The Bureaucratization of Fantasy and K-Pop’s Discursive Legitimation

The global ascent of K-Pop has transformed entertainment agencies into multinational corporations facing intense ESG scrutiny. Yet, a critical gap remains regarding how “merchants of fantasy” navigate the discursive tension between cultural authenticity and bureaucratic standardization since existing research largely neglects the creative industries. To address this, this study employs Critical Discourse Analysis to examine CEO messages from the “Big Four” agencies, specifically HYBE, SM, JYP, and YG, covering fiscal years 2022 to 2024. By utilizing a sociosemantic framework of legitimation strategies combined with a processual view of legitimacy, this longitudinal analysis identifies four distinct institutional logics utilized by the sample firms. These discursive strategies reflect a growing “bureaucratization of fantasy,” revealing how agencies increasingly rely on rational-legal validation to mitigate owner risk and satisfy global capital markets. Consequently, this study not only fills the gap in research on legitimation strategies within the cultural industry but also contributes to understanding how creative enterprises strategically navigate the conflict between “authenticity” and “standardization” under global ESG pressures.