Netizens question why the 'classic innocent' concept from earlier K-pop generations is fading

Netizens are debating a particular concept that has seemingly become 'rare' these days.

On an online forum, netizens discussed whether companies have moved away from the 'classic pure and innocent' concept mainly for female idols starting from 4th generation K-pop groups. The concept they are referring to includes prime examples from groups such as Girls' Generation, Apink, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, and I.O.I.

Their songs and visual concepts, such as Girls' Generation's "Kissing You," Apink's "No No No," and Lovelyz's "Ah-Choo," have steadily appealed to viewers and listeners, leading to ongoing covers and reunion performances even today.

In the forum post, the uploader wrote: "There’s still steady demand for this concept in the idol scene, but lately the supply [from companies] has really become rare. The classic pure and innocent concept. Especially from the 4th to 5th generation onward, it’s become even harder to find. It’s a concept that fans consistently miss and look for, but it’s genuinely becoming scarce."

The poster continued, "Agencies now tend to stick to refreshing, sporty, energetic styles at most, and that kind of 'going all out' pure and innocent concept is now mostly seen only in B-side special stages, commercial shoots, or one time pictorials."

Meanwhile, netizens in the comments section shared a wide range of opinions. Some believe that such a concept actually has "less demand these days" from consumers and that the 'pure' concept can sometimes overlap with potentially "infantilizing" the members, especially adults, and may be geared primarily toward domestic male audiences.

However, other netizens argued that there is still strong demand for this type of concept, especially across Asia, while audiences elsewhere may view it as "tacky" or "old."

Several also pointed out that this type of concept may not generate as much hype or financial success, ultimately leading companies to focus on more powerful concepts with a distinct appeal.

At the same time, some compared this concept to those of current generation groups such as ILLIT or Hearts2Hearts, noting that while they may appear similar to older groups, newer acts tend to have a more "naturally refreshing feel" or even a "magical" tone, particularly in the case of ILLIT, which differs from the approach taken by Girls' Generation or Apink.

Reactions include:

"There is demand, but it’s a concept that’s hard to make a big hit with."

"CSR was the closest to that kind of vibe."

"These days, it’s mostly smaller agencies that keep supplying it…"

"These days the overseas market matters, and it probably doesn’t work there."

"It doesn’t work overseas at all, not even in Japan."

"There is some demand, but not a lot."

"Because it doesn’t work overseas."

"Now the classic pure and innocent concept doesn’t work anymore."

"People say they want it in places like this, but when it actually comes out, there’s no real interest. Smaller agencies do it quite a bit."

"The songs have to be good. They need to be widely appealing, but that’s hard…"

"It’s really good, but it just doesn’t work."

"It just has a niche fanbase."

"There’s steady demand, but not much lol just a small group of fans…"

"The demand is tiny… it looks outdated."

"It doesn’t work in this era."

"There’s basically no demand overseas, especially in Western countries…"

"Now it just looks outdated."

"Female fans don’t like it."

"I like it. Lovelyz ‘Destiny,’ GFriend ‘Rough,’ Oh My Girl ‘Secret Garden’ lol"

"I liked GFriend because of that kind of vibe…"

"What do you expect, it’s very male oriented lol male fans might join, but they don’t spend money, can’t promote, and don’t really help lol they just cause a lot of issues with harassment, it’s really harmful. These days, attracting female fans is important for girl groups, so it probably won’t come out."

"If you look at the songs, most of them had a vibe that was meant to please male fans anyway."

"I’m a casual fan of girl groups, and I liked the pure concept. Back then there were quite a lot of those concepts… but core fans didn’t really go crazy over them, it felt more like ‘here we go again.’ Since I don’t spend much money as a casual fan, it’s different, but from the group or company’s perspective, there’s no reason to do it."

"Male fans don’t spend money."

"No, female fans like it too. It’s not about revealing outfits. But it doesn’t come out because it gets no reaction overseas."

"Huh? Why do people say the pure concept is something men like??? I like that kind of concept."

"The people who say pure concepts are just for creepy tastes are the most annoying."

"Honestly, it looks outdated."

"Overseas, they see that as a childlike concept and find it strange. Looking at it now, grown adults holding candy and using baby bottles does seem a bit odd. Pure is fine though."

"Asian people already look young, so it’s easy for Western audiences to criticize it as a lolita concept… but trends come back around, so maybe it’ll return someday."

"There’s actually a lot of demand in Asia, but since there’s no interest in the West, it’s not a concept they try when aiming to be global stars."

"It’s a concept that feels awkward whether very young idols do it or more mature ones do it."

"I also like pure concepts the most… I love dreamy pure concepts like Oh My Girl ‘Closer’ so much."

"ILLIT has a different direction. That kind of concept is something men like, while ILLIT has a magical girl concept that women like. It’s a different vibe from the pure concept."

"Songs like ‘Kissing You’ were good because the song itself was good, not because the concept was amazing. And it’s true that there isn’t much demand."

"Refreshing and bright vibes like NewJeans or ILLIT still work today, but the more traditionally pure concept with simple, girlish outfits doesn’t seem to work as well."

What are your thoughts?