Author: Denise Coley
Even in 2014, tattoos are considered taboo in South Korea. For parts of the 20th Century, tattoos were only worn by gangs and the Korean mob, sending the message that tattoos are not an art form but a sign that someone should not be trusted. According to the Korean Herald and Global Post, tattoo artists in Korea are often underground (but open in plain sight in many instances) and move around often in order to avoid being caught by authorities and potentially raided. Tattoos are only legally allowed to be applied by doctors in Korea. Today, the tide is turning…
Some children’s books today rely on bathroom humor in order to be entertaining to young readers. This is a sad testament of where books have headed the past few years. But, that’s how the times have changed and keep changing. Sometimes it is nice to return to simpler times to try to recapture the innocence of childhood. Recently, while sorting through books of my youth, I came across Aki and the Fox by Akiko Hayashi and immediately felt nostalgic. Aki and the Fox Akiko Hayashi Story: Illustrations: Readability: Complexity: Themes: Overall: The story, released…
On September 4, KBS already announced that 2PM’s upcoming single “Go Crazy” is already banned due to “inappropriate lyrics.” Never mind how a tracklist wasn’t shared with the public yet or how audio teasers were not released until later in the day; nope, the song needed to go and KBS offed it. The lyrics in question are: “Let’s go for a second round” “These guys are planning to go crazy”* *Apparently, the Korean is a vulgar expression. As Naver commentators say, the lyrics are not necessarily bad, but the term used is a “rougher term for ‘guys.’” In honor of…
At 10:10am September 7, 2014, another tragedy struck as Ladies’ Code’s RiSe passed away. She turned 23 August 16. RiSe sustained critical injuries from the September 3, 2014, accident that took fellow Ladies’ Code member EunB’s life. Doctors operated on RiSe for seven-to-11 hours, having to suspend further surgery after her blood pressure dropped. During surgery, RiSe’s heart stopped, and doctors needed to perform an internal cardiac massage to get her heart pumping again. Since the surgeries, RiSe had been in a coma. Her family members stayed by her side. Since RiSe’s passing, Polaris released a statement to the public…
In a world full of aegyo, happiness, and hard-working performers, it’s difficult to announce when tragedy strikes the K-Pop world. Sadly, today, there is tragic news to report as Ladies’ Code’s EunB passed away following a tragic vehicle accident September 3, 2014 in South Korea. She was only 22. The accident occurred after 1am KST. Rainy conditions caused the girls’ van to ram into a wall on Singal Intersection of Yeondong Expressway heading toward Incheon. The other Ladies’ Code members and staff were in the van also and were rushed to St. Vincent’s hospital. Sojung and RiSe are in critical…
Who doesn’t love candy? Sweet, tasty candy is what is right in the world sometimes. In Korea, they seem to feel the same way I do about candy, so they blessed us with pumpkin caramel chews which sound promising and delightful just by the name alone. But, do the candies live up to their heavenly-sounding pumpkin-ness? In the spirit of the upcoming fall season, let’s unwrap a few in a taste test! Initial Impression Each piece of candy is individually wrapped, so it’s nice for individual snacking. Plus, the wrapper helps to keep your fingers from getting sticky…
Today, I would like to introduce you to Grace, who is a great friend of mine and I’m going to be interviewing her about her favorite Kpop idol group. Before we get to the interview, I want to talk more about her, so it kind of gives you an idea of what kind of person she is. Grace loves to write stories and she actually has her own blog where she writes a lot on. The stories are about her favorite idol group, which we’ll talk about soon, but she has a lot of people who read her stories and…
The K-Pop industry is dominated by many big names like Girl’s Generation, Big Bang, Super Junior, SHINee, 2NE1, and many others dominating fans and the media. All the while, groups with potential who lack a big name company or are victims of poor promotion cycles get lost. Let’s help some of these groups not get lost and show them some support since they’re performers you should know! Note: all groups debuted prior to 2014. Never Mind Members: G-One, G-Hoon, Ino, and Chang Ha Company: Toeast Music Debut: January 2013 Debut Song: “Shooting Star” Their debut song “Shooting Star” provided…
Korean news portal Naver reports that on August 22, 2014, singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong was accused of allegedly assaulting his girlfriend of two years. He is currently facing a lawsuit for assault and battery. Acquaintances of the woman known only as A have reported that she was assaulted multiple times by Kim at his apartment between the period of May and July 2014. Acquaintances said that after each alleged assault, Kim became apologetic, but each act of violence grew worse over time. According to reports, A suffered facial bruising and lacerations and bruising on various other locations on…
K-Pop has been breaking barriers in almost every country over the past few years, and with good reason. Catchy songs, enjoyable dances, and all the hard work idols put into performances all help with K-Pop’s appeal. But, K-Pop artists have tried to appeal to Western audiences, and one of the ways is by creating covers from Western artists. Many of these covers are very well-done, and listeners should give them a chance. Here’s a nice little fusion of East meets West with some covers you should definitely check out! 1. Bella “Don’t Let Go” (En Vogue) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6KsyON5Vww En Vogue…
Say YES to ‘Say Yes’ is a Korean band with five talented members who are musical enough to compose, produce and write lyrics for their own music and play their own instruments. ‘Say Yes’ is a Korean band with five talented members who are musical enough to compose, produce and write lyrics for their own music and play their own instruments. Since ‘Say Yes’ released their first mini album titled, “Virus” in July 2013 last year, this year on June 26th, ‘Say Yes’ has come back reloaded with a newer image through their new mini album ‘SAY ?’ – Get…
B.I.G (Which stands for ‘Boys In Groove’) is a just-released five-member boy band from Korea. Since debuting with their first single, ‘Annyeounghaseyo’, which is a greeting for ‘Hello’ in Korean, the boys have already marked themselves as a Hip hop and street dance group, but that doesn’t mean their genre of music is limited. The members are into and able to perform to diverse music and dance – one was the member called Benji is a former violinist who studied classical music. ‘Anyeonghaseyo’ is fun and entertaining with lyrics not only in Korean and English but in Chinese, Japanese, German,…
Wassup is a Korean girl group formed under Sony Music and Mafia Records, which debuted in August 2013, after being in training for three years. Wassup’s music video for the first single “Wa$$up” was released on August the 7th, which was in no way like any other ordinary girl group video, bright and loud, plus, displaying quite a lot of ‘twerking’ moves. When Wassup came out, it was announced by Sony Music that the group will be very different to the ‘standard’ K-pop girl groups. According to their management company, Wassup’s music would consist of genres like dancehall, reggae and…
HyunA’s A Talk came out July 28, and it’s something to talk about! HyunA is mostly known for her sexiness and for her work with 4Minute, and for many non-KPop fans, her appearance in Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” Although she’s had quite a few solo releases and albums, few were memorable in exception of “Bubble Pop” and “Change” as well as her work in Trouble Maker subunit with B2st’s Hyunseung. A Talk, however, changes many of the thoughts associated with HyunA involving how she’s nothing more than a pretty face. The mini album is filled with addictive songs that show how…
In South Korea, people take education very seriously. Education taught in Korea is known for a variety of reasons including very high results of major roles that helps develop the economy, but it has also, brought about a high rate of suicide among some students. So, it’s good and bad. It’s very common to see students from a very young age (elementary) to high school students walking around the neighborhood late at night. When you see them at night, it can either mean that they’ve finished their tutoring lessons at academies and are returning home, or they still have more…
LU:KUS is a newly emerged all male band, whose members are fully equipped with vocal, rap and dance skills… LU:KUS consists of 5 members with the names Donghyun, J. One, Kyungjin, Choi, and Jinwan. And, the band was formed to target fans from their homeland (Which is Korea) and also other countries and continents around the globe. Their name means ‘Look at us- Look us’, and pronounced as the latter. Lukus actually means a star, indicating that the group was named, so they wanted to be like stars. LU:KUS members are not only great entertainers and dancers, but excellent…
All celebrities have their sense of fashion, but there are those who are a bit over the top. You may have already heard about some of these people, because they’re highly recognized and known for their good fashion styles. G-Dragon A leader of a popular boy group Big Bang, G-Dragon is known for his unique fashion style. His fashion sense is so different than the others and that’s what makes him stand out. It’s almost like; even the worst outfits will look good on him. He always tries new things and many designers from all over the world have sent…
Generations is a Japanese pop boy group, who is signed under the sub-label, Rythym Zone, and the agency, LDH. The boys were trained well in terms of singing and dancing, making them experts in what they do. All the members attended Exile Professional Gym, which is a school where people can have dance and vocal lessons. The idol group consists of seven members: Shirahama Alan (Performer), Katayose Ryota (Vocal & Performer), Kazuhara Ryuto (Vocal & Performer), Komori Hayato (Performer), Sano Reo (Performer), Sekiguchi Mandy (Performer) and Nakatsuka Yuta (Performer). Generations debuted in 2012 and, right now, they have various singles,…
K-Fans feel I-Fans don’t understand what it’s like to be K-Pop fans, because we don’t wait in line to purchase albums and merchandise, don’t wait for hours to catch a glimpse of their idols, or stand in long queues for music shows.
Pack Your Bags For Korea– What You Need? If you do a quick Google search, you will see lots of blogs with helpful information detailing lists of things you might want to carry into Korea. Lists suggest silly items from honey (which is readily available all over Korea) to other items more universally recognized that foreigners can’t live without. Some of these items are readily available in markets for foreigners in Seoul (specifically Iteawon), but if you plan to stay outside these areas, be sure to stock up. The Drug Store For some reason I never really understood in my…