Disney's Growing Love for K-Pop: SEVENTEEN's Holiday Spectacular and More

Disney's affection for K-pop is evident not only in its soundtracks but also in various content planning. The global content creator has been showcasing K-pop artists by organizing special stages for year-end programs and producing documentaries.

For the first time, K-pop group SEVENTEEN appeared on Disney's year-end special program in the U.S. They performed the carol 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' on 'The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular' aired on ABC. Through this performance, SEVENTEEN stood alongside global artists like Elton John, John Legend, and Pentatonix.

SEVENTEEN's performance took place in front of the 'Millennium Falcon' from Disney's 'Star Wars' content. They not only set up a stage but also engaged in a skit with the popular 'Star Wars' character Chewbacca, sharing the Disney universe.

This isn't Disney's first foray into K-pop. Since last year, Disney has been collaborating with BTS to produce documentaries. The global idol group's off-stage life has garnered public interest, leading to the creation of such content.

On December 3rd, Disney+ released the documentary series 'JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL THE ORIGINAL,' featuring BTS member Jungkook. The series includes unreleased interviews and solo album work. This video on Disney+ is reportedly 55 minutes longer than Jungkook's documentary film, which attracted 1.38 million viewers globally, as it includes behind-the-scenes content of the album 'GOLDEN' not shown in the theatrical release.

The BTS documentary 'BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star' was also released on Disney+ last December. Unlike Jungkook's documentary, it covers the group's growth process and includes the members' reflections.

Additionally, Disney+ has released documentaries on album work by second-generation male idol groups like Super Junior and NCT127.

Disney has consistently worked on animation OSTs. Notable examples include NewJeans' Danielle's Korean OST for 'The Little Mermaid,' Hyolyn and Taeyeon's contributions to the 'Frozen' series, and AKMU's Suhyun's voice in the 'Mulan' OST. TWICE's Nayeon also participated in the Korean version of the main OST for 'Moana 2' titled 'Beyond' last November.

K-pop stars' voices are also prevalent in Marvel content. Disney+ original 'She-Hulk' features Jessi's 'ZOOM,' and the movie 'Deadpool and Wolverine' includes Stray Kids' 'SLASH' as part of the OST.