The Korean pop music phenomenon, known as K-pop, had made significant inroads in Milwaukee, driven by passionate fans, community events, and a dedicated local business like K-Pop Utopia in the Milwaukee County suburb of West Allis.
As Wisconsin’s first store to exclusively sell Korean music CDs, K-Pop Utopia also stocks other merchandise from Korea like photo cards and accessories for collecting. Owner Tina Melk opened her shop in January, after having success selling K-pop products online.
“Enthusiasm from the Milwaukee community has been great. They’ve been very happy to have a shop here, and not have to make the commute down to Chicago,” said Melk. “It was a dream of mine to open up a K-pop store, because I just love the community so much. And I love the hobby of collecting and selling, so it made sense to take this next step.”
Melk said she opened Milwaukee’s pioneering K-pop store because of her passion for K-pop, and her frustration with not having any place nearby to shop at. Despite K-pop’s popularity, Milwaukee had been one of the last major U.S. cities without a dedicated K-pop store. Melk attributed this to the focus on larger metropolitan areas like LA, Chicago, and New York.
“Slowly, more states are starting to get a K-pop store. Wisconsin was actually only one in eleven that didn’t have a K-pop store yet, so now other states are one in ten,” said Melk.
Melk’s introduction to K-pop was through BTS in 2018. Her journey reflected that of many fans who started with one group and then expanded their interest. The boy group ATEEZ is now her favorite.
BTS announced their break from performing or releasing new music in October 2022, due to mandatory military service. The decision was made to comply with South Korea’s conscription laws, which require all able-bodied men to serve in the military for about 18 to 21 months. As part of the entertainment industry, BTS members were able to postpone joining for several years.
Groups like BTS, and Blackpink, have a global fan base. But many groups can be more popular in different regions, or even better known overseas than at home in South Korea. ATEEZ, for example, has a bigger international fan base than anywhere else. The girl group LE SSERAFIM is wildly popular with Japanese fans because one of the members, Sakura, was previously in the Japanese girl groups AKB48 and HKT48.
In Milwaukee, Melk said the most popular boy bands include Stray Kids, ATEEZ, TXT, and HYPE. For girl bands, New Jeans, AESPA, Red Velvet, and TWICE are top sellers. Music from those groups resonates deeply with local fans, who do not speak Hangugeo – the Korean language.
“People can always look up a translation of the lyrics,” said Melk. “But I think if music speaks to you then the language is not important. It speaks to you through the way it sounds, the way the music is put together – the assembly of it. That’s the beauty of music, you can enjoy it in your own way.”
Melk has made five trips to South Korea since 2019, two in that year to see BTS concerts because the experiences were so different than performances in the United States. In addition to the toned-down vibe of crowds and a more interactive environment, K-pop artists include fan meetings which are separate from the concerts.
“They have a whole fan zone where you can go in sponsored tents, and you can get some free stuff and exclusive things,” said Melk. “They have a little passport that you can get stamped as a keepsake, and then you get a photo card set. Some groups will actually come out and meet fans, pose for selfies, or give autographs. It’s the little extras on top of the concert that makes it so special.”
As for visiting South Korea, Melk highly recommends it for anyone who enjoys good food. She said that American dishes are very popular, like Texas barbeque, but everything has a little Korean spin which makes it special.
Melk also noted how easy it was to travel around in South Korea, with the public transit system and English-friendly environment. She said it was affordable, and a nice place to explore. Melk was happy that so many people have asked her about taking a trip to South Korea when they come to her store. It gave her a chance to be a cultural ambassador.
K-Pop Utopia serves as a hub for people to discover the vibrant world of K-pop, providing a space in Milwaukee for fans to connect and celebrate their shared passion. As that enjoyment grows, Melk’s shop is ready to support the expanding interest.
- Exploring Korea: Stories from Milwaukee to the DMZ and across a divided peninsula
- A pawn of history: How the Great Power struggle to control Korea set the stage for its civil war
- Names for Korea: The evolution of English words used for its identity from Gojoseon to Daehan Minguk
- SeonJoo So Oh: Living her dream of creating a "folded paper" bridge between Milwaukee and Korean culture
- A Cultural Bridge: Why Milwaukee needs to invest in a Museum that celebrates Korean art and history
- Korean diplomat joins Milwaukee's Korean American community in celebration of 79th Liberation Day
- John T. Chisholm: Standing guard along the volatile Korean DMZ at the end of the Cold War
- Most Dangerous Game: The golf course where U.S. soldiers play surrounded by North Korean snipers
- Triumph and Tragedy: How the 1988 Seoul Olympics became a battleground for Cold War politics
- Dan Odya: The challenges of serving at the Korean Demilitarized Zone during the Vietnam War
- The Korean Demilitarized Zone: A border between peace and war that also cuts across hearts and history
- The Korean DMZ Conflict: A forgotten "Second Chapter" of America's "Forgotten War"
- Dick Cavalco: A life shaped by service but also silence for 65 years about the Korean War
- Overshadowed by conflict: Why the Korean War still struggles for recognition and remembrance
- Wisconsin's Korean War Memorial stands as a timeless tribute to a generation of "forgotten" veterans
- Glenn Dohrmann: The extraordinary journey from an orphaned farm boy to a highly decorated hero
- The fight for Hill 266: Glenn Dohrmann recalls one of the Korean War's most fierce battles
- Frozen in time: Rare photos from a side of the Korean War that most families in Milwaukee never saw
- Jessica Boling: The emotional journey from an American adoption to reclaiming her Korean identity
- A deportation story: When South Korea was forced to confront its adoption industry's history of abuse
- South Korea faces severe population decline amid growing burdens on marriage and parenthood
- Emma Daisy Gertel: Why finding comfort with the "in-between space" as a Korean adoptee is a superpower
- The Soul of Seoul: A photographic look at the dynamic streets and urban layers of a megacity
- The Creation of Hangul: A linguistic masterpiece designed by King Sejong to increase Korean literacy
- Rick Wood: Veteran Milwaukee photojournalist reflects on his rare trip to reclusive North Korea
- Dynastic Rule: Personality cult of Kim Jong Un expands as North Koreans wear his pins to show total loyalty
- South Korea formalizes nuclear deterrent strategy with U.S. as North Korea aims to boost atomic arsenal
- Tea with Jin: A rare conversation with a North Korean defector living a happier life in Seoul
- Journalism and Statecraft: Why it is complicated for foreign press to interview a North Korean defector
- Inside North Korea’s Isolation: A decade of images show rare views of life around Pyongyang
- Karyn Althoff Roelke: How Honor Flights remind Korean War veterans that they are not forgotten
- Letters from North Korea: How Milwaukee County Historical Society preserves stories from war veterans
- A Cold War Secret: Graves discovered of Russian pilots who flew MiG jets for North Korea during Korean War
- Heechang Kang: How a Korean American pastor balances tradition and integration at church
- Faith and Heritage: A Pew Research Center's perspective on Korean American Christians in Milwaukee
- Landmark legal verdict by South Korea's top court opens the door to some rights for same-sex couples
- Kenny Yoo: How the adversities of dyslexia and the war in Afghanistan fueled his success as a photojournalist
- Walking between two worlds: The complex dynamics of code-switching among Korean Americans
- A look back at Kamala Harris in South Korea as U.S. looks ahead to more provocations by North Korea
- Jason S. Yi: Feeling at peace with the duality of being both an American and a Korean in Milwaukee
- The Zainichi experience: Second season of “Pachinko” examines the hardships of ethnic Koreans in Japan
- Shadows of History: South Korea's lingering struggle for justice over "Comfort Women"
- Christopher Michael Doll: An unexpected life in South Korea and its cross-cultural intersections
- Korea in 1895: How UW-Milwaukee's AGSL protects the historic treasures of Kim Jeong-ho and George C. Foulk
- "Ink. Brush. Paper." Exhibit: Korean Sumukhwa art highlights women’s empowerment in Milwaukee
- Christopher Wing: The cultural bonds between Milwaukee and Changwon built by brewing beer
- Halloween Crowd Crush: A solemn remembrance of the Itaewon tragedy after two years of mourning
- Forgotten Victims: How panic and paranoia led to a massacre of refugees at the No Gun Ri Bridge
- Kyoung Ae Cho: How embracing Korean heritage and uniting cultures started with her own name
- Complexities of Identity: When being from North Korea does not mean being North Korean
- A fragile peace: Tensions simmer at DMZ as North Korean soldiers cross into the South multiple times
- Byung-Il Choi: A lifelong dedication to medicine began with the kindness of U.S. soldiers to a child of war
- Restoring Harmony: South Korea's long search to reclaim its identity from Japanese occupation
- Sado gold mine gains UNESCO status after Tokyo pledges to exhibit WWII trauma of Korean laborers
- The Heartbeat of K-Pop: How Tina Melk's passion for Korean music inspired a utopia for others to share
- K-pop Revolution: The Korean cultural phenomenon that captivated a growing audience in Milwaukee
- Artifacts from BTS and LE SSERAFIM featured at Grammy Museum exhibit put K-pop fashion in the spotlight
