K-Pop Stars TikTok Strategy Success

BTS member V officially joined TikTok on Friday, marking his entry as the third member of the global sensation to launch a personal account on the platform. V’s TikTok account experienced explosive growth, swiftly amassing over one million followers and rapidly approaching four million by Monday. Fans are excited to see what kind of content V will be posting.

While fellow BTS member Jungkook debuted his TikTok presence in 2023, he later reactivated his account in October under a new username. J-Hope also joined the TikTok world in 2025. As BTS embarks on their 13th year, industry observers are keenly watching the strategic shift of these established idols towards embracing TikTok.

K-pop groups have been leveraging TikTok’s influence for several years. BTS and their labelmate, Tomorrow X Together (TXT), launched their official group accounts in 2019, coinciding with Stray Kids’ entry into the platform. Enhypen followed suit in 2020, and Seventeen joined the trend in 2021.

A significant distinction lies in the fact that most groups primarily utilize official accounts managed by their entertainment agencies. Individual members rarely maintain personal channels, making V, J-Hope, and Jungkook’s individual accounts a noteworthy development.

Industry insiders highlight TikTok’s ascent as a vital promotional avenue for K-pop, transforming passive consumers into active participants who drive trends. The platform’s emphasis on engagement and shareability makes it a powerful tool for reaching a global audience.

According to Jung Jae-hoon, head of operations at TikTok Korea, the platform prioritizes content quality over creator identity. TikTok’s algorithm encourages the remixing, recreation, and spread of videos through meme-driven formats, facilitating rapid trend evolution.

“Over 14 million K-pop-related posts were generated on the platform between October 2024 and October 2025, and the number continues to surge,” Jung stated, emphasizing the platform’s integral role in the K-pop landscape.

Among K-pop idols, TikTok is increasingly recognized as a crucial platform for effective music promotion and artist visibility.

“These days, many young people use TikTok,” Enhypen member Sunghoon shared during an interview promoting the group’s seventh EP in January. “If our new song trends on TikTok, it means many people are enjoying it, so I hope our music becomes popular there.”

TikTok’s impact is evident in the performance of artists’ content. A dance practice video that Jungkook uploaded to his personal TikTok account, unrelated to any new release, garnered an impressive 12 million views within just 14 hours.

Another video Jungkook posted in October, featuring the song “Fashion” by rookie group Cortis, has surpassed 120 million views as of Monday, demonstrating the platform’s potential to propel emerging artists.

Industry experts concur that TikTok has transcended its initial identity as a short-form video platform, evolving into a key influencer of music charts and artist trajectories. Its ability to drive viral trends has made it indispensable for success in the modern music industry.

“Eight of the ten songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2025 experienced viral traction on TikTok first,” stated KC You, head of artist partnerships, artist services Asia at TikTok Korea. “For artists, TikTok is no longer optional. It has become an essential channel for promoting new music and building a global fan base.”

He also highlighted the viral success of Katseye’s “Gnarly” challenge in 2025. Numerous K-pop acts, including Le Sserafim, Tomorrow X Together, and Enhypen, participated in the trend, leading to the creation of 2.4 million user-generated videos and 13.5 billion views.

“Artists’ voluntary participation on the platform leads to fan-driven expansion, which in turn translates into chart performance,” You explained. “At the same time, the K-pop industry is increasingly emphasizing individual member branding and direct communication with fans alongside group activities.”

TikTok’s growing influence is closely linked to its popularity in Southeast Asia.

While the region generates less revenue compared to core K-pop markets such as Japan, the US, and South Korea, it plays a significant role in originating viral short-form trends.

“When a short-form video goes viral in Southeast Asia, it increasingly spreads beyond Asia and reaches other regions,” an industry official noted. “Short-form viral marketing has become far more important in recent years compared to the traditional promotional strategies agencies relied on in the past.”

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