Korean Band Music Surfing the Korean Wave: The Case of the Korean Band Survival Audition TV Program, <i>Great Seoul Invasion</i>

This study examines the cultural politics of Great Seoul Invasion , a 2022 Korean band survival reality TV program produced by Mnet with Master Plan Music Group funding to create global Korean bands amid the rising Korean Wave. Through textual analysis, this study explores the program’s commodification of Korean band music while promoting diverse styles. To this end, the paper introduces “K-wavification,” combining “Korean Wave” and “commodification,” to analyze Korean band music’s transformation into transnational commodities. This concept reveals the ideological embodiment of K-wavification in the program by focusing on global commodification, genre hierarchization with K-pop at the apex, and spectacularization of Seoul and Korean histories. The study identifies moments of resistance where authenticity pursuits in reality TV intersect with indie bands’ artistic integrity, challenging, yet absorbed by commodification.