As I write in northern Seoul, snowflakes slither across the late afternoon sky, sometimes stopping and stooping to form snowballs on the cold ground. They help create a scene of serenity and tranquility in spite of the biting temperatures.

Snowflakes, however, are not the only things traveling across the sky at this moment. About 35 miles north of my current location, sound waves rather than snow fill the air. These sound waves carry with them the unmistakable sounds of K-pop, that electric and omnipresent aural sensation of South Korea. Big Bang, IU and Apink are among the artists featured today, I have been informed by a news report.