LogFAQs > #941923444

Of course both factor in to some degree, but frankly "public relevance" in Korea isn't all that important for girl groups or idols anymore.

Idol music as a whole is falling off in popularity among the Korean public but idols are more popular than they've ever been overall and that's due to international fandom and reach. Public support USED to be of utmost important for girl groups because they couldnt amass the kind of fandom support that boy groups could and Kpop didn't have the international reach it does now, meaning they couldn't put together significant tours/merch sales, meaning they had to rely on getting local CFs and ad deals to make money. That's not the case anymore.

There's a reason that essentially every 2nd gen girl group is toast now while "less popular" boy groups from the same era are still going strong. Relying on the public means you're career and relevance can dry up in an instant if public perception changes or shifts while having a big fandom leads to long term success for long after the public and advertisers shift their attention to other newer groups.

I'd argue a group being able to draw in more hardcore supporters from all over the world that will religiously buy albums/merch/concert tickets/etc... for as long as the group exists than others speaks more to their popularity than whether the Korean public like and casually listen to their songs or not, digital success in Korea is just a bonus.

Again, the top Kpop companies themselves are shifting towards a focus on building fandom for girl groups and are making songs more and more aimed toward western tastes rather than pandering to the specific tastes of the Korean public so that should tell you how relevant that is in the current Kpop climate.

Kpop has moved much further beyond Korea than it ever was during the 2nd gen. The Korean public are no longer the authority of what's "popular"