Korean singer Park Min-jun, aka Aoora, bridges two nations through cross-cultural blend of music
In an Indian-style music video bursting with dazzling colors and energetic group choreography, a familiar Korean word echoes throughout the song — “kimchi.”
Vying for the attention of an attractive woman strolling down the street, a Korean man dances playfully with a plate of kimchi, the East Asian country’s signature fermented cabbage. Across from him, an Indian man holds up several pieces of dosa, the crepe-like delicacy of South India.
The duo then burst into a humorous chorus, “Kimchi Dosa, Kimchi Dosa, Adengappa,” with the Korean and Indian flags waving in the background. In Tamil, a language spoken in southern India, the term adengappa means “Oh my.”
This music video, blending Indian and Korean music and style, quickly racked up more than 1 million views on YouTube within 10 days of its Aug. 28 release.
The song was created through a collaboration between Korean singer Park Min-jun, 37, better known as Aoora, and Indian music producer Dharan Kumar, along with other local artists. About 80 percent of the lyrics are in Tamil, and most of the production staff were Tamil as well.
It quickly gained traction across India with the music video even screened before films in some of Mumbai’s largest theaters, industry sources said.
Aoora, a longtime fan of dosa, told The Korea Herald, “One day, while introducing kimchi to an Indian music producer I knew, it occurred to me that combining it with dosa would taste great. That’s how the idea of ‘Kimchi Dosa’ was born.”
“India is vast and unfamiliar, with plenty of new ground to explore. While Korea enjoys a favorable image here, some still confuse BTS with a solo singer or even a place. That’s why I’ve concentrated on working with local artists to make Korea feel more familiar to Indian audiences,” he added.
Aoora, the first K-pop artist active in India, felt that India was drawing more attention than before, not only from himself but also from Korean businesses.
“I first came to India in 2023, and since then, I’ve felt that far more Korean companies in areas ranging from K-beauty to entertainment have turned their attention here.”
He recently held a small fan meeting at a K-beauty expo “BeautySum India,” organized by domestic exhibition company Messe Esang in New Delhi from Aug. 28 to 30, which unexpectedly drew a large number of fans, he added.
Now in his third year in India as a musician, Aoora is set to film a show next month in collaboration with a local production company, reinterpreting Indian folk songs in K-pop while touring six cities across the country.
Meanwhile, the K-pop industry is stepping up its foray into India, the world’s most populous nation with more than 1.4 billion people, a vast market that has long remained untapped.
Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, for example, officially announced its entry into the country in late June. The company has reportedly been conducting market research to establish a local entity, with a launch targeted for later this year.
cjh
