Is K-Pop just a fad or will it flourish in the years to come?

For German scholar and University of Bayreuth professor Ute Fendler, the increasing popularity of Korean culture worldwide, also known as the Hallyu wave, is set to become even bigger.

In fact, "I think its influence will continue to grow," Fendler reportedly told Yonhap News Agency, according to The Korea Herald.

Fendler has spent the past two years studying the phenomenon and she noted that fans of Korean culture are popping up in various parts of the world - from Europe, South America to Africa.

K-Pop, in particular, is storming the European region even as locally produced ones are beginning to vanish.

"It's very likely that K-pop music videos will become their own cultural genre in the future," she said.

Fendler revealed that she began to study the spread of Korean culture because of her daughter's study stint in South Korea and subsequent conversion into a fan.

"I learned about hallyu from my daughter, but I've watched at least 10 times more Korean dramas, movies and music videos than she has," confessed Fendler, adding that she is an avid fan of Big Bang leader G-Dragon and boy group Block B.

After she finalizes her research, Fendler will be presenting her dissertations on K-pop at the Third World Congress for Hallyu in Dubai this November and the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference in Seattle in March, according to The Korea Herald.

---

Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.