See on Scoop.it – K-pop Fandoms
[NEWS] TVXQ Defends Crown For The Second Year As K-pop Group Who Has Expanded Their Influence The Most Globall… http://t.co/G9dnbpenwj
Fans like to show their support for artists by voting in various polls on the Internet. They encourage their fellow fans to vote, and often provide tutorials and instructions to show them how.
See on www.dbsknights.net
See on Scoop.it – K-pop Fandoms
[PHOTOS] Updated! G-Dragon @ Incheon Airport back from NYC http://t.co/e6L3odcZFZ #bigbang
One of the most important needs a K-pop fan has it to know where K-pop artists are. Fans rise to the challenge by keeping track of K-pop artist movements.
See on bigbangworldwide.blogspot.fr
See on Scoop.it – K-pop Fandoms
~Cloud Cover by Terri :-}, Managing Editor Lovely Clouds, Remember that super special secret project that I’ve been hinting at for the past two years? Well, guess what? It’s finally here.
Fandoms actively collect and preserve information about K-pop artists for others. Here, CloudsUSA reveal their discography project, which is very important for fans looking to expand their knowledge of Rain beyond just the released singles.
See on cloudusa.wordpress.com
See on Scoop.it – K-pop Fandoms
^@@^ (Credit: Cloud Mx Rain @YT.) ^@@^ (Credit: RainPeruFans @YT.) Filed under: Bi Rain, Bi Rain fan videos, Bi Rain MILITARY, Cloud USA, Jung Ji Hoon, Rain’s Global Clouds Tagged: bi rain fan vids, bi rain military service, Bi Rain’s discharge, Jung…
K-pop fans hail from all over the world, and they participate in fan activities. Here, Clouds, or fans of Rain, from Mexico and Peru welcome him back from the military. Rain has not released any new material; this is a common fan goodwill gesture–it is just to show appreciation for Rain.
See on cloudusa.wordpress.com
Ever so often, I like to share what’s on heavy rotation on my iPod. It isn’t always the newest thing, or the most popular thing, but for some reason this is the stuff that I’m grooving to. I make no distinction between idol and non-idol Kpop, popular and obscure, mainstream and indie. It’s just what I like, and some info about it. Maybe you might like it too.
What I’m Listening To
“Paris (정재일’s Black Swan Remix) ft. Jisun of Loveholic” by Epik High
Who Does It
Epik High is one of the most respected and eclectic K-pop groups. This song is from the 2006 Black Swan Song repackage. Fans familiar with K-pop learn to anticipate the repackage because you get a little something extra, and this repackage does not disappoint. Tablo, DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin, the members of Epik High, join forces with Jisun, a member of the rock band Loveholic, for this track.
Why I Like It
The “Paris” remix dramatically starts with the chorus of the song instead of Jisun’s melodic intro from the original. It then erupts into the vocals backed by a driving drum beat and a solid bass line, to which they add piano to Jisun’s vocals. I like the remix so much I hardly listen to the original anymore.
Image: 1
Video: YouTube
See on Scoop.it – Korean Wave
And cue the storm. We’ve all been seeing the signs that Zhou Mi and Henry were getting a little more love from SM Entertainment: the two are more involved in Super Show 5, Henry is SME’s first male solo debut in 13 years, and Zhou Mi has been…
As the story brings out, there is a long history of ELFs (fans of Super Junior) making their voices heard when it comes to who is in and out of the group. But I wonder about the evidence that supportions the claim about who supports which side: "Those supporting the main petition seem to be primarily from South Korea and China while those against it, as you could expect, were from Southeast Asia, Japan, and Western fans." One would have to do some research to support that claim with some evidence.
It’s hard to know (again, without doing some digging) how much of the ELF fandom the "only13" view represents. Several ELF fansites, like SGSJELFs, to name a couple) state that they support all the members regardless of subgroup affiliation.
But even more importantly, the failure to contextualize the "only13" movement feeds into the misconception that fandoms operate on groupthink. There’s always another side. We might want to consider how other groups, and fandoms, navigate subgroups and solo careers.
See on seoulbeats.com
See on Scoop.it – K-pop Fandoms
On 25th, a SS501 bus officially hit the road in Seoul, Korea. Fans of SS501 (also known as triple S), from Arab and Japan came together to prepare a special SS501 bus in celebration of SS501′s 8th anniversary.
This fan project spans nations, bringing together fans from Japan and the Middle East. Projects like this show how K-pop fandoms are not only transnational, but also tenacious. SS501 is on hiatus (note: they are NOT disbanded), and while their last album was released in 2010, fans still show their support.
See on en.korea.com
While most stories about K-pop fans make the obligatory comment about “crazy” behavior, fans actually do all kinds of things that do not cause you to give them the side-eye. Now, I’ll be making posts sharing some of the things I see related to K-pop fans and fandoms. That means, the good, the bad and the what-the-deuce. The purpose is to show the diversity of fans, their attitudes and activities.
See on Scoop.it – Korean Wave
So what happens when theories become reality?
A new girl group called The Gloss just announced their impending debut a few days ago.
This story puts a lot on Olivia, the ostensibly white member of new female K-pop group, Gloss. There is a quite a lot of elision, and while it raises some issues, it raises more questions. Whiteness, like other socially constructed identities, is not monlithic and subject to historical, national and cultural context. Similarly, the term "foreign" depends on your position: does foreign mean all people outside of Korea, or all people outside of East Asia?
The piece also assumes what fans, white, black, Latino, Asian American, want by painting them with broad strokes. Instead of assuming what white fans or black fans think about one white member of a K-pop group, it would add to the conversation to actually ask them how they view whiteness or their own place in their various fandoms.
See on seoulbeats.com
See on Scoop.it – Korean Wave
When the music video for Psy’s “Gangnam Style” was released, few people expected it to become such a global sensation — topping charts and smashing records around the world, emerging as the most-viewed video on YouTube, and spawning the most emulated…
This article gives some numbers to support Psy’s overseas success, but still overlooks the small but active K-pop fandom in other countries, who will in the long run be more responsible for the staying power of K-pop.
See on www.hancinema.net
See on Scoop.it – Korean Wave
Rain Gives A Brief Comment At His Discharge Ceremony
Rain is to finally discharge from the military after 21 long months of being a soldier.
DramaFever Blog
While this was the briefest of statements, it will be interesting to see how Rain engages with a more global mode of K-pop up on his discharge from the military. Rain, like Seo Taiji and Kangta, reflects a kind of K-pop artist who goes beyond making music to managing the business side of music.
See on blog.dramafever.com
See on Scoop.it – Korean Wave
I have made no effort over the years to hide my distain for the ubiquitous music called KPOP, the rhythmic sounds so common in South Korea. Since first landing in Incheon eight years ago, I have ha…
Sabrina recycles the old "high culture v. low culture" debate, failing to add anythin to it by considering the other important factors that complicate the issue. In Highbrow Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America, Lawrence Levine points out that such designations are not neutral, but often the results of ideological factors that shift over time. Shakespeare was not revered in his day, but he is now. Those who have power and influence often made these designations, and cultural production by people of color, women, and other nationalities often get excluded. So what does it mean for this Canadian photographer who has spend 8 years in Korea to declare its popular music "not music"?
Let’s not forget that Plato was suspicous of creative types…Poets do not fare well in his Republic. Invoking Plato’s moral law seems an odd choice to use to exclude K-pop as music. Anyone who listens to K-pop knows that there are numerous groups, artists, producers and songwriters who regularly and consistently engage established musical traditions whose existence as music few question: is R&B not music? The author also has a narrow view of music. You may like music that has a message, but music does not have a message to be music.
The author initial adversarial position ("I have made no effort over the years to hide my distain for the ubiquitous music called KPOP, the rhythmic sounds so common in South Korea") undermines what follows. The article functions either to enrage the reader or to play up controversy. The author doesn’t address a particular group or sound and makes no effort to understand the variety of groups in K-pop; rather she focuses on one particular mode of K-pop, and not very effectively because of the generalizations. Which "silly dancing girls and boys" form the target of her critique? Because of the lack of detail or substantive argument, it comes off as another superficial piece on K-pop.
See on seoulfi.com
Generals may serve kings, but the hero in Gyebaek is doing it for the people. Given the shoddy leadership in the last days of Baekje in this Kdrama, somebody has to.
Our hero, Gyebaek (Lee Seo Jin), is first exposed to loyalty by his father, Moo Jin (Cha In Pyo). Not only does he fend off the unwanted advances of Sa Taek Bi (Oh Yun Soo), the future queen, he also stays loyal to King Moo (Choi Jung Hwan), even to the point of death. However, this unquestioning loyalty to the crown is often undeserved. King Moo keeps putting Moo Jin in impossible situations, situations that he creates due to a combination of his fear of the nobles and desperation to keep the throne. It is for these reasons that he sends Moo Jin to help his Silla-born queen and their son escape (yeah, THAT ends well) at the risk of Moo Jin’s own pregnant wife’s life. When Moo Jin returns years later, he is once again subject to the bad decisions of King Mu and sacrifices himself right in front on Gyebaek.
These events have a profound effect on Gyebaek, as he nurses the grudge of the ages for years. What helps him to break out of it is having to take care of people in his care, first as a Baekje slave in a Silla fortress and later with some peasants in a mountain hideout. Unlike his father, he gets to know the people who are weak, defenseless and often put in peril by the powers-that-be. When his own loyalty to Prince (and later King) Uija (Jo Jae Hyun) becomes almost unbearable to keep, he reimagines himself as a guardian, not of a king, but of a people.
However, Gyebaek comes off as such a good leader and sacrificing servant of the people because selfishness resides at the highest levels in the Kdrama. It wouldn’t be a Kdrama without some backstabbing and conniving by people who want to stop Gyebaek’s selfless acts. We have Sa Taek Bi who seeks to amass and keep power for herself. Not quite as bad as the ultimate royal villain, Mishil (Queen Seondeok), but she does her share. She’s got the requisite hidden, secret, highly trained force that will whack people on her whims, access to nobles with money and power, and the will to wield both at anybody she deems an enemy. We’ve seen this before: she grew up in a political family, so you’re not surprised when she goes to great lengths to keep power.
Like Sa Taek Bi, other people who feel the backhand of power just turn around and become worse than the people who oppressed them. Eun Go (Song Ji Hyo), the love interest of Gyebaek since childhood who also catches Uija’s eye, starts out doing it for the people. A merchant, she acts as a go-between, able to access the palace without being part of the political drama (at least at first). She and Uija plot to kick out the bad guys because they are good guys who want to improve life for everyone in all classes. However, something goes terribly wrong, and once she gets a taste of power she becomes just anotther Sa Taek Bi (just like she said she would!). She’s willing to beat anyone down to make her son Crown Prince (just like Sa Taek Bi!), eliminate those threaten her plans (just like Sa Taek Bi!) and cut all ties in an effort to keep her position (just like, well, you know).
But that’s ok, she’s just the almost/eventual queen. Uija is a whiny king whose crazy jealously and bad decisions bring down Baekje, despite Gyebaek’s best efforts. You might feel sorry for Uija. Seeing his mother murdered and having to grow up with the woman who ordered her death, having to pretend that he’s an idiot to save his skin and dealing with a father who would gladly sacrifice his own son to keep the throne would make anyone a little….not right in the head. Yeah, he has issues, but he makes a pact with Gyebaek, Heung Soo and Sung Choong (two very unorthodox yet very clever advisors) to create a new world where no one suffers. Of course this happens when Uija is down on his luck. What does he have to lose? These guys do all the heavy lifting to get Uija back in the palace and eventually on the throne.
However, there are two problems. One is Uija’s unrequited love for Eun Go. She’s trying to get revenge, and he’s trying to get her. So he does the unthinkable: lies and puts her in a position to be executed and “saves” her by marrying her. All so that he can have her, and presumably, Gyebaek can’t.
The other problem is Uija’s jealousy. Maybe if he did something on his own, he wouldn’t be jealous. But Gyebaek succeeds in protecting Baekje, even when put in harms way by Uija. It makes Uija crazy. Literally. I knew Uija had lost his mind when during a battle with Silla, he kills the daughter of Silla’s eventual king, Chunchu (that’s the wrong guy to mess with. I learned that from watching Queen Seondeok). With his own hands. Just to say he did something. This not only is against the rules of righteous soldiers, it also unnecessarily brings the ire of Chunchu on Baekje. We all know Chunchu isn’t going to rest until he grinds Uija’s bones into dust and burns Baekje down to the ground.
It was interesting to see a man exhibit unbridled jealousy over someone who was once a sworn brother, but it didn’t have to be that way. Uija had more than enough people trying to tell him he was headed down the wrong path. My favorites are Heung Soo and Sung Choong, or as I like to think of them, Frick and Frack. Heung Soo is mad genius who flouts authority but also has a strong sense of loyalty and feeling for the people. He even swaggers out of the palace after refusing to give the royal robes to Sa Taek Bi’s whiny son. Sung Choong, his more even-tempered counterpart, meets Gyebaek as a Silla captive and sees his potential. Together, they are the best advisers a king could have. They anticipate the enemy as well as the politics of the court.
While they all work to get Uija on the throne, it’s Sung Choong and Heung Soo who see first hand how Uija gets out of control. They try, but there is nothing they can do to stop him. Sadly for Sung Choong, he grapples with Eun Go and loses. If that isn’t bad enough, what is worse is Heung Soo’s reaction. He is just broken when his best friend is murdered. He goes all-out to show that Eun Go was behind it, but when Uija finds out, he does nothing to her. This woman not only breaks the sworn pact, she is also a traitor. In her desire to get her son on the throne, she spills Baekje troop movements to tells Yushin (yes, Queen Seondeok’s Yushin!) in Silla. Heung Soo mourns Sung Choong’s death, but he never gets over his disillusionment over Uija’s failure to act. He writes a strategy book and withdraws from public life.
Ultimately, Uija becomes the last king of Baekje because of his failure to work out his personal issues, and Gyebaek goes down as a hero of Baekje. Given who he hangs out with, I’m not surprised.
Images: Gyebaek
Ever so often, I like to share what’s on heavy rotation on my iPod. It isn’t always the newest thing, or the most popular thing, but for some reason this is the stuff that I’m grooving to. I make no distinction between idol and non-idol Kpop, popular and obscure, mainstream and indie. It’s just what I like, and some info about it. Maybe you might like it too.
What I’m Listening To
Heo Young Saeng, of SS501 (because, as every Triple S knows, they are NOT disbanded), recently made his comeback with “The Art of Seduction,” from Life, his new mini-album. That’s great, but his comeback reminds me of my favorite song, “Maria,” from his last mini-album, Solo.
Who Does It
Young Saeng is a major vocalist in SS501, best known for ballads that show off his range, both in SS501 songs as well as his solo work. He’s best known for slow songs, like “Rainy Heart,” although he did switch it up by releasing “Let It Go,” a dance track, as the first single from his first mini-album of the name. Anyone who is familiar with his work knows that dude loves love.
Why I Like It
So, most people know that Young Saeng is my bias in SS501 (go Bad Boy Otter Prince!), and I’m not even going to try to hide how much I liked this song from the get-go. I like “Maria” because it allows Young Saeng to break from expectation and belt out a rock ballad. As the video shows, he has a live band behind him at this performance, and his voice is a great complement to the guitars. Idol groups are so often pigeon-holed and it’s really great to see Young Saeng show his vocal range. It also tickles me that this song is the longest (over 5 minutes!) on the album.
Image: Heo Young Saeng
Ambivalence, romance and finance are anything but elements of a fairy tale in Cheongdamdong Alice (2012). The Kdrama makes us think about non-romantic motives for relationships.
Cheongdamdong Alice (2012) follows the development of two characters. On one hand, it tells the story of our “Alice,” Han Se Kyung (Moon Geun Young), a plucky, ever-optimistic fashion student who wants to be a designer. Her economic circumstances prevent her from studying abroad, but she has made the best of her talents by working jobs and winning school awards. Se Kyung is soon hit with the realization that the fashion industry is clique-y, and after breaking up with her embezzling boyfriend, resolves to do whatever she has to in order to raise herself out of her dire straits and make it to Cheongdam.
Cheongdamdong Alice also tells the story of Cha Seung Jo (Park Shi Hoo), a man who responds to heartbreak by enacting a long-term plan for revenge-by-success, which also requires that he hardens his heart. That icy heart begins to thaw when he sees Se Kyung’s selfless acts on behalf of her shiftless boyfriend, and he begins to believe in love again, making Se Kyung the beneficiary of his new outlook life.
Ambivalence clouds the actions of both characters. We certainly don’t want Se Kyung to become like Seo Yoon Joo (So Yi Hyun), who literally wrote the book on golddigging. But the more misfortune she endures, the more likely she is to give in. While she manages to maintain her dignity and our allegiance for the most part, audiences must suffer with her when she opts not to tell Seung Jo about her plan to use him to get into Cheongdam society. She never goes to the extent that Yoon Joo and Tommy Hong (Kim Ji Suk) do, but viewers (and Seung Jo) have to reconcile Se Kyung’s sweet ways with her social-climbing desires. The ambivalence is not over whether or not she wanted to use Seung Jo. We, Se Kyung and Seung Jo constantly wonder where Se Kyung’s using stops and her actual emotions begin.
Se Kyung also redeems herself in other ways. She helps Seung Jo and his father to reconcile. That process also forces Seung Jo to face his own flaws, including his belief in his self-sufficiency and discounting of his father’s help. Se Kyung does her share of heavy crying on the street, but she also delivers some of the best responses to those who try to smack her down. When Yoon Joo and Se Kyung get caught by Shin In Hwa (Kim Yoo Ri), Yoon Joo gets on her knees, acknowledging defeat. Se Kyung, however, looks In Hwa in her eyes and dares her to do something.
While the Kdrama tells us to follow “Alice” down the rabbit hole, we get distracted by the silly rabbit that is Seung Jo. Described by his intrepid friend Heo Dong Wook (Park Kwang Hyun) as having some kind of emotional disorder, Seung Jo is not the perfect, confident man he displays to the world. He swings from ridiculously giddy highs to heartbreaking melancholy lows.
Seung Jo provides ridiculous comic relief, but also has a more engaging personal journey. While we cheer him on in his wooing of Se Kyung, we realize that he has his own unresolved issues. Seung Jo harbors unresolved feelings towards his father Cha Il Nam (Han Jin Hee) that impacts his relationships. Because he feels he was not loved by his father, he strives to maintain emotional distance from him. Seung Jo is that emotional male character in a Kdrama who pines after the love interest, but he also has to deal with his own faulty view of himself. He is overly concerned with having his actions validated, needs to hear “thank you” from Se Kyung, needs to be acknowledged. While we may not like Yoon Joo for breaking his heart, she also gives him valuable insight into himself, trying to show him that relationships are not just about him and his feelings.
Here’s where the supporting characters really come into play, namely, Dong Wook. If this was a Greek play, he’d be the chorus, because he says what the audience would say. He comforts and encourages Seung Jo when he’s trying to do the right thing. He also pushes him beyond his comfort zone and tells him when he’s being selfish and untrue. Along with Secretary Moon (Choi Sung Joon) and Choi Ah Jung (Shin So Yool), he also participates in the matchmaking.
When Seung Jo and Se Kyung face and resolve the crisis of their relationship, we are left with the idea that they will be more upfront with their feelings and realistic about their circumstances. They seem to understand that romance is not a fairy tale because of real-world circumstances and the motives and desires of ordinary humans. On the other hand, what do other characters learn?
If ambivalence rules the dynamic between Se Kyung and Seung Jo, finance definitely guides the romance aspirations of Yoon Joo, Tommy Hong and In Hwa. Yoon Joo faces her worst nightmare when her calculated entry into her upper-class family is discovered. Her evil sister-in-law, In Hwa, pounces on this opportunity to shame her and kick her out of the family. But we reserve our disapproval for the members of the family rather than Yoon Joo who fools them. Their entitled behavior and belief that they can use her to salvage a business deal makes Yoon Joo look like a girl scout. Shin Min Hyuk (Park Young Ji), Yoon Joo’s husband, goes from assuring her that he loves her to using her as his last pawn to partner with a rival fashion house.
We may be hating on Yoon Joo for the condescending way she treats Se Kyung, but she is infinitely better than these folks who chastise her for playing the game they created. They revert to the language of exclusion really easily: “How dare you try to enter OUR society,” “Those kind of people are not like US,” etc. Characters like Yoon Joo and Tommy Hong, who may be talented in their own right, are forced to use manipulative measures to gain access to that world, but are barred by those already in that class. Their actions, while questionable, are in response to the exclusion of the upper class. The Shin family and those like them become the ultimate villains in this Kdrama.
In fact, for all the talk of how finance is most important, these characters are ultimately guided by their emotions. Despite acting like a lean, mean, business machine, In Hwa gives in to jealousy, envy and revenge, working harder to bring Yoon Joo and Se Kyung down than on any ad campaign. While it may be a little stereotypical to say that “being a woman” means giving in to emotions to hurt other people, In Hwa shows that it’s not always all about the money.
Images: Cheongdamdong Alice/청담동 앨리스
Sources:
Cheongdamdong Alice 2012 Trailer Korean Drama. Uploaded by strongkinga1. YouTube. 30 Nov 2012. Web.
High Yellow - Asian Popular Culture 