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| ▲This photo provided by VLAST show photo of PLAVE. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap) |
SEOUL April 22 (Yonhap) -- Lee Sung-goo, CEO of VLAST, the production company behind the popular virtual (virtual) idol group PLAVE, revealed plans for overseas expansion during a press conference held in Seoul's Mapo-gu on the 22nd.
"The most central focus for our company is PLAVE's international expansion," said Lee, adding, "We hope PLAVE can be loved beyond Korea, and we are preparing for it." He also mentioned collaborative projects with Hive and YG Plus, in which investments have been made.
PLAVE is a five-member virtual idol group, with each member having a "real body" known as a Syncer.
According to their world view, members operate in the virtual world of Astelum and can only communicate with "Terra" fandom (fans on Earth) in a non-face-to-face manner.
Last September, PLAVE attracted approximately 5,000 fans, known as "Plees," to the MBC Idol Radio Concert, signaling a shift in the perception of virtual idols.
Their second mini-album, released in February, surpassed 560,000 copies in first-week sales, with all tracks entering the top ranks of music charts.
On March 11th, just a year after their debut, PLAVE achieved their first win on MBC's Show! Music Core, setting a record as the first virtual idol to top a terrestrial music broadcast.
Lee mentioned, "The members are happy to hear their own songs and are working even harder," reflecting on their recent achievements.
VLAST, PLAVE's production company, began as an in-house venture at MBC. Lee, who joined MBC through a public recruitment in 2002, served as a VFX (visual effects) supervisor for numerous dramas such as "Queen Seondeok," "The Moon Embracing the Sun," and "Gu Family Book."
Lee shared the company's vision, stating, "We are building an AR (Augmented Reality) studio within the company," adding, "It's a technology that makes it look like other (real) artists are sitting there. We aim to enable entertainment appearances that look like other celebrities are appearing." He predicted that once this preparation is completed, many more activities will be possible.
Lee explained the unique characteristics of PLAVE's fandom, saying, "Usually, K-pop artist fandoms like other idols, but ours is different. Half of our fandom comes from the K-pop market, but the other half comes from webtoons, animations, and other genres. It's their first time liking us."
As the group gains popularity, similar concerns to those of other idol planning companies have emerged.
Lee cautioned, "Even virtual idols need to be cautious about risks, such as privacy and behavior. Initially, we thought we would only meet through broadcasts and wouldn't have any problems meeting fans face-to-face, but we're experiencing issues like some fans visiting members' homes."
He emphasized, "It's right to love PLAVE as virtual idols; seeking out real artists or visiting them in person is a different direction than what we envisioned. I would like to urge fans to understand this."
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