South Korea is having a moment. Between the stellar rise of K-pop and worldwide film hits such as Parasite and Squid Game, the country has established itself as a power to be reckoned with when it comes to global entertainment. This level of success is exactly why a young man by the name of Jangwon Lee decided to launch—you guessed it—The KPOP and Korean Entertainment exchange-traded fund. 

We speak with Lee, chief executive of CT Investments and Content Technologies, and reporter Isabelle Lee about the size and scope of K-pop’s reach and the broader Korean entertainment market, how the ETF works and the challenges with launching a theme ETF in today’s especially rough-and-tumble market.