K-pop is an abbreviation for Korean popular music, specifically from South Korea. There are many artists an groups, most notably Se7en, Shinhwa, BoA, Rain, TVXQ, Super Junior and Big Bang that have branched out of Korea and have become popular in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South East Asia. The popularity of K-pop is often considered a part of the rise of the Korean Wave, or "Hallyu", in the region.