Should Christians listen to K-Pop?

From “Squid Game” to BTS, and even Korean BBQ, South Korean culture seems to have captured the hearts and minds of both millennial and Generation Z Americans.  

Including my own. 

I started listening to Korean pop (K-pop) the summer before my senior year of high school. My friends were big fans of what is known as “third generation groups,” (K-pop groups or stars that debuted between 2012-2017) such as BLACKPINK and MONSTA X. Even though I was often exposed to that style of music, I had never truly taken an interest in it until one of those same friends sent me a song by Stray Kids.   

Let’s just say, I have not stopped listening since.  

But lately, as new music comes out alongside provocative dances, and the shifts in our culture continue to lean toward a lack of modesty, I’ve been wondering if Christians should even listen to K-pop.  

Take, for instance, the group Le Sserafim’s “Unforgiven.” The song begins with “unforgiven, I’m a villain” and continues to encourage walking in a rebellion regarding tradition and what can be considered as the “old.”  

In 1 John 1:9, we are told that if we confess our sins, then our Father in heaven is faithful and just to forgive us of them. So, maybe Christians shouldn’t listen to this song. Does that mean we should abandon an entire genre? 

“K-pop is a very broad term. It can include all different genres of pop, rock, ballads, hip-hop, R&B, dance, electronic, etc.,” Grace Lung said in Asians Between Cultures. “Basically, it’s just the same as Western music, except the music comes from Korea. There is also Korean Contemporary Christian Music.” 

Thus, it isn’t the genre that is necessarily “bad.” It merely comes down to how we engage with specific songs and their messages, and how that music might lead us toward, or away from God.  

However, some people still raise concerns over interacting with K-pop, because Korean artists are called “idols” by their fans. Does this mean Christians are engaging in idolatry? 

The Bible never said being a K-pop fan is a sin,” Hannah Mallorca wrote in Philstarlife . “Supporting our favorite idols, groups, singers and even actors is not the same as our love for God … Only God has the right to set the standards of what it means to be (a Christian).”  

And I completely agree. Anything that diverts our focus away from Christ and causes us to sin should be cut off from our daily lives. However, there is no reason that Christians should not be able to listen to any genre of music, including K-pop, if it does not directly oppose biblical values and morals and ultimately points believers back to Him. 

So, should Christians listen to K-pop? 

Absolutely! You should be able to enjoy listening to the music you choose. Christians have been given the gift of free will for this very reason. But remember Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”   

Merritt is the Arts and Culture editor for the Liberty Champion. 

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