How a Swedish drinking song turned into K-pop

When Rose and Bruno Mars' "Apt." became a global hit last year, millions of listeners around the world found themselves singing along to a phrase they did not fully understand.

To many Koreans, however, the song's central hook required no explanation.

It was a chant used in a popular Korean drinking game played at university orientations, company dinners and late-night gatherings with friends.

The song’s success sparked an unexpected question in Sweden.

If a Korean drinking-game chant could beco ...