Resource guide to K-pop and its history, influence, etc.
Introduction
K-pop, or Korean pop, is a genre of music from South Korea with influences that come from around the world. The genre started in the 90’s and has grown to garner fans all over the world. The genre can be divided into generations, which are the different waves of K-pop that differ based on what groups were active, music trends, fanbases etc. K-pop is a very broad topic as there are many groups, TV shows, scandals and fan cultures related to it. As we are a large group, we hope to cover many aspects of K-pop and have our guide cover all aspects of the genre.
K-pop groups
Generation 1
[Romano, Aja. “How K-Pop Became a Global Phenomenon.” Vox, Vox, 16 Feb. 2018, (https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained.) - Romano's article briefly goes through the beginning of K-pop, what its importance was through the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Olympics, idol life and culture, and its sound. In his overview of the history of K-pop, he brings up Seo Taiji and Boys as well as H.O.T.]
[Sherman, Maria. “Start Here: Your Guide to Getting into K-Pop.” NPR, NPR, 13 July 2020, (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/13/888933244/start-here-your-guide-to-getting-into-k-pop.) - Sherman's article lists hit songs and artists during specific "ages" of K-pop. Her article also goes over Seo Taiji and Boys and H.O.T., while also briefly mentioning S.E.S.]
Generation 1 of "modern K-pop" got its start on April 11th, 1992 with Seo Taiji and his group, Seo Taiji and Boys, consisting of Seo, Lee Juno, and Yang Hyun-suk (which you can read more of in the "History and stylistic influences/roots" section below). The group performed their first song, "Nan Arayo ('I Know')," which contained elements of New Jack Swing combined with the contemporary sound of Korean music. This merging of new ideas to make something that had not been heard of marked a moment of influential change within South Korea's soundscape, and the group essentially paved the way for the sound of the future.
1996 saw the debut of H.O.T. ("High-Five of Teenagers") with their debut song, "Candy." This five-piece band—consisting of Kangta, Moon Hee-joon, Lee Jae-won, Jang Woo-hyuk, and Tony An—is considered to be K-pop's first "idol group" due to being formed by Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, one of the Big Three of K-pop companies. The group evoked the model of American/Western boy bands at the time, combining singing, dancing, and rapping, "and disparate personalities united through music" (Romano).
In 1997, Lee Soo-man put together a new group called S.E.S., an acronym of the group members' first names (Sea (real name Bada), Eugene, and Shoo). The group debuted on November 28th of that year with the release of their album, I'm Your Girl. They were the first female K-pop group and were thought to be the female counterpart of yesteryear's H.O.T., despite their debut song "I'm Your Girl" sounding sonically different, carrying influences of 90s R&B pop from the likes of TLC (Sherman).
The 2nd Generation of K-pop is known as the “Golden Age/Era” which ranges from 2005 until 2012. Hallyu, which directly translates to Korean Wave, could be seen as the opening of the K-pop that is familiar today. Idols in this generation include Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, SHINee, Super Junior, BEAST, Wonder Girls, 2PM, TVXQ, and KARA.
The era began as TVXQ! (동방신기) made their debut with Hug in 2003. They were under SM Entertainment, which is still acknowledged as one of the biggest entertainment companies today, alongside JYP, YG, and newly enlisted Hybe. TVXQ consisted of 5 members which included Xiah Junsu, Hero Jaejoong, U-know Yunho, Mickey Yoochun, and Max Changmin.
Super Junior, also under SM Entertainment, made their debut in 2005 with 13 members which was new to the public. They were the first ones to come up with the idea of “unit groups”. Super Junior-M was a Chinese sub-unit under Super Junior, and some members in this unit only performed as a member of this unit. This group also released a hit song called Sorry Sorry which led to more international audiences engaging with the genre K-pop. The original members include Leeteuk, Shindong, Donghae, Eunhyuk, Heechul, Siwon, Ryeowook, Sungmin (former), Kangin (former), Kibum (former) , Yesung, Zhou Mi (former), Han Geng (former), and Kyuhyun who joined last in 2006.
Alongside Girls’ Generation was Wonder Girls, who made their debut with Irony under JYP Entertainment in 2007. These two groups were considered rivals for a long time, until Wonder Girls’ leader Sunye, announced her marriage during her early career. Their hit songs were Tell Me, So Hot, and Nobody, and Nobody gave the group international recognition. When Wonder Girls were at the peak of their popularity, the members included Yeeun, Sunye, Sohee, Yubin, and Sunmi.
https://www.smtown.com/artist/musician/44; this is an official website of Girls' Generation that provides basic information about the members both of those who are still in the company and those who are apart of the group but no longer in the company. Also the history of SNSD is shown in a timeline in Korean: In 2007, a sister group of Super Junior, debuted with the name Girls’ Generation (소녀시대/SNSD). Although their debut captivated the Korean audience, it wasn’t until 2009, where they actually got global attention with the single, Gee. The “Gee Syndrome” has made colored jeans popular across the country for some time, and it has been Girls’ Generation’s signature song ever since. Members of Girls' Generation include Taeyeon, TIffany, Sooyoung, Yuri, Yoona, Jessica (former), Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Seohyun.
https://kpop.fandom.com/wiki/BIGBANG; this is a wiki site that gives specific information about the group and their released albums. It has recently updated their information with BIGBANG's latest comeback; BIGBANG is one of the most successful Generation 2 K-pop idols, and they made their debut under YG Entertainment in 2006. Although many 2nd generation K-pop idols are famous, their fame doesn’t seem to remain the same. However, BIGBANG still ranks first with their comebacks and their aura is still seen as unobtainable today. The members of BIGBANG consisted of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri (former).
https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/bandwagon-guide-2nd-generation-kpop-idols-girls-generation-bigbang-2ne1-super-junior-shinee-september-2021; This is a website that could be accessed in English or Chinese, based in both Philippines and Indonesia. 2PM, also known as beast-idol (짐승돌) was a male idol group from JYP Entertainment and they were the first boy groups to be trail away from the pretty-boy look that had been trending, but instead took the route of showing more masculinity. Again and Again was the song that brought them success and Heartbeat was a following single that has given them more light in 2009. They also faced member re-arrangements, where Jay Park (박재범) left the group after their hit song Again and Again, and 2PM then included Junsu (Jun.K), Taecyeon, Chansung, Wooyoung, Junho, and Nichkhun.
The big entertainment agencies play a big role in training the idols and provide a more organized system of producing talented idols. Most idols in this generation had at least 3-4 years of training before debut, and at most even 10 years.
Another key point in bringing success would be distributing roles according to each member’s talent or specialty. While some could be talented in singing or dancing, others could be a good organizer in shows, or is a comedic character that could be featured in variety shows.
Oh, Y. (2018). Pop city : Korean popular culture and the selling of place Cornell University Press.: Multi Member groups have a benefit of providing audiences/fans with diverse tastes. It is probable for idol groups that have more members will give more spectrum of biases to choose from. Also, it would be easier for these groups to form units and show different sides of the members as well.
Generation 3 Boy Groups
The third generation of K-pop started in 2012 and lasted until 2018. This was when K-pop began to gain more influence and popularity internationally and when survival shows such as Produce 101 began. This generation's popular boy groups include EXO, BTS, iKON, Monsta X, NCT, GOT7, WANNA ONE and SEVENTEEN.
EXO
One of the biggest third-generation boy groups is EXO (엑소), a group under SM Entertainment initially made of twelve members (currently 9) who were split into subunits called EXO-K and EXO-M. In 2012, EXO debuted with their single, “MAMA,” but it wasn’t until their repackaged album that their song “Growl” skyrocketed them to popularity. Deemed “Nation’s Pick” by the South Korean Government, EXO dominated the third generation with their vocal powerhouses and synchronized performances and has continued success with most recent albums: DON’T FIGHT THE FEELING and OBSESSION.
Current Members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun
Former Members: Luhan, Kris, Tao
ARTIST: EXO. (n.d.). MUSIC NATION SMTOWN. https://www.smtown.com/artist/musician/86 (Korean website, Languages: Korean)
BTS
Notably the most popular and well-known, BTS( 방탄소년단; Bangtan Sonyeondan) is a seven-member boy group under BigHit Entertainment, which was rebranded as HYBE Corporation. In 2013 BTS debuted with the album “2 Cool 4 Skool” but didn’t start to gain major attention until “Skool Luv Affair” where they topped the Gaon Album Chart. Since then BTS has been dominating the music industry in South Korea and internationally with their albums and singles. They have also collaborated with other major artists such as Halsey where their song “Boy with Luv" from their album “Map of the Soul: Persona” became their third consecutive top album on the Billboard 200 which hasn't been done since the Beatles. “Map of the Soul: Persona” gained multiple titles by selling over 3.2 million albums in less than a month. Since then they have garnered a vast amount of dedicated fans that have boosted them to the most popular boy band internationally selling out numerous tour venues and collecting a vast number of awards to put under their belt. Known for their meaningful, self-produced music BTS has been breaking record after record and has become what Time’s Magazine called the “Next Generation Leaders." Most recently BTS has been nominated for and performed at the Grammys and is currently on their sold-out “Permission to Dance” tour.
Lee, S. H., Choi, S., & Kim, H. W. (2020). Unveiling the success factors of BTS: a mixed-methods approach. Internet Research, 31(5), 1518–1540. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-12-2019-0507 (journal article, English, UBC Library)
Kang, J. (2021). Analysis of Success Factors of HYBE based on Service Triangle Model - BTS Case Study -. The Journal of Internet Electronic Commerce Resarch, 21(5), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.37272/jiecr.2021.10.21.5.23 (journal article, Korean, non-UBC)
GOT7
GOT7 (갓세븐) is a seven-member group that debuted in 2014 with their song “Girls Girls Girls” and album “Got It?” which ranked number 1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart. They also saw major success with their releases "Just Right" and series "Flight Log." In 2021 their contract under JYP Entertainment ended, and all seven members left the company but have not disbanded. Currently, the members are still releasing music individually and are pursuing other solo activities.
Current Members: Mark, Jay B, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, Yugyeom
Debuting in 2014, after winning their survival show called "WIN: Who Is Next" as “Team A”, four-member (formerly five) boy group WINNER (위너) went on to become a household name in South Korea. Under YG Entertainment WINNER has seen success throughout their career starting with their debut album “2014 S/S” where they became the fastest group to win a music show award in 5 days. In 2016, Taehyun left due to personal reasons and has since started his own music label “South Buyers Club.” Recently, two members were discharged from their military service.
Current Members: Jinu, Hoony, Mino, Yoon
Former Member: Taehyun
Formed in 2015, SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) is a thirteen-member boy group under Pledis Entertainment. SEVENTEEN consists of three units Hip-Hop, Vocal, and Performance that perform as one group which creates their name: 13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17. Known as a self-producing idol group they are heavily involved in the creation of their music and choreography. Their first mini-album “17 Carat” and title track “Adore U” pushed them into the limelight and gained them a loyal fanbase. Each year SEVENTEEN seeks new success such as their latest mini-album, Attacca.
Monsta X (몬스타엑스) is a boy group consisting of six members under Starship Entertainment created through a survival show called “NO.MERCY.” Debuting in 2015 with their single “Trespass” Monsta X has seen much success in South Korea and internationally, collaborating with artists such as Steve Aoki, Pitbull, French Montana, and Sebastian Yatra. They have also released several full albums in English that ranked No. 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart. In 2019, member Wonho left the group due to controversies and made his solo debut in 2020 with his album “Love Synonym Pt. 1: Right for Me.”
Current Members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, I.M
Former Members: Wonho
Wonho. (2022, April 7). Wonho (Y TEEN) profile, age & facts (2022 updated). Kpopping. https://kpopping.com/profiles/idol/Wonho (English website, Languages: English)
iKON
First appearing as Team B in the survival show, “WIN: Who is Next” iKON (아이콘) was formed through another survival show called “Mix & Match” formed the current six-member (formerly 7) group under YG Entertainment. Their debut album “Welcome Back” catapulted iKON into fame along with their second album which also received major success with their most popular song “Love Scenario.” In 2019, their leader, B. I left due to a drug scandal, but eventually became an executive director at IOK Company and made his solo debut with the self-written album Waterfall and his latest album “Cosmos.” Last year, iKON released their single “Why Why Why” and participated in a K-pop boy group competition show called Kingdom: Legendary War.
Current Members: Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, JUNE, Chan
Former Members: B.I
In 2016 SM Entertainment debuted their newest boy group called NCT or Neo Culture Technology (엔시티) which is made of 23 members who perform as one group and are divided into different sub-units such as NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, and NCT U. The group’s concept is “unlimited members” with subunits in different cities/cultures around the world. NCT 127 is a fixed ten-member group that is based in Seoul, with the number 127 representing Seoul’s longitude coordinate. NCT Dream is a seven-member group with a graduation system that was later restructured and previous member Mark returned to the group. WayV is NCT’s fixed Chinese-based subunit consisting of seven members that have released both Chinese and Korean songs. NCT U (U for united) is constantly changing and is made of members who fit a certain concept for a specific song. There have also been albums released by the entire group as just NCT such as EMPATHY, RESONANCE, and Universe. As a whole, NCT has seen major success domestically and internationally with their releases such as Favorite, Hot Sauce, and Kick Back. Currently, NCT Dream has released their newest album “Glitch Mode”.
Formed through the second season of survival show “Produce 101”, Wanna One (워너원) is an 11 member group that debuted in 2017 under YMC Entertainment and CJ E&M (later on moving to Swing Entertainment. Already amassing a huge following from Produce 101, Wanna One debuted with their first mini-album “1×1=1 (To Be One)” where their song “Energetic” peaked at No.1 on the Gaon Music Chart. They were recognized for their massive popularity, topping the “Boy Group Brand Power Ranking” and winning a multitude of awards. In 2018 Wanna One’s contract ended and members continued on either in different groups or as solo artists. Recently, Wanna One reunited to perform at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards and released a single called B-Side.
Starting in 2016, survival shows grew in popularity during the third generation. A survival show is a reality competition between trainees to decide who will debut in a new group, while also giving trainees more public exposure to build their fanbase. Voting is based on the audience rather than judges. Popular survival show, Produce 101 formed the boy group Wanna One and agency survival shows formed prominent boy groups such as MONSTA X, IKON, and WINNER.
The 3rd generation of girl groups was known for its cute concepts and are responsible for making the genre of Kpop known worldwide. Some popular girl groups of this generation include Twice, Red Velvet, Gfriend, Blackpink, IOI, CLC and Mamamoo.
Twice(트와이스) is a 9 member girl group under JYP entertainment that debuted in 2015 with the song "Like Ooh Ahh". They were formed from the survival show "Sixteen". The group has gone on to earn the label "The Nations Girl Group" and has accumulated 119 music show wins as of April 2022. Twice became the second girl group to surpass 100 wins on a music show with their comeback "More and More" in June 2020. The group's members are Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese and their official website allows fans and companies to view the group's discography, schedule and photos of the members. https://twice.jype.com/
Red VelvetRed Velvet (레드벨벳) is a 5 member girl group under SM entertainment that debuted in 2014 with the song "Happiness". The group originally consisted of 4 members, but in 2015, Yeri was added for the "Ice Cream Cake" comeback. The group is known for having one of the best discographies in Kpop, and they can pull off a variety of concepts. The "Red" concepts are bright songs such as "Red Flavor" and "Umpah Umpah" and the "Velvet" concepts are darker concepts such as "Peek-A-Boo" and "Psycho". https://kprofiles.com/red-velvet-members-profile/
Current members: Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri
GFriendGfriend (여자친구) was a 6 member girl group formed by Source Music in 2014, which was later acquired by Hybe labels in 2019. They started as a small unknown girl group with a small budget, but went viral for a stage of "Me Gustas Tu" where the members kept falling due to rain, but the members got up and kept performing. Though they did not receive much international attention, they became one of South Korea's biggest girl groups in the 3rd generation achieving 70 music show wins. Unfortunately, the group disbanded in May of 2021 seemingly out of nowhere. In February of 2022, 3 out of 6 members re-debuted as Viviz and are currently competing on Queendom 2. This article discusses Gfriend's disbandment and possible reasons why the group disbanded. https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/music/why-did-gfriend-disband-find-out-what-the-members-said-in-their-statements.html
Former Members: Sowon, Yuju, Yerin, SinB, Eunha and Umji
The 4th generation of girl groups started in 2018 and continues to the present, though some people say that the 5th generation is starting soon, Some popular groups from this generation include Aespa, Itzy, Nmixx, Iz*one, (G)-IDLE and Loona.
This video shows an evolution of the 4th generation girl groups and soloists in Kpop. The generation started with lighter “cute” concepts such as Fromis_9 and Loona but this generation has become associated with the “Girl crush concept” in later years with groups such as Everglow doing the concept and many groups like Loona, Weeekly and Itzy switching up their typically lighter styles to participate in the concept. Along with the style of songs changing overtime, the age of the members has been getting younger with Ive’s youngest member being born in 2007 and the upcoming group CLASS:y’s youngest members being born in 2008. This video is from 2021, and is not the most up to date on groups and comebacks, but allows viewers to get a sense of the 4th generation of Kpop. https://youtu.be/XaMu9nLvOHc
ItzyItzy (있지) is a 5 member girl group from JYP entertainment that debuted in 2019 with the song "Dalla Dalla". At the time of debut, Itzy held the record for fastest music show win after debut, a record that was recently beaten by IVE. The group is also well-known for a viral shoulder dance move from their song "WannaBe". Their website, similar to other JYP groups, allows users to view Itzy photos, their schedule and discography. https://itzy.jype.com/
Current members: Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna.
Kep1erKep1er (케플러) is a group formed from the survival show Girls Planet 999 that aired at the end of 2021. Once they debuted in January 2022, they broke numerous records including being the fastest girl group to get two wins in history. The group is currently competing on the reality show Queendom 2. As Girls Planet 999's goal was to create a global girl group, Kep1er's members are Korean, Japanese and Chinese. This site talks about the records and achievements Kep1er have achieved in a few months. https://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/303972/20220114/kep1er-becomes-fastest-k-pop-girl-group-achieve-2-music.htm
Current members: Yujin, Xiaoting, Mashiro, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Hikaru, Bahiyyih, Youngeun and Yeseo
NmixxNMIXX (엔믹스) is the newest girl group to debut from the big 3, debuting in February of 2022 under JYP entertainment. The group made waves for having one of the "worst" debut songs in Kpop history, but despite this, has one of the most viewed debuts on YouTube in the first 24 hours. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2633200047?pq-origsite=summon Translated by Content Engine, L. L. C. "NMIXX: JYP Entertainment's Worst Debut Ever?" CE Noticias Financieras, Feb 24, 2022. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/nmixx-jyp-entertainments-worst-debut-ever/docview/2633200047/se-2?accountid=14656.
Current Members: Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Jinni, BAE, Jiwoo and Kyujin
AespaAespa (에스파) is a 4th generation group under SM entertainment that debuted in 2020 with the song Black Mamba. The music video for Black Mamba earned the record for most views in 24 hours for a Kpop debut with 21.4 million views. Though the group has been dubbed “monster rookies” for all of their success in their debut year, including winning “best new female artist” at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards. They have a unique concept which involves “AE” members and lore which ties into other SM groups by mentioning places like Kwangya, The Flat and people like Naevis in their lyrics. Their wikipedia page has a lot of information on the group and their success, but can be edited by anyone and is not an official source. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aespa
Current Members: Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ning Ning
LoonaLoona (이달의 소녀) is a 12 member group with a unique history. In Korean, their name translates to “Girl of the month”, and each member debuted with a solo album one at a time, each representing a month. The group has 3 sub-units and two years later in 2018, the full group finally debuted with their song “Hi High”. Though they started out as a small group with member Heejin’s solo album only selling 3000 copies, but they have grown in popularity over the years with their most recent album, & selling 76,000 copies. They are currently contestants on the Mnet reality show Queendom 2. Loona is managed by Blockberry creative and is currently the only group under that company, and their site is mostly in Korean. http://blockberrycreative.com/
Current Members: Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Yeojin, Vivi, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Chuu, Gowon and Olivia Hye
There are plenty more girl groups and soloists in these generations, but these groups are some of the most popular and notable ones.
Main K-Pop Entertainment Companies
In a crowdsourced question and answer platform, an individual answers the question “Why do K-pop idols depend so much on their entertainment agency?” Entertainment companies ensure that idols remain reliant on them. Time and money have been invested in these individuals, and they cannot be allowed to fail. With the idols always within arm's reach, managers can more effectively manage their daily lives. Aspry. “Aspry's Answer to ‘Why Do K-Pop Idols Depend so Much on Their Entertainment Agency?'." Quora, 2020, https://www.quora.com/Why-do-K-pop-idols-depend-so-much-on-their-entertainment-agency
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment, the oldest and the largest entertainment agency, takes the lead in the K-pop music industry in Korea. It was established by Lee Soo-Man and "SM" was the initials of the agency founder's name. Korean Pop Takes Off! Social Media Strategy of the Korean Entertainment Industry is a scholarly article found on Google Scholar written by JoongHo Ahn, Sehwan Oh & Hyunjung Kim. Ahn, JoongHo, et al. “Korean Pop Takes off! Social Media Strategy of Korean Entertainment Industry.” IEEE Xplore, 2013, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6602528SM Entertainment
The journal article WayV Represents SM Entertainment's Goals For Global Dominance Through Cultural Technology is published in Forbes, which is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. The article discusses a China-based boy band called WayV, which is about to release it's first song. "Both offshoots of SM Entertainment's NCT project, the South Korean entertainment company's most recent attempt to expand its reach to music industries around the world through localization." Herman, Tamar. “WayV Represents SM Entertainment's Goals for Global Dominance through Cultural Technology.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 16 Jan. 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarherman/2019/01/16/wayv-represents-sm-entertainments-goals-for-global-dominance-through-cultural-technology/?sh=169d2b784129
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment
The History of Yang Hyun Suk and YG: From ′Boy′ to ′CEO′ is a news article written by JiYeon Kim and translated by Erika Kim. The news article was published through Mnet, which is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by CJ E&M. The article delves into the life of Yang Hyun Suk, the CEO of YG Entertainment. "The singer-turned-agency-rep has recently risen to prominence as a result of his television appearances." Kim, JiYeon. "The History of Yang Hyun Suk and YG: From ′Boy′ to ′CEO′ (Pt. 1)." Translated by Erika Kim, Wayback Machine, 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20150430145450/http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/6916/the-history-of-yang-hyun-suk-and-yg-from-boy-to-ceo-pt-1
Critical Interpretations of Global-Local Co-Productions in Subscription Video-on-Demand Platforms: A Case Study of Netflix’s YG Future Strategy Office is a research article written by Taeyoung Kim that could be accessed with a login to the UBC Library. The dynamics of co-production between a global subscription video-on-demand platform and a local producer are examined in this article. It examines how various expectations of both companies are embedded in the series "YG Future Strategy Office," which was co-produced by YG Entertainment and Netflix. Kim, Taeyoung. Critical Interpretations of Global-Local Co-Productions in Subscription Video-on-Demand Platforms: A Case Study of Netflix’s YG Future Strategy Office, 16 Mar. 2021, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1527476421999437
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment
JYP Partners With Europe's Largest Video Platform is a Korean news article that explains how JYP will launch official channels for its artists Park Jin-Young, 2 PM, Baek Ayeon, Got 7, Nakjun, Day 6, and Twiss. "JYP, which has a strong presence in both the domestic and international music markets, is expected to gain a larger global fan base as a result of its collaboration with Dailymotion." “JYP Partners With Europe's Largest Video Platform.” Osen, 28 July 2017, http://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1110697720
HYBE Corporation
"This guy's hucky hits made by 'bulletproof youth'" is a Korean news article about “Bang Si-hyuk, CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, was awarded a presidential commendation for his success in expanding the Bulletproof Youth Corps overseas.” They were honored for their contribution to the spread of Korean fans and the Korean Wave through the production of the Bulletproof Youth Group.
"BTS, the band that changed K-pop, explained Thekeys to BTS’s success: emotional resonance, sincerity, and an ARMY of fans" is a journal article written by Aja Romano that was published on Vox. Vox is a news and opinion website based in the United States that is owned by Vox Media. The article looked at how BTS would go on to completely transform the image of all-male boy bands in South Korean music and shatter notions of what international success looked like for South Korean bands.
HYBE Corporation
“Big Hit→HYBE... start a business with an entertainment lifestyle platform,” a news article originally published in Korean, discusses how Big Hit Entertainment officially announced the new company name HYBE, announcing a new leap forward. "Big Hit announced its new company name, as well as its plan to innovate the industry without boundaries as a company that is expanding the realm of entertainment through change and growth.” Yoon , K.-baek. (2021, March 19). “Big Hit→HYBE... start a business with an entertainment lifestyle platform.” Retrieved from https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=018&aid=0004880099
History and stylistic influences/roots
Korea has had a rich history regarding its music and to cover it all would be a difficult task. With that said, not every artist/group or event will be mentioned. Present day K-pop was formed during the 1990s, which has its roots in the 1950s and decades prior.
"Pre-history"
[Fuhr, M., & ebrary, I. (2015;2016;). Globalization and popular music in south korea: Sounding out K-pop (1st;1; ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315733081 / https://go.exlibris.link/V5nbpygv (UBC Library permanent link). This book by Michael Fuhr goes into detail over the history of K-pop starting in the late 1800s, while also describing the landscape of Korea from when the "pre-history" of K-pop started. He goes over the political aspects as well as detailing specific moments, like Seo Taiji forming his group.]
[“What Is Kpop? Here Is Everything You Need to Know.” 90 Day Korean®, 90 Day Korean®, 24 Mar. 2022, (https://www.90daykorean.com/what-is-kpop/.) This language-learning website makes small notes on K-pop, such what it is, who are the artists/groups, and why it got so popular.]
In the late 1800s, Korean music was formed as products influenced by Western music, technological innovations, and Japanese imperial politics. (Fuhr, 39). At this time, Korea's musical landscape was shaped by Japanese words; "yuhaengga 유행가 ('song in fashion') and dae joong gayo 대중가요 ('mass popular song') are derived from the Japanese terms ryuukouka 流行歌 ('popular' or 'hit song') and kayoukyoku 歌謡曲 (a Showa-era term to describe 'popular music,' especially Western) respectively. Koreans today are still told to be using kayo 가요 when referring to popular music. "K-pop" in Korean can be read as 대중음악 daejungeumak which literally means "pop music" (90 Day Korean®).
During this time, Ch'anyangga, or Western-inspired Korean hymns eventually became popularized. Western influence would continue to be strong decades later, as singers would mimic the likes of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra later on.
"Trot" as a genre would be formed out of the Japan-occupied Korea era, or around the First and Second World Wars.
In 1948, Korea split into two halves, the North and South.
The late 20th century
Decades later, through the growth of technology and political issues, the end of the 1980s brought major changes toward political democratization. Television became the source for media, and because of this, pop music culture "was henceforth to be characterized by a topographic divide, namely 'overground' and 'underground'" (Fuhr 48).
Overground referred to TV music production, while underground focused on live bands and concerts, but was considered "marginalized."
TV programs evolved and introduced the "star system" where singers would be scouted in contests and would have composers, songwriters, broadcasting stations, backup dancers, conductors, and choreographers help back and further enhance their talents. However, the labour division made it so that the singers only had marginal power. The karaoke scene of the late 80s mirrored this: "The disassociation between singer and song, between the singer's personal identity and star persona, and the general preference for anodyne singers, which all became characteristics of later K-pop as well, result from the specificities of a star system that developed under a strict censorship policy" (Fuhr, 49).
In 1987, South Korea reformed its democratic government, which accompanied modernization and lightened censorship (Romano). Following that, radio broadcasting rapidly expanded to where South Koreans would be exposed to more music from outside the country. The term sinsedae ('new generation') was used to refer to "urban affluent middle-class youngsters, whose values, lifestyles, and cultural practices significantly different from those of the kisongsedae ('older generation')" (Fuhr 52).
The new generation, through consumption of American pop culture (music, food, movies, and fashion) increasingly demanded global and domestic trends for pop culture. It was at this time that South Korea started opening itself up more to the world.
1992-1997, and the Golden Age
This is the supposed "start date" of modern K-pop. This was when Seo Taiji's group "Seo Taiji and (the) Boys" consisting of Seo, Lee Juno, and Yang Hyun-suk performed their song "Nan Arayo ('I Know')" on April 11th on South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. The song carried Western influences just as previous Korean music did, with the song incorporating elements of new jack swing and hip-hop, which was never done at the time. The group is classified as pioneers, challenging norms of musical styles, song topics, fashion, and censorship (Romano). Traditional formulae and cliché aspects were ditched in favour of a more original sound.
When the band broke up in 1996, South Korea's musical landscape changed, ushering new artists to challenged the then-current status quo. Seo Taiji was different from an idol out of the previous star system, where by being the composer, lyricist, producer, and manager of the group, he had full reign of everything. Thus, it can be said that he birthed the notion of an independent idol.
The group also inadvertently (for the most part) gave birth to the "Big 3"; SM Entertainment (sometimes known as SM Town) created by Lee Soo-man in 1995, YG Entertainment created by Yang Hyun-suk in 1996, and JYP Entertainment created by Park Jin-young in 1997.
Four years after Seo Taiji and Boys hit South Korean airwaves, Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment formed H.O.T. ("High-Five of Teenagers") in 1996, successfully debuting the first-ever K-pop idol group.
A year later, Lee debuted S.E.S. (an acronym of the member's names, Sea, Eugune, Shoo), the first female K-pop idol group on November 28th, 1997.
Both H.O.T. and S.E.S. proved to be just as influential as Seo Taiji and Boys, bringing their own sounds and styles into the K-pop scene while also carrying contemporary American/Western influences like pop and R&B.
The 2000s-2010s, and the rise of K-pop / the Silver Age
[MasterClass. “All about K-Pop: Inside K-Pop's History and Signature Sound - 2022.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 14 Jan. 2021, (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-kpop#a-brief-history-of-modern-kpop.) This article by MasterClass, which is part of a program where professionals teach people in their specific skills (e.g. Gordon Ramsey teaching cooking and how he goes about it), goes over a little bit into K-pop's history as well as defining its characteristics and what makes it unique, such as its hybrid sound, large groups, and training regiments.]
[YouTube, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/. YouTube is a video hosting/uploading website. This was used in this section a lot to source music videos.]
K-pop started to rise in popularity not just domestically, but internationally as well. The Korean Wave, or hallyu as it was called became a global phenomenon, with Korean music and entertainment reaching worldwide locations thanks to the internet and social media on sites like YouTube.
The early-mid 2000s saw changes in the K-pop landscape. In 2001, H.O.T. disbanded, and a number of groups including S.E.S. would become inactive later on (being "inactive" only meant putting a hiatus on activities). However, this time also saw the rise of solo K-pop idols.
At the age of 13, BoA became a public figure when she debuted in 2000 with her song "ID; Peace B." In the ensuing years, she became "one of South Korea’s best-known exports thanks to a brand built on raw talent and multicultural positivity" (Romano).
In 2008, Rain released "Rainism" and supposedly became the first K-pop idol to "break internationally" (Sherman).
Unrelated to K-pop, but his roles in Speed Racer (2008) and Ninja Assassin (2009) landed him an MTV Award, and he became the first Korean to win one.
Though there was a decline in group activity, it did not mean that groups were dissolved completely. SS501 (2005), Super Junior (2005), Big Bang (2006), Wonder Girls (2007), Girls' Generation (2007), SHINee (2008), and 2NE1 (2009) all made their debut in the second half of the 2000s, with each of them hitting success one way or another.
Wonder Girls's 2008 song "Nobody" was a massive hit. So much so that the English version a year later became the first K-pop song to ever chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 (Sherman), entering at 76.
Girls Generation would envelop a more "cutesy" and bubbly image of idol groups, similar to that of J-pop idols. Their hit song "Gee" makes a clear note of this.
The 2010s would continue to usher in new groups and solo idols, like BTS in 2013, Red Velvet in 2014, TWICE in 2015, Blackpink in 2016 and many, many more. IU, who debuted in 2008 caught popularity in 2010 and has since had a successful career as a solo artist (among other ventures such as acting in K-dramas).
In 2012, PSY released "Gangnam Style" under YG Entertainment. The catchy beat and PSY's dancing caught international attention, and Gangnam Style made its own mark in popular culture. In September that year, it became the most liked YouTube video at the time, and in the following December, it became the first video on the site to ever reach a billion views.
In 2017, TWICE released "Likey." The music video itself was filmed around various locations in Vancouver, making subtle acknowledgements that "they’re at home all over the world" (Romano).
Also in 2017, BTS performed at the American Music Awards, the first people within K-pop to do so, and even with their popularity in South Korea, it introduced them to millions of Western viewers.(MasterClass)
K-pop stars/idols/groups during this time also started branching out musically by giving songs alternate language versions or by singing in languages other than Korean. 2PM sang in Japanese for their song "Take Off" which was used for the ending theme of the Blue Exorcist anime. As previously mentioned, Wonder Girls's song "Nobody" has both a Korean and English version. Various artists are known to have English / alternate language versions of songs, some of which may be CD-exclusive only, such as the English version of TWICE's "Cry For Me."
For K-pop groups, "sub-units" will sometimes be formed from two or more of the group's members. For example, "Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi" is a subunit of Red Velvet where Irene and Seulgi partake in musical activities that are separate from the group, though not completely leaving it. Sometimes subunits may apply to songs only: on TWICE's album Formula of Love: O+T=<3, Jihyo, Sana, and Dahyun form a subunit on "Push & Pull," Nayeon, Momo, and Chaeyoung form another on "Hello," and Jeongyeon, Mina, and Tzuyu form the last one on "1, 3, 2."
Present day prominence
[Messerlin, P. A., & Shin, W. (2017). The Success of K-pop: Haw Big and Why So Fast? Asian Journal of Social Science, 45(4/5), 409–439. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/44508094.) This article goes over what made K-pop dominate the internet with examples such as Gangnam Style.]
K-pop has grown to the point where its success and prominence is undeniable.
K-pop has gotten to the point where Western artists are collaborating with big names in the K-pop world.
In 2014, PSY and Snoop Dogg collaborated on the song "Hangover."
In 2018, Red Velvet's Wendy and John Legend collaborated on "Written in the Stars."
In 2019, BTS featured Halsey on their song "Boy With Luv."
In 2020, Blackpink's song "Ice Cream" was written by and featured Selena Gomez.
BTS has made appearances on numerous award shows in the West. Along with the aforementioned American Music Awards in 2017, they've also performed during the 2018 Much Music Awards and the 2022 Grammys. With their 2018 album Love Yourself: Tear, they became the first K-pop act to hit number 1 on Rolling Stone's Billboard 200 (Rolling Stone).
BTS's worldwide popularity is comparable to The Beatles and "Beatlemania," and are among the leader's of the hallyu (EngGoo
TWICE just wrapped up the US run of their "III" world tour in February 2022, and are planning to perform at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan in the following April.
Every member of TWICE aside from Jeongyeon has done or is involved in a "Cover Project" in which one of the members (or more, as seen with Dahyun & Chaeyoung) covers a song regardless of language or does a performance act. Nayeon has covered "Falling" by Harry Styles (English) and "I LOVE..." by Official HIGE DANdism (Japanese), Dahyun & Chaeyoung covered "나로 바꾸자 Switch to me" by Rain & JYP in a duet, and both Momo and Jihyo have done performance acts in which they dance. Instead, Jeongyeon has her own mini-series, "Once again" where she vlogged various activities.
On a semi-related note, Jihyo performed "Stardust love song" for the K-drama, 스물다섯 스물하나 (Twenty-Five, Twenty-One).
According to a study done by Patrick A. Messerlin and Wonkyu Shin, surprisingly, many Korean consumers are more interested in other forms of Korean popular music (like ballad and rock music) than K-pop idol groups. The results were interesting as it "underlines the very wide coverage of K-pop around the world, and at the same time [...] reflects the strong bias the Japanese have in favour of buying CDs and DVDs (a feature that makes the Japanese market so important for K-pop financial results)" in which Japan has a dominant overall share (Messerlin and Shin, 420).
Stylistic influences/roots
As stated in the aforementioned section, Korean music has had its history of influences from American/Western music. This is especially apparent with the start of modern K-pop, as Seo Taiji and Boys's "Nan Arayo ('I Know')" contained elements of American new jack swing and hip hop. However, with the rise of the Big Three, the South Korean soundscape also drew influences from its Japanese counterparts of J-pop and Japanese idols. The American influence is shown through stylistic songs that carry elements of jazz, soul, hip hop, and funk (MasterClass). The combination of influences plus South Korea's own musical style has given K-pop its unique and varied sound.
Red Velvet's hit song "Bad Boy" was produced by The Stereotypes, and takes elements of 90s R&B:
In the States, it's not always accepted, you know? [Aside] from artists like, for instance, like Bruno. You know, but even still, that was taking a chance. It would be difficult to hear this song on the radio in the States. It's very musical and it has a lot of changes, which in the Korean culture, they thrive off of that. They love musicality. - Jeremey Reeves, The Making of Red Velvet's Bad Boy With The Stereotypes | Deconstructed (Genius)
K-pop does not only use American influences in their songs, but will also tend to be influenced by a variety of other genres from other sources. Super Junior's One More Time EP contains elements of Latin-pop. Their song "Mamacita" is clearly inspired by that genre, and it invokes a style that is much like Shakira's earlier hits. They even sing in Spanish on their cover of Luis Miguel's "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar."
Fan communication
Fan communication refers to both artist-to-fan communication and fan-to-fan communication (i.e. communication within a fan club).
https://www.vlive.tv/: A Korean live-streaming service that allows that allows Korean celebrities, mostly K-pop idols, to engage in live stream chats with their fans. Live performances or award shows are also streamed, and can be viewed via web browsers and the app. V Live + is a premium paid service that allows users to watch exclusive clips or download content in high quality. While the website is provided in languages other than Korean, such as English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai, translation of the videos are mostly dependent on fan subs, which could be contributed by anyone with a registered ID.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/: A subsidiary thread of Reddit, an online community based in America and used globally, dedicated to discussions about Korean music and more generally K-pop as a subculture. The K-pop subsidiary thread, or subreddit, both serves as a news aggregator for the latest K-pop related news and a discussion board for various topics related to K-pop and its fan communities. While Reddit is not limited to English speakers, most news and discussion are posted in English, serving as the standard language for users all around the globe.
Yoon, K. (2019). Transnational fandom in the making: K-pop fans in Vancouver. International Communication Gazette, 81(2), 176–192. An article published in the International Communication Gazette. The author explores how young K-pop fans in the Western context engage and feel about a subculture that is both geographically and culturally distant from K-pop's place of origin. This study, which focuses on the K-pop fans in Vancouver, sheds light to how transnational fans of K-pop come to be, which is helpful in understanding how K-pop has a large presence in the West. (https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048518802964).
Kim, S., Hwang, S. Y., & Kim, J. (2021). Factors influencing K-pop artists' success on V live online video platform. Telecommunications Policy, 45(3), 102090. An article that examines the factors that contribute to an artist’s successful V Live Channel. According to the study, high popularity and fan engagement rates are influenced by artist’s videos as well as the support from V Live and K-pop agencies or entertainment companies. This study provides insight on the nature of artist-to-fan communication on one of the most popular fan engagement platforms in K-pop. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2020.102090)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVbqXULvUI: A YouTube video about the negative aspects of K-pop fan culture from a YouTube channel named Asian Theory. It deals with the online presence of K-pop fans on social media platforms including Twitter, Discord, etc. While it does shed light on why K-pop fans have gained notoriety over recent years, it does not discuss possible reasons for such a phenomenon, such as how the globalization of K-pop coincided with the rise of social media.
https://www.theverge.com/22589460/kpop-fan-cafe-weverse-universe-lysn-bts-idol-fandom-group: An article from Verge, an internet news website, explaining how K-pop idols have communicated with their fans via internet communities before the rise of social media, and apps often run by their agencies. It especially explains how K-pop agencies utilize certain internet/app technologies that offer "private messages" from K-pop artists in exchange for a subscription fee, and the effects of an “intimate” engagement experience.
https://top.cafe.daum.net/_c21_/fancafe_list: A list of Korean artists’ official fanclub websites, or “fan cafes”, that are managed by the artists’ agencies. These are hosted by Daum, a Korean webportal service. As mentioned in the article above, these internet communities were predominantly used before the globalization of K-pop and rise of social media. Most K-pop idols that are active have moved on to different platforms including BTS using “Weverse”. The link shows the most popular fan cafes, which include Im Young-woong, who is a South Korean trot singer and whose fan-base is mostly Korean and generally older.
According to korea.net, a Korean website launched by the Korean Culture and Information Service in 1971 to aid with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote Korean culture, the Korean Wave (Hallyu) is the surge of K-pop and K-dramas vast popularity amongst other countries. This started from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and first spread to closely Asian countries such as China and Japan through the popularization of the TV drama “What is Love,” “Winter Sonata” and idol groups such as Big Bang, BoA and Girls’ Generation. Nowadays, Hallyu has reached Latin America and North America and even beyond the Middle East and is commonly attributed to the popularity of idols like PSY, BTS and BlackPink as well movies like Parasite and other Netflix titles.
Rolling Stone, a popular American magazine that has been around offline since 1967 and transitioned online in the past few decades, also published an article on vast spread of K-pop popularity within the West and the Western take on how they were able to make that happen through events like Kcon despite how grim the first Kcon event looked. Kcon is an annual Korean wave convention that is held around the world and is now the largest international celebration of Korean culture and music. The first Kcon was held in the U.S. in 2012 and drew merely a few hundred fans but that number has now multiplied to beyond 120,000 and is divided between multiple convents on both coasts.
Edited by Youna Kim, the book The Soft Power of Korean Wave: Parasite, BTS and Drama is a fantastic source in understanding he Korean Wave or Hallyu as some call it, and the complexities within K-pop globalization. This book delves into the various stages of Hallyu breakthroughs and what facilitates these breakthroughs into the global market international stage. It is written in English and calls forth contributions from a plethora scholarly authors.
PSY “Gangnam Style” Some may consider the first Hallyu wave to have taken place from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and primarily to be towards other Asian countries and view PSY’s “Gangnam Style” to be the spearhead of the second breakthrough of a Hallyu wave with BTS as the most successful Korean international act. “Gangnam Style” was released in 2012 and quickly became one of the most viewed Youtube music videos and aided the relentless upswing of K-pop popularity within the west.
With the globalization of K-pop and the gradual exposure of Kpop within in Western audiences, more and more K-pop artists are collaborating with Western artists to produce English tracks. Some of the most well known collaborations include BTS’s and Halsey’s “Boy With Luv” as well as Black Pink and Selena Gomez’s “Ice Cream” as listed by Kpopstarz, an American tabloid site for K-pop related news. While this site isn't the best at finding reliable in depth articles, it's a great source for browsing through their compilation of trending songs and recent gossip.
BTS ft. Halsey’s “Boy With Luv” 작은 것들을 위한 시 Released in 2019, Boy With Luv is the title track of BTS’s extended play of the album “Map of the Soul: Persona”. The song was quickly named by Dazed Magazine as one of the 20 best K-pop songs of the year and was also included in South China Morning Post’s list as one of the 10 best K-pop songs of 2019.
BlackPink ft. Selena Gomez “Ice Cream” Released in the summer of 2020, the song came as a surprise collaboration but received much love. The song is almost fully recorded in English except for Lisa’s rap that held a few Korean words, and is a true international hit.
New Musical Express (NME) is a British website and brand that reports on music, film, gaming and culture and originally started off as a newspaper in 1952 before transitioning online. Their website now feature photos, videos as well as host concert tickets and radio shows but still primarily focus on publishing articles about music and entertainment.
They recently reported on the merger between HYPE entertainment and Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. This come as a significant news to music fans around the world, as HYBE (formerly BigHit) is the entertainment company which BTS is under and Ithaca Holdings also have several big name western artists under its flag, such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. Such a merge between two major companies signifies a closer relationship between K-pop and the western pop music industry than ever before and predicts more possible collaborations between K-pop idols and Wester artists in the near future.
If you speak Korean, you may also find the Korean Economic Daily a useful source of information in understanding the globalization of K-pop. Founded in 1964, it is the second largest business newspaper in South Korea and is primarily a conservative newspaper that reports on economic news and events.
The article noted specifically analyzes the success of BTS and attributes it to G.T.S — global, training, social media. The article notes the new trend of K-pop and fan interaction that breaches the parasocial engagement restrictions old idols used to have as fans formerly relied on fan signs and fan meetings to engage in direct communication, but BTS and other newer generation idols have taken to social media to communicate directly with fans. Such an action forms a feeling of authenticity and relativity as well as acts as an positive reward for fans.
Scandals and controversies
Burning Sun scandal
https://www.koreaboo.com/news/seungri-scandal-burning-sun-full-story/ - Koreaboo is an entertainment and media company which shares K-pop content, news and stories. The website features a set of different topics to read about and a list of social media accounts to keep up to date.
The Burning Sun scandal is an incident that took place in South Korea in 2019, involving K-pop idol Seungri, former member of boy group Big Bang, other celebrities and people working in the police.
In January 2019, Kim Sankyo reported being assaulted in November 2018 at the club Burning Sun, after he tried helping a woman who was being sexually harassed. At the time, when the accident occurred, Sankyo called the police, but instead of arresting the assaulters of the club, they arrested and punched him, while taking him to the police station and again, once they arrived there.
Some time after the news about Kim Sankyo, CCTV footage (which police tried getting rid of earlier) of the club were released, showing an employee dragging a drugged woman in a room to sexually abuse her. Seungri resigned from his directorship of the Burning Sun, and people who frequented it started reporting other similar events that had happened there, Dispatch revealed a group chat created in 2015 used by the club's employees, where they talked about drugging and raping women, and another one where Seungri was shown working to offer prostitutes to rich investors.
YG (the company to which Seungri's group belongs) hired a disposal company to destroy evidence, however more chatrooms were being exposed, revealing many other idols that were part of this "project". In March, news came out accusing them of having installed illegal hidden cameras to secretly film women, and one day later Seungri left the K-pop industry, and in August was arrested and sentenced to three years of prison. In November 2019 others who took part in the scandal were arrested too and fined.
AOA's Jimin and Mina Scandal
https://kpopnews.atsit.in/it/?p=4006 K-pop News Inside is a site based in Italy, which uploads on a daily basis hundreds of articles on K-pop news in Italian.
This on in particular is about a very recent bullying scandal that occurred within the last two years, involving Jimin and Mina, two members of a girl group named AOA. On July 3rd 2020, idol Kwon Mina posted on her Instagram account black posts with very long and detailed captions where she accused her group's leader, Shin Jimin, of bullying her for the past three years. She talked about being body-shamed, physical abuse, threats, and even being kept from visiting her father who was dying.
As days passed, Mina kept uploading more posts with concerning captions, along with very disturbing pictures (portraying self-harm, suicide, etc..). Back then, Jimin too was facing a very tough time (medicals were prescribed to her), and after posting an apology she left the group, and she was never heard from again for a very long time. Unlike her, Mina kept releasing more content regarding the situation and even involved their company.
However, an unexpected twist in this situation occurred, when in September 2021, Dispatch (a media news outlet specialised in entertainment in Korea), published a transcription of a call and messages between Jimin, Mina and the other members of the group, and things took a different course. Ex-journalist Lee Jinho too published a video on YouTube which examines why Mina, a year late, still attacks the former member of the group and holds the grudge. After all of her posts, even many netizens started complaining, accusing her of being an attention-seeker asking her to delete images and to be taken to a facility where she could be helped and monitored, as her posts had been giving trouble to the other members of the group, and the company.
The messages published showed Mina accepting the leader's apologies and even thanking her, but also her members saying she should apologise to Jimin for making up much of what she was accusing her of doing in her posts. Moreover the texts showed Mina forcing staff members to carry out tasks for her, and acting unprofessional when things did not go the way she wanted. As a result, Jimin's online accounts got flooded by support, while Mina apologised on her account and said she would spend some time to receive treatment and self-reflect.
Ever since, Jimin has returned to social media and even released a new song, while being welcomed with kindness and lots of sympathy.
The "Tzuyu Scandal"
Ahn, Ji-Hyun, and Tien-wen Lin. "The Politics of Apology: The ‘Tzuyu Scandal’ and Transnational Dynamics of K-Pop." The International Communication Gazette, vol. 81, no. 2, 2019, pp. 158-175.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1748048518802947 - The website is SAGE Journals, a site for the independent publishing company which offers an archive of thousands of articles and journals. It allows for an account to be created, and even purchases can be made on the site.
This article in particular examines a scandal happened back in 2015, involving Tzuyu, Taiwanese member of the popular Kpop group TWICE. During an episode of My Little Television (a Korean entertainment TV show), the idol waved a Republic of China’s flag (which is the current Taiwanese flag). Initially no response from the public was encountered, however, it suddenly caught the eye of many Chinese citizens right after a singer, who condemned the and believed the act to be pro-independence, posted her critique on Weibo. The post soon went viral and Chinese media even cancelled TWICE's performances, and those of other groups who belong to JYP Entertainment. An apology video was posted some months later, which angered Taiwanese fans and on the other hand making the win of the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) at elections in Taiwan impressive, as it was released just a day before this latter.
This scandal was undoubtedly one of the most controversial, affecting the political and cultural climate in Taiwan, and giving life to diplomatic tensions between China and Taiwan. It sheds light on how Kpop often times generates transnational geopolitical discourse, and how media work in such incidents (in this case the apology video). Subsequent to the scandal, Tzuyu and her group still gained popularity in Korea and internationally too, now being on of the most popular Kpop groups.
Drug Scandal
https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/22572897#home - This is the website of the Korean daily newspaper JoongAang (중앙). The site offers a wide variety of journal articles, ranging from sports, politics, entertainment and so on. It offers the translation in Chinese, Japanese and English, and users can even sign up for extra articles and memberships.
The article is about the idol Park Bom, and a drug scandal that involved her. Back in 2010, the singer was caught smuggling 82 illegal tablets of amphetamines at the Incheon International airport. She was investigated but then left without punishment. The reason for this is that Park Bom was using that medication after witnessing a tragic incident, evidently, without knowing it was illegal. Nonetheless, after founding out they could not be imported from abroad, Park Bom has replaced them with a medical prescription from local hospitals.
Cultural appropriation
https://www.southsonder.com/post/is-cultural-appropriation-the-backbone-of-k-pop - South Sonder is a website created for users to read all sort of different blogs all written by the creator of the site. This particular one deals with the problem of cultural appropriation. Although it is slowly becoming more and more talked about in kpop communities, very few are the idols that are educated about it, or that apologise.
The blog first provides a definition for this "cultural appropriation" and some examples: blackface, appropriating black hairstyles, appropriating Indian culture, etc.. International fans' reactions are not good, and despite several tries in educating the idol, there rarely is an apology. Then, the blog offers instead examples of cultural appreciation (embracing a different culture respectfully and understanding it). The author condemns ignorance and encourages instead education on the matter, and holding the idol accountable too. It is often the company's fault, which is paradoxical: they aim to reaching a bigger international audience and global expansions, yet, they do not respect their cultures.
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