Last year was BTS' biggest year but IU wrested Korea from its hands.
IU became the 8th most awarded singer in the world.
Last year showed Adele was not what she used to be, Olivia Rodrigo pulled a strong showing but did not pull through (and she might end up like Lorde and Billie Eilish, who were hot for some time but have not regained their height)
and Justin Bieber became a part of Hybe.
So, other than The Weeknd, there were no serious contenders against BTS, so IU defeating BTS in Korea was a huge coup.
But as I examined all the non-Korean comments about IU obtaining the crown in Korea, I found very little hostility against Kpop's Greatest Anachronism and quite a number of Armys supported the singer who contributed the least amount to the expansion of Kpop.
Lee Jieun, while still not a world figure, was well known enough to be accepted by the world fans who took her as part of Kpop.
And it seems she has lessened her hostility against KPop, because of all the Kpop figures paying filial duty to her, and changed her attitude significantly.
In 2011 and especially 2014, she aimed to destroy Kpop and remove it from the scene forever, and she came very close to strangling it in 2014 when MAMA gave her the Lifetime Achievement Award and told her to get lost. Still 2015 was a blank year as far as KPop was concerned, and only Twice's Cheer up in 2016 revived it. (GFriend followed Lee JIeun's formula and was not too popular outside of Korea.)
Yet, the international fans did not hate the singer who almost ended Kpop, and had offended Suga by releasing a version of Eight with his parts all cut out , which was her declaration of war against BTS.
While researching for this piece, I found IU did sing a song, "Catch the Bus", from HItman Bang Shihyuk, albeit a long time ago.
(circa 2010)
So Into the I-Land is not the first song from Mr. Bang she sang.
It seems Into the I-Land made her gain some respect from the entire Hybe fandom, who don't know her long history against Kpop, and she became known to Engenes and some Moas.
All these changes would have been informed to KPop's Senior Singer, who appears to have dropped her hostilities against KPop and threw all of her sleepy, isolationist and dyed-to-the-old ballads away at the end of last year (to be mauled by SMTM rappers) and entered the wold of KPop after fighting it for all her career, even though her Lilac album showed some willingness to submit to the Kpop universe.
Li m Youngwoong's trop concert at the end of last year is said to be a bummer; he only had a few of his own songs and the whole show was not organized well. While he will still garner support from his older fans, it seems he won't threat KPop's destiny. And he is the only remaining trottist who has any kind of power now. (Youngtak has his own scandal and is now collapsing ; the others, while defending their own turfs, won't go any farther from where they are now.)
Which means the last obstacle against Kpop appears to be removed.
I am amazed by the attitude of the i-fans against Lee JIeun. Instead of hating the person who has been the greatest drag against Kpop, they waited for years till she became less hostile to Kpop and it appears their patience is bearing fruit.
