Spotify committed to exporting K-culture, says APAC executive

Korea has become a cultural force for many movements today, and Spotify is committed to exporting K-culture globally, an executive from the music streaming platform said. Gautam Talwar, the general manager for Asia-Pacific (APAC) at Spotify, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Wednesday. "Korea is a home base for creative expression. It's a cultural force," the executive said during the interview. "We are seeing it in entertainment, in esports or webtoon ... Korea is punching above its weight." The ex-Disney executive said K-pop holds a special place in the music streaming platform's history, noting it was an early investor in the genre. In 2014, Spotify unveiled the first-of-its-kind playlist that eventually became home to the K-pop genre on the platform. Now K-pop has opened the door to the discovery of new artists and genres, he explained, as the platform is witnessing a breakout of music movements in genres like indie, rock and electronic music. According to Spotify, K-rock streaming on the platform was up 58 percent on-year in 2025, while K-