UK Jung - Kpop Why?

Kpop Why?

Copyright 2017 by KpopBehind

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Published by KpopBehind

Written by UK Jung

Illustrated by Sara Lee

*Some of the contents of this book might be based on the authors personal opinion and point of view as a pop culture critic.

ISBN 979-11-960297-7-7

Im sure many fans are curious about k-pop stars' real life and whats really happening in the k-pop world. As the stars are only shown on the stage or TV, ordinary people can't figure out how theyre like in real life. Who do you think is the good-natured k-pop star? Well, there's more than meets the eye. Working as a k-pop journalist for years, I could meet many of Korean stars, and of course, Ive met all of the stars who appear in this book through an interview, press conference, etc. I want to share all the stories behind them with k-pop fans all over the world.

The most common way for me to get deep information about famous stars and the entertainment industry is to have an interview with stars. Most of people think the press can ask for an interview with famous stars at any time, but its not true. As an interview could be an effective method for them to promote their albums and dramas, they usually like to be interviewed by the press before or after releasing their new albums or dramas. Usually, movie stars are available for an interview just before the premier of their movies, while singers and drama stars like to be interviewed right after their new albums are released or their dramas come to an end.

Actually, most of k-pop stars look good-natured as long as they are with influential people in show business such as TV producers or journalists. During years of trainee period, they take not only vocal lessons but also etiquette lessons. With a loud voice, idol stars usually make a deep bow in front of people in the industry. However, of course, not all the k-pop stars are good-natured. There are some arrogant stars too. Years ago, I went to the back stage to have an interview with a popular girl group. Most of the members, except for the leader of the group, treated people with an arrogant manner. They listened to people in an absent sort of way. The leader struggled by herself to smooth things over. But, on the stage, the rest members made a fake smile. I've never met anyone so two-faced.

The second way for me to get deep information about famous stars and the entertainment industry is to meet with people around stars including managers, stylists and more. They watch stars every move, and they exactly know how famous stars are like in real life. I talk to them on the phone, and I sometimes meet up with them for dinner and drinks too. The most reliable sources of information for me are ex-managers of famous stars. As they dont need to protect their stars any more, they speak about stars private life and the industrys secret without hesitation. They tell me about whom stars have dated, how stars are like in real life, and how dirty the industry is.

So, welcome to the real world of k-pop. Enjoy your time!

In Korea, adult males have to enter the army to serve a mandatory 2-year service. There's no exception. Soldiers are controlled by strict discipline and have to spend 2 years at a military camp full of males except for when theyre having leave of absence. For this reason, the military sometimes invites k-pop girl groups, and the female idols put on a show at a military camp to boost the morale of the troops. Well, soldiers just go crazy when girl groups show sexy performance in front of them. But thats not all. There are more reasons for k-pop girl groups to perform in front of soldiers.

Girl groups usually derive most of their incomes from small concerts. They perform at various parties and corporate events. And they perform at a variety of cultural festivals too. So, yeah, putting on a show at a military camp also can be k-pop girl groups source of incomes. However, girl groups are paid relatively little money when they perform at a military camp because the military has a limited budget, which means there is a more important reason for k-pop girl groups to perform at a military camp.

As I mentioned, soldiers just go crazy when girl groups show sexy performance in front of them, and girl groups sometimes are faced with an unexpected situation. Not a few soldiers jump up to the stage and dance with girl groups, while some soldiers even try to hug girl groups. So, by performing at a military base, k-pop girl groups can learn how to handle unexpected situations on the stage. Especially, rookie girl groups can build up their courage by performing in front of soldiers, and thats why many of k-pop agencies want their girl groups to perform at a military camp.

As you know, most of fans of girl groups are males, and they form the bedrock of k-pop girl groups' support. In that sense, how a girl group is popular among soldiers could be very meaningful information for the girl groups agency because the girl group can be recognized as one of the most popular girl groups if the team gains great popularity among soldiers.

Once a girl group succeeds in gaining popularity at a military camp, its agency can appeal to broadcasting companies to give the girl group more chances to appear in TV shows or dramas, emphasizing the fact that the girl group is now one of the most popular girl groups. And by appearing in various TV shows and dramas, the girl group and its agency can earn money. So, in a word, performing at a military camp and gaining popularity among soldiers could be the first step to make profits for k-pop girl groups.

You know, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are the top 2 k-pop agencies. They're very influential in the k-pop world, and they have many popular k-pop idol stars. Then, what do you think is the difference between the two k-pop agencies? Yeah, the most notable difference between them is that SM has many dancing idol groups and YG has many hip hop idols. Basically, yeah, it is because Lee Soo Man and Yang Hyun Suk have different tastes of music. However, actually, there's a story behind it.

Who do you think was the first ever singer of SM Entertainment? H.O.T? BoA? No, the answer is Hyun Jin Young. He was the singer with whom Lee Soo Man made a contract for the first time. He was a hip hop singer, and he debuted in 1990. Well, he was on the fast track. He became one of the most popular k-pop singers, and it seemed nothing could stop him. However, he went downhill after being charged with smoking marijuana. He faced much public criticism, and people no longer liked him and his music.