Metaverse K-pop idols reshape fame and labor in South Korea

Jack, one of four virtual idols in the K-pop group Re:Revolution, sat on a stool in the metaverse — digital worlds where people interact through avatars — sporting a sleek cyberpunk battle suit. 

Somewhere in Seoul that July afternoon, the artist behind Jack was in a motion capture studio, wearing a full bodysuit that translated his words and moves to his digital counterpart. 

“When I was an idol trainee, I thought I would never make it,” the artist, speaking through his…