HYBE — the Seoul-based company that manages BTS, Seventeen, and Enhypen — is opening its first office in India in late 2025, targeting a September or October launch. The new Mumbai subsidiary will become the group's fifth international base, joining existing operations in Japan, the United States, Latin America, and China.
Why HYBE Is Betting on India
Chairman Bang Si-hyuk is driving the expansion as part of his so-called "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy, which aims to transplant K-pop's proven production playbook — talent identification, structured development, meticulous song production, and deep audience engagement — into local markets around the world.
India presents a compelling target. With a population of 1.4 billion and one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries on the planet, the country offers an enormous untapped audience. K-pop streaming in India grew by 362 percent between 2018 and 2023, signalling genuine grassroots demand. HYBE India Entertainment Private Ltd. plans to run nationwide auditions and build a training system tailored to Indian market tastes.
The company has argued that localised music groups and marketing could help K-pop break beyond its roughly 3 percent share of the global music market, putting it on a competitive footing with fast-rising genres such as Latin pop and Afrobeats.
Mixed Results from HYBE's Global Ventures
HYBE's overseas experiments have produced uneven outcomes so far. The US-based girl group Katseye debuted in 2024 and has since landed on the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times, including a run with "PINKY UP" that reached No. 28 — a group record — while their track "Gabriela" climbed to No. 30 in late 2025. Despite the chart momentum, mainstream visibility outside core K-pop fandom has remained limited.
In Japan, results have been stronger. Localised groups &TEAM and Aoen have both topped Oricon charts and reached multi-platinum certification. &TEAM surpassed 800,000 shipments with its third physical single; Aoen, launched through a Nippon TV audition show, debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon chart in June 2025. HYBE's Latin America branch, operational since 2023, is running talent searches and reality shows aimed at producing the first K-pop-trained Latin boy band.
The Identity Question
The India push signals a deliberate shift toward creating local talent rather than simply exporting Korean artists. That distinction is at the centre of an ongoing debate about what K-pop actually is.
Critics warn that stripping away the Korean cultural foundation — its distinctive aesthetics, staging conventions, and compositional sensibilities — risks diluting the very quality that made the genre a global phenomenon. Proponents counter that adapting the model to new markets is the only path to sustainable global growth.
For now, Bang Si-hyuk has placed his bet on cultural adaptation as the next competitive frontier in global music. If the India venture delivers, it could redefine what K-pop means — and who gets to make it.
What to Watch
HYBE's Mumbai office is expected to begin operations in late 2025. Auditions and local talent development programmes are planned for launch shortly after. Success in India could accelerate similar expansions into other high-growth markets across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
