the ticket, proving iKON’s already-high popularity.
iKON was also in Beijing to meet with the local fans. Nearly 60,000 people entered. The fans crowded at the airport, where everything had to be halted to control the crowd.
YANG commented, “iKON’s popularity in China was simply explosive. iKON will be challenging the Chinese market, but they are not going there immediately. They will solidify their position here in Korea first, and then move on to China later. We need to repay the fans who have been waiting so long for their debut.”
YANG had high expectations for the Chinese market penetration. But he emphasized that iKON’s promotion in Korea comes first.
“No artists from YG actually entered the Chinese market in full force. But now is the time to do so, adapting to circumstances of the local market. iKON will be the first to do it. YG’s foreign market had its focus on Japan. BIGBANG prepared for it for a long time and successfully achieved 800,000 Dome Tour. We have long-term plans for iKON’s promotion in China. We will do it step by step, with no rush.”
2014. 10. 26.
