In early 20th century, a bunch of eminent historians and writers (including Winston Churchill, who wrote about Cavalry saving the CSA during the battle of Gettysburg) were asked to write about what would have occurred if history went otherwise. The eminent British historian G. M. Trevelyan, whose grandpa was awarded a Baronet for conducting the 1845 Irish famine, was asked to write an essay on what would have occurred if Napoleon won at Waterloo.
That is like asking a Korean to write about what would have happened if the Japanese won World War 2 in Pacific.
Obviously he was not too happy to write about it, so he just listed a bunch of things which would not have happened if Napoleon won at Waterloo , in other words the real history up to the time when Trevelyan wrote the essay, and finished the piece with Napoleon's death in 1836 , 15 years after history, without saying much about what he did in the meantime.
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Today is 10th anniversary of the revelation of IU's most famous, important and enduring photograph and Lee Jieun, as if nobody is remembering that momentous event which might have saved KPop from its biggest foe, released an announcement about her season's greeting to Uaenas.
At that time a lot of people were expecting that they saw the end of the last vocalist in Korean Pop, once for all, and KPop finally left the vocalist era behind once for all.
Rather than recounting the impact of the well known photograph again, which you can search if you feel like, I will instead retell the story of Lee Jieun's impact against KPop.
No one had the iron determination to destroy KPop and make things go back to the early 1990s, when vocals were strong and groups were non-entities, as strong as IU in history.
She had the backup of Loen (later Kakao) and was backed by the Melon digital music seller, so she could fight as long as she felt like.
However, no one thought her determination to see Kpop die was so strong. They did not expect her to fight for 12 years; but that happened.
And each year, her determination to bring KPop to its knees and restore it to its old, isolationist and backward self, only grew in a very virulent way.
At 2021, with BTS having conquered the world, her dream of subjugating KPop and making it return to its old way as if nothing happened at all was farther than ever.
But, events from Jun to Oct 2022 occurred, and IU is now the last one standing, along with a bunch of 4th Generation acts which are still green between the ears.
She is the only remaining active singer who has had a full scale concert in Korea's biggest venue , giving her a strength over everyone else which is going to be extremely hard to overcome. Name an act who might sell 2,000,000 copies or have concerts in stadiums other than K-O-R-E-A, but the K-O-R-E-A-N-S will continue to say that they have to beat Lee Jieun's record in K-O-R-E-A and won't be impressed.
In other words, her very presence now presents an enormous burden over any new acts coming up.
It didn't have to be that way - the whole thing could have ended in a day exactly 10 years before today.
Her presence in Korea led every act originating from there a need to watch their backs, and now every act has submitted to her presence, gives her an unparalleled power not seen since Cho Yongpil about 30 years ago; she is basically the only 2nd Gen singer still influential enough, which makes all other acts having to listen to her.
The wisdom of all the KPop companies to tolerate someone who is determined to destroy KPop over all these years has to be questioned. Because there were no serious attempt to check her, her influence only grew, big enough now to turn all gains of KPop go nought.
I havent even read your essay but it gives me instant 
