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Russia embraces K-pop and anime as sanctions limit Western entertainment

Apr 25, 2024, 10:16am EDT
Europe
Attendees of the Toguchi cosplay festival in Moscow, Russia. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
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The News

Young Russians are warming to anime and K-pop as wartime sanctions limit access to Western entertainment.

Moscow hosted an anime festival last year, and the owner of a K-pop dance school told Reuters that she hosts thousands of students across three large Moscow studios.

Russia saw spikes in sales of K-pop albums and books after Western artists canceled concerts following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported.

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Local concert promoters are reportedly interested in bringing K-pop acts to Russia, but that may prove difficult for an industry that goes to great lengths to appear politically neutral.

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