Beauty Corner: Etude House Double-Lasting Foundation

We at Kcrush are always on the lookout for new products or willing to test any product suggested to us from the beauty world. Etude House recently released their Double Lasting foundation that has gotten some rave reviews from many different YouTube beauty channels including Edward Avila and So Young’s Beauty Room. Etude House states the foundation can last for up to 24-hours. We decided to put it to the test!

Packaging

The foundation arrives in a simple box that isn’t flashy, but it protects the foundation bottle well. The bottle itself is a heavy glass that is more in-line with Banila products than Etude House, but it looks lovely. The design of the bottle is posh and doesn’t look cheap or like it came from a drugstore, so it is definitely worth the cost so far.

The font on the bottle isn’t flashy, which is nice because sometimes if the font and overall presentation is too bold or too fancy, it’s almost like the company is overcompensating and sends off a vibe that you might not be getting what you paid for; of course, this might just be me.

It should be noted that the Double-Lasting foundation comes in five shades from fair to vanilla to sand to beige to tan. The tan isn’t very tan, so if you’re a person of color, the Korean makeup giants have yet to reach out to you. I am a very pale person, so the shade I have is fair.

Ingredients

Water, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methyl Trimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Zinc Oxide (Ci 77947), Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Isododecane, Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Disodium Edta, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Silica, Adenosine, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Caprylyl Glycol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polysorbate 80, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Fragrance

Use

First, add primer to your skin to make sure you have a smooth, even palette. Before using the foundation, follow the directions on the box and shake well. Shaking well mixes up the foundation so it has a more even consistency. I missed this step initially with the first trial of this product, so my foundation was an oxidized water. At first I thought I got a bad batch, but it was just because I didn’t shake it. SHAKE THE FOUNDATION! Then, pump one or two dots of foundation onto the back of your hand. From here, dot the foundation onto your face using your fingertips or a makeup sponge. Then, blend well. Etude House recommends following the direction of your skin texture, but feel free to pat on the foundation in a way you’re comfortable. Then, you can either wear this foundation alone or you can finish your makeup routine with contouring, blending, and concealing.

Impressions

The foundation is lightweight and doesn’t feel like a mask! This is a plus for someone like me who hates makeup and prefers a more natural look. The foundation feels breathable and dewy when first applied, so it does look natural. One thing to keep in mind is that it sets quickly, so you either have to work fast to apply it or add some more foundation as necessary until you achieve a desired look.

Since I am a pale girl, the fair shade should have been fine since I wear fair shades for different makeup brands including Kat Von D, Etude House, Missha, and Iope. Unfortunately, fair is more of ghostly light color with a hint of pink for this foundation, so I feel I should have gone with the vanilla shade. I’m not the only person who had issues with color matching as others experienced this makeup being lighter than other Etude House foundations and other foundations in general, so color-matching may be difficult. After some contouring, the foundation doesn’t look so light, but it is a bit off-putting at first.

One of the pluses for this foundation is that it is full coverage. It does a fabulous job covering imperfections and redness all while avoiding heaviness and looking too makeup-y. For me, the foundation looked like a second skin during the trials because I had an opportunity to try it while on a good-skin run. Individual results may vary. However, as the day went on, some of my imperfections such as my unfortunately dry and oily skin started to surface. Where my skin tends to be dry (jawline and around my mouth), the makeup started to flake, while my T-zone looked really shiny. I wasn’t impressed with the foundation at this point, but I have to say it didn’t budge.

The foundation is called “Double-Lasting,” and Etude House advertises all-day wear and even 24-hour wear. I used this foundation from 9am to 2am to test how it does. In the beginning, the foundation looks fresh, so I had a glowing, youthful appearance. The effects lasted until about 4pm when the dry, oily issues started to occur. Around my mouth and nose, some of the foundation did come off a little, but on the rest of my face, nothing moved. After some exercise and errands, though, I saw that, while the foundation doesn’t fade, it did start to settle into my pores a bit making them look large and noticeable. This was not a pleasant occurrence. With that aside, it was nice to not have to reapply foundation all day. By around 2am, the foundation was wearing off quickly and started to look patchy, so I doubt this foundation will last 24-hours for anyone. I call shenanigans on the claim.

Overall

I’m not convinced that the foundation will last for 24-hours (who would wear makeup that long anyway?), but it does last a good amount of time before it starts to look weird. It has a lot of pluses, though, especially since it is light and full-coverage! Usually, full-coverage makeup is heavy and uncomfortable, but this isn’t the case. It really does feel like there’s nothing on. For this, I give the foundation rave reviews.

Now, I’m not a fan of how it settles though. Others liked how it wore throughout the day, so I might just be unlucky in the fact that my skin soaks up everything to where my pores show and my skin gets dry and oily. This may be unique to me, but a few other bloggers noticed issues with oiliness too, so maybe not. I do want to point out that the foundation washes off easy and doesn’t cause breakouts (again, this is just my experience), so it seems to be a good foundation in that it’s not much of an irritant. I’m always looking for products that don’t cause issues since I do have sensitive skin, so this foundation is a keeper in that regard.

As a whole, it’s a good foundation, but it doesn’t last as promised. It earns a 3.5/5.

 

Etude House’s Double-Lasting foundation is available on the Etude House website for $36 and comes with a makeup brush. If you want it without the brush, it’s $20 on Amazon.

 

—-Joelle Halon

On February 12, 2017, BTS’ repackaged album, You Never Walk Alone, dropped. The album has been breaking and creating records since its release. Before its release, it had over 700,000 preorders. Following the release, BTS became the first K-Pop artist on iTunes top ten albums list, and four of the tracks also topped iTunes lists. The album also received a perfect all-kill, and the title track “Spring Day” had over five million views on YouTube in under 11 hours. The album is expected to break more records, and music insiders and bloggers have already stated 2017 will be BTS’ year.

Despite the glowing accolades, You Never Walk Alone isn’t BTS’ strongest album, and that’s saying a lot because it is a repackage of WINGS, so WINGS technically isn’t BTS’ strongest album even though it’s won plenty of awards. Lyrically, the songs are gold, but when it comes to arrangement, vocals, and overall composition, the album is a bore compared to other BTS efforts.

The Pros

The album features member solo tracks and songs from the vocal and rap line. This is a nice touch since fans get to hear their favorite members separately. With the solo tracks, it’s clear each member is individually talented to show that BTS is, indeed, a multi-faceted group where each member brings something to the table. Other groups could take a page from the BTS playbook in this regard since there are groups where line distribution is a bit uneven.

Songs like “Spring Day,” “Not Today,” and “You Never Walk Alone” have strong lyrics that are meaningful. A popular fan-theory is that “Spring Day” seems to focus on losing a loved one to suicide, but it can also be about losing a loved one in general due to a break up or estrangement. The song’s tones of sadness and hopefulness make it easy to relate to for any of the aforementioned situations.

Meanwhile, “Not Today” is a hard-hitting track with strong distortion and beats with lyrics that focus on fighting the system. The rap and backing vocals are almost overpowered by the music, especially during the chorus, but everything comes together to make the track the strongest on the album when it comes to the more upbeat tracks.

“You Never Walk Alone” has some sweetness to it as the song covers togetherness. The hopeful tone tells the listener they are not alone and that everything will be okay. The song’s soft lyrics are inspiring to say the least, giving the newer tracks some oomph.

As You Never Walk Alone is a repackage, tracks from WINGS are all present including “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” their successful title track from their last promotions in 2016 and their catchy “WINGS” outro song is now an extended version.

As mentioned, lyrically, all the songs are strong with many being complex. For anyone looking for music to relate to and think about, You Never Walk Alone is a good album. But, lyrics don’t make up a whole album as there are other elements to consider.

Cons and Overall

While WINGS/You Never Walk Alone are critically praised, the album is boring and repetitive thanks to the overall slower song pacing. The composition falls flat on many of the tracks, especially with “Begin,” “Stigma,” and “Reflection.” The songs’ repetitive natures don’t make for enjoyable listening. “Begin” sounds like typical boy group fodder with hints of R&B and typical pop-ballad notes. The constant repeat of “you make me begin” makes the track more fluff than substantial. “Stigma” has a nice mix of low and high notes with strong tone and clear vocals, but it, too, is a standard boy group song that’s safe and unsubstantial.

“Safety” should be the overall theme of the album because all the songs tend to play it safe. In exception of “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” “Not Today,” and “Wings,” nothing truly stands out. The album is one that serves as a backdrop because the music doesn’t grab at a listener. Often, it was difficult to tell when songs transitioned because they sound so similar.

Meanwhile, “Lie,” is a stronger song with cool backing vocals and arrangement. Some of the instrumentals enhance the song such as the guitar and organ. Some of the higher pitched rap portions felt out of place, but “Lie” is one of the strongest songs on the album.

One of the most annoying tracks, though, is “Cypher 4.” The vocals and rap tend to be whiny-sounding and grating, while the music is one-note and flat with not many key changes. The track feels more Western audience-friendly because it has an American rap feel. While each BTS album has a “Cypher” track, this one is best left off due to its one-dimensional nature.

“Am I Wrong” picks up the album with strong beats and upbeat nature. The “am I wrong” portions are addictive and catchy to help make the track worthwhile. The song has some old-school flair which helps enhance it, so it is a bright-spot track.

“21^st Century Girls” sounds familiar, especially toward the beginning where there are hints of Hitchhiker’s “Eleven” before shifting gears. In this song, vocal distortions and rap aren’t impressive, and the high notes sound squeaky. From a listener point-of-view, it’s a throwaway summer hip-hop song that doesn’t have staying power.

With all tracks considered (including those not individually discussed here), You Never Walk Alone is safe. The lyrics are solid, but the music quality is lacking. As it is a repackage of WINGS, it really appears the album did well based on hype alone and not overall quality. The album just wasn’t fulfilling and not as golden as some may think it is. It earns a 2/5.

—-Joelle Halon

Music videos can be defined as “short films which integrate a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic reasons.”

I wonder if any of our readers ever experienced feeling particularly inquisitive after watching a music video and wondered about the meaning of its content or storyline, while not being able to clearly figure out what the featured symbols represent or indicate.

We’ve interviewed an interesting YouTuber whose channel has helped many viewers to fathom hidden meanings and agendas found in music videos, films and various clips.

The “Dream Teller” videos are conveniently subbed in English and Spanish, so non-Korean speakers can visit the channel to see if these videos help to quench your thirst in learning more about the subliminal messages and the purpose of your favorite K-pop music videos.

We would like to thank the “Dream Teller” team for giving us a great insight to their channel through this interview.

  

Would you introduce yourself and please tell us about your YouTube channel, “Dream Teller.” 

Dream: Hello, our channel is operated and presented by us, known as “Dream” and “Teller.”

You will hear two different voices as the narrators on our videos. And recently, two additional people have come on board to join our team.

I’m a student, majoring in Graphic Design who is also K-pop fanatic. Teller is very interested in

Psychology-related topics, he is also incredibly talented at observing and interpreting videos.

And we happen to be both males.

The purpose of our channel is to reveal esoteric meanings behind music videos and movies, share

those interesting factors as we look deeper into those themes and discuss them with our viewers.

We cover not only K-pop videos but we broaden our topic by including music videos, films,

Animation made in Britain and the States. Since the actual nature of videos is practically the same.

 

How did you first start interpreting music videos, films on YouTube?

Dream: I’ve always enjoyed watching music videos and miscellaneous types of videos in general.

I initially started watching music videos because I liked the celebs featured in them; then I came to the realization that a lot of the scenes on the videos indicated brilliant metaphors that could not be ignored or bypassed.

We wanted to share these interesting factors with other people and also wanted to hear opinions from the viewers as well, since we can’t figure everything out by ourselves!

 

Out of all the videos you’ve uploaded, which video are you the most attached to?

We are truly attached to all the videos we’ve so far produced but if we were to pick one, just one…then I would have to choose the video theory video on Blood, Sweat and Tears by BTS,

[MV Theory] BTS – Blood, Sweat and Tears: How did V corrupt the BTS (Youth)?

https://youtu.be/AzdbxnAQGSg

The music video tells a story of “the youth who are going through their youthful years” by the K-pop group, BTS, showing scenes of the members’ going through fears about growing up, and comforting those who feel regretful about their youthful years are ending – the kind of themes that the viewers can relate to – at the same time, the actual music video was so well produced in terms of the visual.

I got the impression that this music video consisted of all the elements of the activities, music videos, songs and concerts BTS has ever had, all combined into one video. And it seemed like this video was displaying the climax of it all.

In real life, K-pop artists make a lot of effort to convey certain themes in their work; so these videos are not produced just to appear and look cool. It was like this video was displaying a competitive fight of the production. While I was interpreting it, I even felt slightly feverish myself.

Then it suddenly hit me that this is the reason why music videos have to considered as form of beautiful work of art.

 

Where would you say your channel is categorized under?

Dream: Our channel could simply be categorized as Music, but we feel that it can also be regarded as Art, when we broaden up the field a bit more.

We feel this way, because the examples of metaphors shown in the videos start with the staged Art, and our videos are about interpreting them from a psychological and social point of view.

We are also with hope that K-pop artists and the music video industry overall will be regarded more broadly as Art to the public.

 

What kind of people subscribe to the Dream Teller channel?

Dream: If we were to talk about age and gender of our subscribers, the majority of them are females aged from 17 to 24 years of age. We think that is because we cover a lot of videos on social issues as well as decoding stories based on psychology.

There are mostly subscribers who are in the K-pop fandom, who seem to be interested to know what kind of messages their artists are trying to convey and if they want to learn more about music video interpretation, so they visit our channel to view our videos.

 

Did you expect your channel would attract this many subscribers?

Dream: Truthfully speaking, my colleague, “Teller” did admit that he was expecting the channel would get this much interest. But the channel has grown much more rapidly than he predicted; and I was so very happy with the outcome at the end of last year.

Because I was purely engrossed with the process of producing videos, I had zero expectation that we’d get this many subscribers, so I am just both incredibly surprised and content.

We’ve developed our own know-hows to edit and produce our videos more strategically, in order to set goals a little higher to construct this process for a bigger picture than we did ever before.

 

What kind of music do you listen to usually?

Dream: If you looked at the uploaded videos on our channel, you will easily be able to guess what type of music I’m into. I am a K-pop fan obviously. I love the idols’ star power and I find it cool that their music is so addictive, easy to sing along to, as well as having subliminal messages behind the music.

But as I mentioned before, our channel also has contents covering videos on Clean Bandit, Adele, Troye Sivan, Sia and etc, not to limit our work solely on K-pop.

Fyi, “Teller” likes Hip Hop and is an Eminem fan.

 

What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies and other interests?

We must admit that we take the time to “over-watch” various types of videos, and whenever we get any free time, we try to spend it with our friends as much as we can.

We can’t spare a lot of time on other leisure after we spend time, working on this and that.

We miss seeing our friends and feel sorry that we’re not spending much time with them as before. This doesn’t seem like I am answering your question on what how we spend our spare time well, lol.

Honestly, when we first started making videos we considered this as our hobby, that’s why I can’t think of a different hobby or interest we have to state at this moment.

In Korea, this is known as 덕업일치, which means having a job that you enjoy and obsessed with.

 

Please let us know about your plans and goals for Dream Teller for 2017?

Our goal is to show our viewers the “uniqueness” only our channel could offer, while maintaining the current state of the vibe we give out to the viewers. So when someone views one of our videos, they can easily identify that the work is done by us, “Dream Teller.”

And we wish that “Dream Teller” to become a common pronoun; much like a brand.

 

— J. Chung.

A lot of us makeup-lovers are always on the prowl for a good primer that will help make makeup look flawless and skin look fresh. The Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur primer is a good bet to help create a flawless finish. Let’s look at how well it works!

Packaging

When the Face Blur arrives, it’s packaged in a cute pink box. The bottle itself is also stereotypically girly and baby pink, making it a visually appealing product. It is well-sealed with a manufacturing date listed on the bottle. The pump is sturdy and distributes an even product amount each time. The bottle, pump, and cap are made from a solid, recyclable plastic.

Ingredients

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Zinc Oxide (Ci 77947), Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Tribehenin, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Silica, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Fragrance(Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Mica (Ci 77019), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491)

Use

After cleansing and moisturizing, pump a dime-sized amount of the product onto your fingertips and massage onto skin. Do not rub the product into your pores as it’s supposed to sit on top of skin to even out redness and imperfections. Make sure the product isn’t moist following application. You can wear the product alone or with a cushion makeup for the best results. Liquid makeup from a tube doesn’t look as good and will appear flaky, but cushion makeup doesn’t.

Impressions

The Face Blur does exactly like it says: It smooths skin and evens out skin tone nicely. Because the primer is pink, it does look nice on different skin tones as it provides a dewy look that perks skin up. On my pale skin, I had the appearance of less-red skin and dark spots weren’t as pronounced. Of course, Face Blur isn’t perfect and doesn’t erase all perfections like dark acne scars or dark circles underneath the eyes, but it does an amazing job at making skin look fresh and less tired.

While it does essentially “blur” away some imperfections, the product is sheer and doesn’t feel like a mask. What I liked is that it didn’t settle into creases and pores, so it earns some bonus points there.

What may be off-putting to some is the product’s scent. It smells like Cabbage Patch dolls. It’s fresh, but can be overpowering at first. Luckily, the scent does not last all day, so it won’t be irritating or noticeable within a few minutes of application.

I liked how it didn’t absorb into pores. The primer sits on top of skin and makes it look like a smooth canvas. When cushion makeup is applied on top of the primer, the canvas looks complete, smooth, and flawless. There is a light, second skin feeling that doesn’t feel like a mask, so it really is like you’re putting your best face forward. However, with other liquid foundation (for example, I use Kat Von D’s tattoo foundation), the results aren’t as perfect because the foundation may be too heavy. With powdered foundation, I did have some cakey issues, but that could be due to not letting the primer dry well enough. But, I do find cushion foundation works best.

As for how long the flawless appearance last, I did wear my “face” from about 10am to 7pm with minimal wear and tear, so it does seem to last a while. Of course, it is winter and colder temps doesn’t break down makeup as much as spring and summer temperatures do, so when it gets warmer, the appearance may not last as long.

Overall

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur is a good product that does what it says. It has staying power and smooths skin well to create a nice canvas. It earns a 4.5/5.

 

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur can be purchased for $15 on Memebox or $13 on Amazon.

Do you have a product you want us to try? Let us know! We’ll be happy to try it and review it!

Following several fan meetings in Asia and Canada, GOT7 brought their Turbulence fan meeting tour to the USA, less than a year after their FLYinUSA concert series. As part of their 5 city tour, GOT7 brought the Rosemont Theater to life on a Wednesday evening. GOT7 started out the show performing two of their slower songs, “Let Me” and JB’s self-produced “Prove It”.

After a brief introduction from MC Danny, GOT7 returned to the stage for a fan submitted Q&A session. The members quick fell into baiting each other to answer questions, getting maknae Yugyeom to do a sexy dance and talking about ideal types. GOT7 are known for their ability to completely overwhelm MCs and it was very amusing to watch this happen.

After Q&A, GOT7 went back stage to prepare for their next set of songs. Jackson’s “BoomX3” kept the fun environment set by the Q&A and “Just Right” had the entire venue singing along to every word.

Next up was the games section of the show. GOT7 drew lucky fans numbers before playing ‘Guess the Song’ among themselves first. As usual, GOT7 are extremely competitive and it made for an extremely funny game with the members arguing and yelling over each other in attempts to score more points. Fans joined them onstage shortly after to play Jaegichagi, a game similar to hacky sack in America.

“Fly” and “If You Do” were performed next and I was blown away by Youngjae’s ad libs in both songs. “Fly” is the song GOT7 received their first music show win with and it is obvious why when watching the boys perform it live.

  

The group transitioned to the final part of the fan meeting with each individual member saying their feelings. I was particularly touched by Jinyoung as he prepared his entire speech in English, promising to study more to better communicate with English speaking fans. All the members expressed gratitude towards US fans for their support despite being so far away and promised to return very quickly, with Mark and Bambam hinting at a new album being released soon.

The group ended the show performing their hard hitting comeback song “Hard Carry” before beginning the encore with another of JB’s songs, “Home Run”. The boys all interacted with fans during the song, taking fans cell phones and giving out hi fives.

GOT7 are always a treat to see because of their talent and the closeness they feel towards their fans. The group has a certain level of realness on stage that is hard to come by and I believe that is the reason they connect with fans so well.

Thanks to JYP Entertainment and SubKulture Entertainment from bringing GOT7 stateside once again!

 

–Ke’Anna Bullard

–Photos: Ke’Anna Bullard, Linh Thai

On December 30, 2016, RaNia made their “Start a Fire” comeback with a mix of new and old members and a new name: BP Rania. As many K-Pop fans have surmised over the years, RaNia/BP Rania is a hot mess thanks to the revolving door of members and DR Music’s pitiful management abilities. “Pitiful,” of course, is putting it lightly. And, just when you think things couldn’t get worse, it does.

In 2016, Alex Reid announced on social media that she is RaNia/BP RaNia’s new leader. This is noteworthy for several reasons as groups with black, white, or mixed members tend to not last long. Among these groups, ChoColat, The Gloss, and Busker Busker are now part of K-Pop lore for the time being (The Gloss never debuted and disbanded, while Busker Busker are “unofficially disbanded”). Reid, who is black, is also the first fully non-Korean girl to be designated a leader. International fans rejoiced in this news, but the joy quickly cooled in the coming months leading up to RaNia’s comeback.

 

Is Reid Really the Leader?

When the “Start a Fire” MV came out, fans immediately noticed something odd about the video: Reid barely appears in it, and she’s not interacting with the group members. Her rap portions feature her by herself. In the choreography portions, she’s nowhere to be seen either. The only time she is with her groupmates is at the end. The MV got people talking: Is Reid actually the leader? Is she truly a member of the group? Is she only a featuring artist?

Tongues continued to wag when BP Rania performed on the music shows. Reid appears at the beginning of the stages to rap, dance for two seconds, then she exits the stage for the song’s majority, only to come back at the very end. During the dance portions, it appears Reid is unprepared and didn’t learn the choreography well, so she stands out badly. It’s like DR Music isn’t taking the time to help properly train her to be a true member of the group.

During promotions, it later came out that Reid is a co-leader; Ji-Eun is the Korean leader of the group. With this news, fans’ suspicions of Reid’s role in the group seem to be proven true: Reid is just a featuring artist under the guise of a member. Another nail to fans’ theory came January 25, 2017 when DR Music announced Reid wouldn’t be a part of “Make Me Ah” promotions and wouldn’t even be part of the choreography. If Reid is a leader of the group, why is she often left out of promotions, and why is she flounced around like a prop?

The real question is: What is Alex Reid to BP Rania and DR Music?

 

“Otherness” as a Marketing Tool

 

In regards to BP Rania and Alex Reid, there is an elephant in the room, and that elephant is Reid’s “otherness” in a country that’s viewed as mono-ethnic and one that is often said to have issue with individuals with darker skin.

Over the years, idols with dark skin often get made fun of by fans and sometimes their own group members (on 2015, members of VIXX were embroiled in a controversy when Hongbin made fun of N’s skin). Dark-skinned idols often wear light makeup, and fans take it upon themselves to use filters to lighten idols’ skin in photos. In a country where light skin is favored, Reid stands out as a trailblazer alongside the likes of Insooni, Yoon Mirae, and Lee Michelle. Because of this, it feels DR Music is using Reid to help RaNia/BP Rania try to gain relevance again, especially in the international market. RaNia tried to break into the Western market before and failed, then constant member shakeups, hiatuses, and the loss of their unique sound and vocal color caused RaNia to fade into the background. Reid’s addition feels like a last hoorah, and DR Music is attempting to capitalize on Reid to win fans. Unfortunately, they make it clear that her race is simply a novelty.

First, when Reid debuted with RaNia in “Demonstrate” (2015), she was nothing more than a featuring artist showing off her rap skills. Initially, she wasn’t even in the “Demonstrate” MV, then during live stages, she would only walk on to rap. Since 2015, nothing has changed apparently. In 2015, DR Music cited visa issues as part of the reason Reid wasn’t much of a factor, which could be true, but it’s not believable years later. In 2017, Reid should be more of a factor within the group now that she should have experienced more training, Korean-language lessons, and further assimilation into Korean culture regardless of if she is traveling between Korea and the US. There was time to help her become a seamless member of the group, but the opportunity appears to have not been taken.

Instead, Reid’s “otherness” is often accentuated in undeniable ways beyond just “featuring” in MVs and music show stages. In MVs and music stages, Reid often wears outfits that are considerably different than her fellow BP Rania members. For example, in the “Start a Fire” MV, during live stages, she is often in a color that doesn’t match the rest of her groupmates’ style. These differences send a not-so-subtle message that Reid is supposed to stand out, that she needs to be noticed, but not for her talent. The differences just shout that she is an outsider. DR Music wants the audience to know of her existence, but not in a positive way.

Even the name change—RaNia to Black Pearl Rania—accentuates that Reid is different. For many fans, the change suggested that Reid is the “Black Pearl” because of her skin color. The name change is odd to say the least and came at a time when Reid was announced as the leader. Given how BP Rania is the only K-Pop girl group with a member who is a person-of-color, the name change is questionable to say the least and adds to the current noise marketing DR Music is trying to achieve.

Choreographer Speaks Up

On January 7 and 12, 2017, BP Rania’s choreographer, RA-GI, took to social media with statements suggesting Reid is not in the group choreography because “she’s a rapper” and that she’s not going to [dance] (Trans. Allkpop). The choreographer later stated:

No matter who looks at it, don’t you think the label would want Alex to be in the full choreography as well? It’s pushing it to say the label pulled Alex out of the choreography~ Things that people can’t generally understand is probably not understandable or pardonable to the label, as well. Probably, it’s because of her personal issues, and there are issues that come from those such as problems with the stage flow, and more. If the fans try to too deeply participate in everything, the artists that make RaNia get exhausted. We can’t fit everything to every fans’ tastes, so I believe it’s the best to watch her improve and support her. I hope RaNia does well. (Trans. Allkpop)

The comments didn’t end there as she continued the discussion with a fan by stating:

She’s not in the choreography due to her own personal issues, and the label wants her to be in the full choreography as well. Also, it’s timely unreasonable and impossible for all six members to relearn choreography to fit Alex, who learned choreography later, for broadcast. However, we can’t always fit the fans’ requests 100%. We will gratefully accept your personal opinions on the general concept and mood of the song. We ask for your continued interest, and I hope you understand that RaNia and many others are working for RaNia. (Trans. Allkpop)

Following the comments, a message appeared on Reid’s Twitter that fans believe is a message directed at the choreographer stating, “If these lies keep magically surfacing I’ll go ahead and come out with the truth.  Let it really hit the fan.” While fans speculate this tweet is directed at the choreographer, Reid also has other vague messages on her Twitter that may or may not connect to various issues, so it’s hard to tell directly what the tweet relates to or if it’s surrounding this situation at all. Directly following the tweet, Reid also made references and posted statistics about the Muslim travel ban Donald Trump imposed, so the tweet could relate to that issue too.

A Two-Way Street?

Since 2015, RaNia/BP Rania followers point out that Reid isn’t a pushover based on interview comments and tweets she’s made. When asked about dieting restrictions, she’s mentioned the company doesn’t tell her what to do. For some, this sounds like special treatment, but for others, it’s a show of a strong will.

On some blogs and K-Pop sites, some of the tide has turned on Reid as many wonder, that as a leader, why she’s not participating with the others. One commenter on Allkpop asked, “I’m sorry but what kind of leader is not there most of the time?” Others point to preferential treatment such as Reid designing her own outfits for their “Start a Fire” comeback and even showing an alleged “attitude” when it comes to her participation. Of course, these are just perceptions, and only Reid, BP Rania, and DR Music know what goes on behind the scenes.

 

A Noticeable, Messy Situation All Around

There is a problem that is noticeable to Western fans. While Reid’s addition is an example of inclusion, it could also be viewed as inherently xenophobic given how Reid is made to stand out purposely all while being excluded. Her situation is oddly contradictory because of the way she is marketed and utilized in BP Rania. The only clear message is that she appears to be signed to save a group that should have faded into obscurity years ago; instead, DR Music has left fans pondering what her true purpose is and why everything involving her up until this point is questionable to say the least.

Either Reid is a true member of BP Rania or she’s not. DR Music keeps straddling the line all while appearing to use her race over any skills or abilities she has. DR Music needs to step up and do the right thing and stop using Reid as a marketing tool by highlighting her race. Just because she isn’t Korean, it doesn’t make her a novelty.

Additionally, as a leader, Reid needs to step up and lead while blending into the group. If there is to be compromise somewhere with how she is utilized and what role she truly plays in the group, Reid, too, needs to do her part.

No matter where the issues lie (or don’t lie), something needs to change because something, obviously, isn’t working and it looks bad for DR Music.

—-Joelle Halon

 

For those who know her best, Nita Pineda is known as a creative mind capable of great things. Her unique stories and lively artistic style combine not only for reader-entertainment, but for bringing people together. Through her, friendships have been forged over a shared love of storytelling, gaming, and creating art, and through her, some of those friendships turned into life-long relationships. Outside the pages of Androsia, readers don’t see this side of Mrs. Pineda; but for those who are close to her, this is the side they get to see and adore. While friends are inspired by her infectious laugh, loyalty, and talents, readers of her manga see only fragments of the soul that breathes life into a story that has a little something of everything to which people can relate and connect. While it’s impossible to get to know the many facets the Androsia creator possesses, she did take the time to open up about her creative process and background in our interview.

KC: How long have you been drawing and why did you start?

NP: I can’t honestly recall when I really began drawing, because I feel like I’ve been doing it my whole life. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had some form of medium at my disposal and tried to draw. For me, there’s so much in my head that I want to see become a reality, so drawing was the only way to make that possible, I’m a very visual person.

KC: When did you decide you wanted to become a storyteller? What inspired you and why?

NP: When I was young, I wrote fanfiction before I knew that was a thing. I started to write more and more, and when I learned of fanfiction and started reading and writing, I learned that it was so much fun and that I had a lot of creative ideas. The first one I made was called Future Tellings and that was inspired by a variety of anime, but mostly Tenchi Muyo and Sailor Moon.

KC: Before Androsia, have you created other stories or manga? What were those like?

NP: I did two actually: The first was Future Tellings, which was extremely convoluted and confusing. I asked a group of friends to create their own characters to add to the story. Before I knew it, it was so big that I lost track of everything. The second manga I did I actually drew out. It was called Koi Mizu. The premise of the story was supposed to be about a girl named Mirai Yumeno going through her years of high school and misadventures of love. Aside from that, I did some small one-shots that were random here and there.

 

KC: What was the best piece of advice you received when it came to enhancing your craft?

NP: The best piece of advice I was given was “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” I was always too shy or believed I was bothering people too much that I didn’t ask, but once I got over that, I learned it was a great thing to keep in mind.

KC: What was the harshest piece of criticism you received and how did you overcome it? Did it serve as a source of inspiration to prove your naysayers wrong? Why?

NP: Eesh, hehe! I think the harshest piece of criticism I received was “I don’t like the way you write or your characters, I just can’t get into it and it seems boring to me.” For a while, it stunted me in my writing and really made me want to quit and give up. One of my biggest fears is that I will fail to “move” my readers emotionally and that they won’t care about any of the characters. It took me a while, but I had to realize that I cannot let one negative criticism ruin me. Instead, I took a long hard look at my story, had others give me feedback, and even asked for some advice. I started to pay more attention to what I was writing and how I was writing it so that I could really fix the issue.

KC: What’s the creative process like for you? How do you decide on story angles and direction?

NP: My thoughts are often everywhere. If I get an idea, I have to be quick to write it down. On many occasions, I throw ideas back and forth with my husband, and he gives me amazing input. He has such a creative mind and paints pictures in my head for certain details. Often, we will actually role play a scene out, to see how it goes, and when it’s good, I save the copy and start drafting it into a script.

KC: Are there any storylines you won’t touch? Why?

NP: Androsia is huge! The whole storyline derives way back, and there’s more even after this prologue. I’ll try to touch up on as much as I can, I don’t think there are any that are say “not to be touched,” but I do my best to incorporate everyone, piece by piece.

KC: You recently had a contest for readers to create a character for your story? What made you decide to do that, and are there anymore planned?

NP: The contest was a way to get my readers to feel a bit more “involved.” I love it when I can give someone the chance to be creative and to have a chance to see their creation come to life. I wanted to test how something like that would go and it went pretty well. I think I will definitely try for something else like this in the future if the readers would be interested.

KC: What are things you enjoy in your free time?

NP: Role playing (and I don’t mean the dress up kind)! I love sitting at home and writing stories back and forth with my husband. Aside from that, other geeky things like watch anime, read manga, playing video games like Tekken, SIMs… I’m pretty much a hermit unless I’m shopping.

KC: Besides Androsia, are there any future projects in the works?

NP: I’d like to create a manga based on some of the stories I’ve written with my husband, namely one that was derived from a dream I had. The dream was so epic that I had to write it down, my husband and I worked on expanding the story and I kept thinking to myself “This HAS to be a manga!” I’ve done some character sketches here and there, so yeah, I would really like to publish some of my other stories.

KC: What surprises you most about your characters?

NP: Surprised? Oh! Hideo! At first when I created him, he was just kind of supposed to be a joke character. But, the more I started to write for him, the more I fell for the guy! He has his serious moments, and when they shine through, I stop and gasp and smirk like a proud and happy mama.

KC: Is there anything about your characters that frustrates or disappoints you?

NP: YES! Where do I begin when it comes to this topic? I think first and foremost, trying to create Rhilen to be dimensional, to put forth the layers of his character while still making him look good, has been so frustrating! There’s also times when it’s hard for me to come up with a good reason for his actions, and then it comes up kind of flawed, and causes me to bash my head a few times. They are good characters, they just come up a bit flat sometimes.

KC: How do you overcome obstacles that arise while creating your story?

NP: I stress then stress some more. Haha! But in all honesty, I write down the obstacle and try to go at it from different angles. Usually, there are more issues with every angle I try to come up with. Then, I have to go and ask a few people. I have a friend who is also a writer and she knows what she’s doing. Every now and then, I’ll ask her for some advice on what I should do, what angles would be appealing and so forth. Just today, I had an issue with the ending of my story. I knew how I wanted the events to happen, but there was a lot that needed hashing out. Finally, after talking it over and coming up with other angles, I’ve finally got something I am proud of.

KC: Do you have any formal training for your craft or are you self-taught? Why did you choose the path you took?

NP: I [am] completely self-taught. I’ve never taken any real professional training other than the two years I took of college; but even then, it wasn’t anything that I wasn’t already familiar with on my own. I didn’t have the funds for any formal training or to pay someone to teach me the “correct” method of doing things. Instead, I bought several manga books and How to Draw Manga books and studied those.

KC: Where do you get inspiration for your storylines and characters?

NP: Some inspiration is taken from shows and manga I like to read and watch. I can sit there and think, “I’d like it if it went differently, like this way…” and I might add something like that into my story. A lot of real world events, however, have helped inspire some of the story lines.

KC: What’s a typical planning session like for you when it comes to developing characters, storylines, and manga pages?

NP: A lot of writing goes into the planning of pages and characters and storylines. I’ve got notebooks full of ideas that are like puzzle pieces just waiting to be put together.  I’ll sit down for a good hour or so and try to make sense from it until it becomes one cohesive piece.

KC: Your stories tend to be in the fantasy realm. Why is fantasy your chosen genre?

NP: I personally love the fantasy genre! I’ve been a fan of the Tolkien stories and many other fantasy writers out there. When you go the route of fantasy, the world and anything you create is at your disposal. I like creating a story that is somewhere you’ve never been to, but you could close your eyes and see it.

KC: What real-world experiences serve as inspiration for your story? Why?

NP: Racism, extremism, nationalism… A lot of these issues are rather large in our world today. As you can see, people are willing to go to war and die because they either believe they are superior than everyone else or they are afraid of what they do not know. Many of these issues are a driving force that’s behind my story, though I put a bit of a twist to it. It makes this world and the characters seem more believable this way.

KC: Are there any past works you would like to revive someday for an audience?

NP: I always wonder if I should revive Future Tellings, and then my mind gets overcomplicated with all the thoughts I had for it. If I were to ever bring that back, I’d have to scrap it and start it from the start, and by that time, it might be a whole different story.

KC: What does the future of Androsia entail?

NP: The story I am writing now is actually just a prologue to the actual story that I have been writing over the past few years.

When I was offered the opportunity to publish my manga here on Kcrush, I thought that instead of jumping into my current writing, I could write the story of how Rhilen got to be where he is. I plan on starting that one soon after I finish the prologue.

Also, there are other storylines of the Jinai that have not yet been told that I am thinking I can do short mini comics on and have those released as well. The Jinai and the rest of Androsia have a long and complicated past as well as the Guardians. I’ll be sure to work on some extra bits for side stories.

KC: Do you have any plans that will help enhance your personal experiences and worldviews that may help you with your story down the road? What’s upcoming and how do you think those experiences will help you?

NP: I’m actually in the process of signing up to the KCP program, which will send me off to Tokyo, Japan to learn Japanese for three months. The goal is to enroll by 2017 and start for the Spring of 2018. I’ve always wanted to learn Japanese, and since I am writing a manga and tend to find a lot of helpful advice in Japanese, I feel it would be essential for me to learn to speak and write in the language to better my view. Japan is the home of some of my most favorite manga that have been inspiring me for years. Now that I have this opportunity, I have to take it and I’ll be extremely excited for it. I’m hoping that by then, I’ll even be able to have my manga feel more authentic and maybe even translated for Japanese readers.

KC: What’s the biggest mistake you ever made as an artist or storyteller and how did you fix it? What advice do you have for others when it comes to overcoming mistakes?

NP: Haha! I’ve actually had a lot of typo errors due to either late nights trying to finish up or because a key got stuck while typing. One of the more funny mistakes I made [is when] I had Rhilen call Saphira “Sierra” by accident. I didn’t realize that until maybe a good 20 pages later. I had to resend that page with the correct name! Although, I did accidently spoil something much earlier on by accident not realizing it. I haven’t retracted it yet hoping no one’s really noticed, but I might just edit it and re-submit it. My advice is to always keep raw copies of your work and save frequently, that ways, you can always go back and change things when you need to, that’s essential.

KC: What advice do you have for inspiring writers and artists?

NP: My advice I’d give is to not to overthink things. That is one of my biggest flaws, and it stunts me from writing the story. Write the story you want to tell, go crazy with it, and try not to stress out about the little details. When things get too complicated, take a step back, take a break, and go back with a fresh new look. Ask others for their advice and take it as that: Advice, not something solid that you need to go by verbatim.

KC: Finally, what can readers expect for the future of Androsia?

NP: There’s a lot I plan to do with Androsia coming up soon! I’m working on making some merchandise and slowly working on possibly getting an animated trailer for Androsia! There’s talk about creating a game that will reveal some more of the story lines of other characters and delve a bit into back story. I have a lot of plans and will be posting and keeping everyone updated!

 

Kcrush would like to thank Nita Pineda for her time. Check out her Androsia manga on our website! You can also follow her on Paigee World and DeviantArt.

 

—-Joelle Halon

Time to Say Goodbye: Groups We Lost in 2016

2016 isn’t even over yet, and there are already 28 confirmed disbandments with several others rumored to also be defunct. The year brought us the end of big-named groups like KARA, 4Minute, and 2NE1, as well moderately successful groups like Rainbow, SPEED, and F.Cuz. Here’s the complete list of groups we lost from January 2016- December 4, 2016.

 

10X10 | July 2015- June 2016

10×10 were a five-member girl group under Gaon Entertainment. During their tenure, they had two singles:  “R U Ready” and their official debut “Amomia,” which sounded too close to  the cleaning product ammonia. The group’s final formation consisted of members Rica (who also performed as a soloist), HanU, Jiyoon, Hyeon Sung, and Yoonah. Cindy left after “Amomia’s” release. HanU is currently in the group AiRi.

 

2NE1 | May 2009- November 2016 (Announced)

The seven-year curse strikes again! It really wasn’t a surprise that 2NE1 disbanded since they’ve been inactive for so long, and YG seemed more focused on CL’s solo career than the health of his popular girl group. After Minzy left earlier this year, the writing was on the wall, especially with Park Bom’s medication “scandal” in 2014 and subsequent disappearance.  The last time the group was together was the 2015 MAMA, and that appearance came across as a goodbye performance than a celebratory event. CL and Dara resigned with YG this year, while Bom and Minzy did not.

During their run, 2NE1 released 19 songs including “I Am the Best,” “Come Back Home,” “Lollipop” (with BIGBANG), “Fire,” and “Ugly.” There are rumors on Twitter that 2NE1 will reform as XXI. These rumors are fueled partially by Park Bom liking tweets referring to the group’s name change and “re-debut.” However, YG Entertainment announced that on January 21, 2017, Bom, CL, and Dara will release “Goodbye” as their final song as 2NE1.

 

4L (Four Ladies) | August 2014- 2016

4L had one of the most controversial debuts with “Move.” The song was banned for its sexual dance and lesbian-theming. “Move” was a solid song with controversy aside; it was the only song they released.

Members Chany, Ja Young, and J-Na were formerly part of M.O.A. Yeseul left the group in 2014 due to “extreme exposure,” but she re-debuted as a soloist in 2015. Chany left sometime between 2014 and 2015 and is currently in the group Ureka. J-Na and Ja Young are now a trot duo dubbed J.Young.

 

 

4Minute | June 2009- June 2016

Another victim of the seven-year curse, 4Minute’s disbandment was surprising to some even though it shouldn’t have been with HyunA’s popularity and how Cube Entertainment milked it. There was always a joke that 4Minute was really HyunA and her backup dancers. Jokes aside, 4Minute had an impressive run as they improved with each release, hitting their peak during the “What’s Your Name?” era. HyunA resigned with Cube; Gayoon signed with BS Company as an actress; Jiyoon—now Jenyer—signed with JS E&M as a singer and actress; Jihyun and Sohyun’s plans have not been revealed.

 

A6P | May 2015- April 2016
DS Entertainment’s A6P generated plenty of buzz with International fans with their debut song “Face Off.” The group walked the line toward early-VIXX and their dark concept while keeping it lighter and more public-friendly. Member Ado never got to be unmasked though as another song wasn’t in the cards for them. Jaguar appeared in Boys24 but was eliminated; the other members—Actin, Yaho, Jelly-P, and Jung-Yeon—have unknown whereabouts even though rumors online state two—one of the two being Ado—are still training to be in other groups, while two decided to lead civilian lives.

 

 

ACE | September 2015- 2016
ACE debuted with a sexy concept and little fanfare, which is a shame considering how “Fell” was a different-sounding song that was fairly decent. “Fell” will mostly be remembered as a low-budget, crotch-grab fest that tried too hard to be sexy, so it ended up more laughable than laudable. ACE never got a chance to try again as they dissolved sometime in 2016. YouJin is now a member of BaBa as Jinri, while Jinah, SeolA, and Darum’s whereabouts are unknown. Eun Byeol is now in the yet-to-debut group, TWINKLE.

 

A.H.H.A | September 2015- 2016
A.H.H.A’s debut song “Hood On” started off like it wanted to be a good song, but it quickly fell apart to become a song that became a bit of a joke for some fans. The rapper line was weak and unmemorable, but vocals weren’t bad. A.H.H.A could have been a standout group as the members—Kang Bin, Eun A, Yeo Jin, and Byul Ha—didn’t look like the typical cookie-cutter thin idols. Watching their debut MV, though, it appeared that not even their company, YellOcean, took them seriously.

 

 

Atomic Kiz (AKZ)| November 2014- 2016
AKZ performed as part of the under-utilized Pop-Rock scene. The group released two songs during their tenure: “Wa” and “Lovers.” While the songs were nice to listen to, they were basic and not memorable to help the group survive in the Korean market. In 2015, one of the members was accused of assaulting a taxi driver. The police only released his surname, Lee, and that he was the group’s rapper; J.Per (Lee Ju Hyung) is the maknae and rapper. After the scandal, the group quietly disbanded.

 

 

A to Z | 2016

A to Z was supposed to debut in mid-2016. TN, K, Heemin, Zero, Xen, Deny, and Riho were introduced long before their debut. However, the group disbanded prior to debut. Xen, now Xiweol, and Riho officially debuted in Varsity January 2017.

 

Awe5ome Baby | June 2015- December 2016
Awe5ome Baby’s disbandment is sad because they were talented and different with strong vocals. Having a female beatboxer in Jun also helped with their refreshing sound, making Awe5ome Baby a beatpella group. When they debuted, the released the jazzy “Why Should I,” but the song wasn’t promoted enough. Their talent didn’t get to capture a larger audience despite street performances and award-winning members, so Awe5ome Baby became part of K-Pop lore on December 4, 2016.

 

 

Bellroseya | 2015-2016

Bellroseya were deemed a group to watch in 2015 when they were supposed to debut. However, they’re pre-debut track, “OK,” sported weak vocals and lacked refinement. After the release, Bellroseya disappeared and officially disbanded in 2016’s first quarter.

 

 

 

BTL (Beyond the Limit) | May 2014- April 2016

BTL debuted with “Too G” in 2014, and while the song was decent, it wasn’t memorable. However, the MV provided fodder for K-Pop bloggers for its cheesy visuals and late-1990s special effects. BTL earned admirers that anticipated their 2015 “Gold Moon” comeback. Even though the single was teased, it was never released. The group disbanded in April. Do.Ka was in Road Boyz before they, too, disbanded. Yu-A left to become a soloist. Jisu left the group then reported to his mandatory military service. The other members’ whereabouts are unknown as of this writing.

 

Champagne & Candle | May 2014-2016

Brand New Music’s duo released one song in 2014 called “What’s My Name.” Since then, they’ve been doing music as soloists.

 

Double B | February 2016- Unknown 2016

Double B had the over-plastic look that potential fans couldn’t get behind, but the duo, Hyun Ji and Jae Hui, had some legit vocals. Their digital single “Insomnia” showed their potential despite the off-sounding rap, but the vocals were pleasant. With “In Love,” their vocals really took center stage with strong low notes and harmonies. The MV, on the other hand, was a bit of a turn-off with the portrayals of violence and animal cruelty. After the song releases, the duo disbanded and became members of Fantasie.

 

 

Ela8te | June 2016-August 2016

Ela8te’s debut was teased beginning in late May. International fans were pleased to know that three former RaNia members—Di, T-ae, and Xia—were redebuting in the group under their given names, Kim Da Rae, Lee Tae Eun, and Jang Jin Young. After the initial teasers, news about the group dropped off and their company, EnterHama, confirmed they disbanded in August.

 

Excite! | October 2012- 2016

One would think that a group that’s four-years-old would have more of a discography, but Excite! only released two MVs and one digital single during their run: “Try Again,” “Come Back to Me,” and “Day of Tears.” While “Try Again,” was their most popular song, they failed to gain footing in Korea. They held promotions and fan meets in China as a five-member group before Tae.G departed. The group split in 2016 without a mention by Ares Entertainment.

 

FameUs | September 2014 (Official)- 2016

FameUs had many familiar faces as the majority of the members were in F1rst. While their first song, “Crazy,” caught some fans’ attention despite its abysmal English (“Please don’t go away/From girl/Cuz I’m all”), their second song, “The Only Stupid One,” was more lowkey success-wise. FameUs were popular in the Philippines. Upon their disbandment news, it was revealed that Jung Hoon, Daeyoung, and Do A are now under a new company in the group AxisB. Han Saem is currently serving in the military. Kudo and Hanyoung’s activities are unknown.  

 

F.Cuz | January 2010- September 2016F.Cuz | January 2010- September 2016

UPDATE: F.Cuz reformed in November and announced they will be active as an independent group searching for a label. In January, they released a single, “Pretty,” for their third anniversary. The single cover suggests they are now a three-member group with Daegun and Raehyun serving in the military at present. F.Cuz were one of those groups that their true talent and abilities weren’t tapped into enough within the Korean market. The group promoted mostly in Japan during their six-year run despite having some popularity in the Korean market. F.Cuz had some bop songs like “Midnight Sun” (which is probably among their best) and “One Love.” Their last Korean album, Bargaining for Love, peaked at number 18 on the Gaon Chart, which isn’t bad by any means; their eighth Japanese single, “Two of Us,” peaked at number three on the Oricon charts, showing their popularity in the country. When their contracts ended in September, the group chose not to renew leading to their demise.

 

GI (Global Icon) | April 2013- 2016

GI were a group with a lot of potential when they debuted with “Beatles,” but they couldn’t quite capture the magic they had with their subsequent releases. Contract lawsuits (Aram and OneKet) and lineup and concept changes didn’t help the group either, especially when they switched from a boyish, fierce concept to a more feminine one. In March, Eunji announced her departure from the group; Dokyung deleted all her social media. Hee So re-debuted with AGirls then re-debuted again with HEXE. Nayeon and Jiamin are still listed as being with SimTong Entertainment.

 

 

KARA | March 2007- January 2016

Many consider KARA one of the groups that helped usher in the Hallyu Wave. Their poppy tracks and unique color were winning formulas for most of their run even though there were lineup changes. In Japan, KARA were super popular as many of their promotions were there, and in the latter years, the Japanese sound was within their Korean tracks. With hits like “Mister,” “Jumping,” and “Pandora,” KARA fans were kept happy for many years before Gyuri, Seungyeon, and Hara’s contracts ended. The trio moved to different companies while Youngji stayed with DSP. Gyuri, though, states KARA did not disband and that they will get together in the future.

 

LedT/LEDapple | October 2010- March 2016

LedT, formerly LEDapple, had a nice following for the six years they were together. Despite member changes, they quietly released a solid discography that attracted fans, especially in Europe where they held a few tours and had a strong fanbase. The band-concept group had some strong songs including “Sadness,” “Time Is Up,” and “Let the Wind Blow,” and were among the first K-Pop groups to visit Poland and Turkey.

 

Lose Control | 2015-2016

Lose Control was supposed to debut in 2015. However, music was not released. In 2016, it was announced the group no longer existed and would reform as D.I.P. Lose Control members G.Wan (Seungho), Hyeong Seong, Soo Min, Su Han, and Yu-Bon are in D.I.P and debuted with “Fizz” on November 9.

 

 

 

LoveUs | July 2015- January 2016
LoveUs was a short-lived group with two singles, “Tickle” and “Lovely Boy,” that they released in 2015. The group consisted of four members—Mi Gyo, Dan Bi, Ha Yang, and EunA. Mi Gyo (Da Hye) and Dan Bi were formerly of the also-disbanded group Bob Girls. On social media, the members no longer mention LoveUs, while Mi Gyo busks in Hongdae.

 

 

 

Lucky Girls | July 2016- Shortly after debut

In July, Lucky Girls debuted with the digital single “Only You.” While the vocals weren’t the strongest, the song showed they had some potential. Shortly after the song’s release, the trio made up of Sandy (Song Ji Young), LeeSol, and Harin disbanded. They weren’t lucky girls after all.

 

 

 

M.Crown | October 2015- 2016

M.Crown debuted with “Avenue to Nowhere.” Unfortunately, the song turned out to be prophetic. While the song was okay, it was generic and didn’t really show off their talents. M.Crown didn’t catch on and said goodbye.

 

 

 

M.I.B | October 2011- October 2016

M.I.B’s disbandment wasn’t a surprise since the writing has been on the wall for a while with Kangnam, 5Zic, CREAM, and SIMS engaging in solo activities for two years. It’s a shame that M.I.B ended because they had songs that are now considered classic by K-Pop fans. With songs like “Dash (Men in Black),” “Nod Along,” “Let’s Talk About You,” and “Only Hard for Me,” M.I.B did have staying power. We wish them well in their solo endeavors!

 

 

MINX | September 2014- November 2016

In 2014, MINX debuted as a promising group with “Why Did You Come to My Home?” The song was refreshing and different with an awkward arrangement that helped the girls stand out from other 2014 girl groups. Unfortunately, their 2015 comeback was the throwaway track “Love Shake.” Since the lackluster 2015, MINX disappeared and disbanded quietly this past November. All former MINX members will re-debut with two new girls in 2017 as the new group Dreamcatcher.

 

 

M.O.A. | February 2014-2016

M.O.A didn’t stand a chance with their ironically-named company Professional Entertainment. Since their debut, the group has been nothing but a hot mess. Their debut song, “I’ll Call You,” was even banned for low quality, and the updated MV wasn’t much better. Then there was the pitchy, messy track “Run for Your Dream” that showed no improvement in vocal ability. The girls were likeable, but they lacked training, finesse, and a good company. Hyena is now a soloist, while Chanhee, Zebra, and Jayoung became members of the now-disbanded 4L. Jayeong, Zelli, Dain, Hyo Ju, Miba, Geon Hye, and Hika have not updated their plans.

 

MyB | August 2015- December 2016

Blonde cuties MyB didn’t really get much of a chance, which is a shame because their infectious smiles and upbeat music could have won fans over easily. Their debut track “My Oh My” and their follow-up single “Ddoddo” had the cute, peppy vibe that could easily lift a listener’s spirit. Maroo Entertainment didn’t allow them time to shine. Hopefully, Hee Joo, Moon Hee, U Jung, Joo Kyung, G-Won, and Ha Yoon will resurface somewhere else soon.

 

N*White | September 2014- April 2016

Cute concept group N*White had a small fan-following, but the fans they had adored them and considered them underrated. While “Hello Boy” wasn’t a memorable official debut song, their subsequent track “Paradise” showed their strong potential along with the OST-sounding track “My Sunshine.” Before they officially disbanded, Soohyun left the group sometime between September 2015 and March 2016 due to “company circumstances.” Soohyun was considered the group’s lyricist. The group officially disbanded in April without an official announcement, leaving Su Bin and Ha Kyung’s future unknown. Lina left the group in 2014-2015.

 

NOM | September 2013- February 2016

NOM were one of those groups that was oft-forgotten. During their run, they released four singles that were also forgotten about quickly. When they disbanded earlier this year, the news was also quiet but surprising for fans who knew them. However, members K, Yohan, and A-In are in the upcoming group TopSecret, while Hu is a member of AFOS.

 

 

NPI | October 2015-2016

New Planet Icons (NPI) released “Vampire” in late 2015 to little fanfare. The song sounded like a dance track with heavy VIXX elements, so the group didn’t even have a unique identity. There wasn’t even an official MV for “Vampire” except practice room video, so they didn’t even get a proper debut before disbanding.

 

 

 

OneVoices | May 2015- 2016

Consisting of members E_Stun and J.Han, the duo created a buzz with “Flush,” their debut song. The song was smooth and catchy with decent vocals, but they failed to catch on even though it captured the 1990s vibe well. After “Flush,” OneVoices disappeared and split this year.

 

 

PRITZ | April 2014- 2016

Ah, PRITZ… what is there to say about this group that was run by a trainwreck company (Pandagram) that sunk the poor girls’ ship before it set sail? PRITZ pre-debuted with “Go Girls” in 2014 before officially debuting with “Too Difficult.” The thing about PRITZ is that they actually had good voices, but then Pandagram decided to fashion them as a BabyMetal-wannabe group with “Sora Sora.” Of course, the gothic styling wasn’t the only thing got people’s feathers rustled, but the red armbands used in the MV and album cover gave people Nazi vibes. That was when PRITZ’s funeral began. Following “Sora Sora,” PRITZ blessed us with the J-Metal-sounding “Crazy Cowboy” before disappearing into obscurity. The Pretty Rangers in the Terrible Zone didn’t survive the battle, which is sad because they were different even though they mostly walked the J-Pop Sound side of life. Long live, PRITZ: We’ll never forget you.

 

Rainbow | November 2009- November 2016

Rainbow never received the credit they were due, and this is probably due to being under the sinking ship that is DSP Entertainment. Rainbow had a consistently strong discography that included underappreciated bops “Black Swan,” “Mach,” and “To Me.” The Rainbow girls were talented and had potential to be stars if used correctly, but DSP failed them. Fans failed them too by not providing enough support. Needless to say, this disbandment has left a certain someone bitter.

 

Roadboyz | November 2015-November 2016

When they debuted in 2015, Roadboyz attracted a solid international fanbase with their track “Show Me Bang Bang.” Since their solid debut song, newer releases didn’t quite show their talents and abilities, especially their last track “Shake It Shake It.” While the song had delicious Big Band sound, the track came across as out of key and sometimes whiny. While one bad track shouldn’t sink an entire ship, Roadboyz didn’t survive to release another track.

 

 

 

 

The Seeya | November 2012- 2016

The Seeya, a group that is the original Seeya’s second rendition, didn’t get enough credit or promotion time to gain a fandom. Plus, they were also under Core Contents Media (now MBK Entertainment), another company that really doesn’t care to promote their groups not named T-ara properly (RIP F-ve Dolls and SPEED; there’s a reason Davichi left…). The Seeya had rich vocals and an ability to tell a story through their emotion. When their incredible debut track “Be With You” failed to get recognition, it was only a matter of time before they said “seeya!” They did last longer than expected, but who noticed?

 

SPEED | January 2013- 2016

SPEED, like Rainbow, were a group with a consistently strong discography that actually had better songs than some of the “bigger” groups out there today, but that’s neither here nor there. They had a loyal fanbase in DEEPS that stood by the group through Taewoon’s departure (a strong indicator that disbandment was near) and the team’s unofficial disbandment. SPEED’s crime? Being under CCM/MBK did them in. They were never promoted well even though they had the same release schedule (first quarter of the year) since debut. When they made comebacks, it was often announced a few days before an album or MV release, so there wasn’t enough time for fans to mobilize. SPEED’s music also disappeared quickly on digital outlets, so songs were hardly available for purchase, and physical albums were a rare commodity especially for international fans. With amazing songs like “It’s Over,” “That’s My Fault,” “What U,” “Pain the Love of the Heart,” and “Look at Me Now,” SPEED deserved more than what they got.

 

Sunny Days | May 2012- 2016
In 2015, Sunny Days and their management announced that their single, “Blah Blah,” needed to perform well or else the group was in danger of disbanding. While “Blah Blah” had everything going for it to make it a song that could perform well, it didn’t. The group quietly disbanded early in 2016 with the deletion of the Instagram and other social media; their Facebook hasn’t been updated since November 2015. During their run, Sunny Days released six singles including the aforementioned “Blah Blah” and “I Must Be Crazy” and “Don’t Touch Me.” They also had a sub-unit, Sunny Days Real Vocal, that released one single: “With the Same Lips.” The final lineup for Sunny Days, Sun-Kyung, Da Young, Dasom, Jung-Yun, Heuira, haven’t announced any future plans.

 

SUS4 | March 2015- November 2016

TK Entertainment’s three-member girl group debuted with “Shake It Up,” which wasn’t a strong song by any means. Following the release, the group underwent member changes and returned with the much stronger “Pick Me Up.” They also performed for the Heaven’s Promise OST. In November, SUS4 and their company mutually decided to part ways. Sanha, Hwilin, and Hena will re-debut in H2L in 2017.

 

 

 

The Ark | April 2015- March 2016

When they debuted with “The Light” in 2015, The Ark quickly became a highly lauded and anticipated rookie group that quickly earned a solid fanbase. However, as quickly as they hit the scene with their impactful song and MV, they quickly and quietly vanished. The Ark fansites state that on K-Pop Star 6, Minju said The Ark disbanded and that she was on the program to find a new company. Music K no longer has the group listed on their site, but they are teasing a new girl group, WHITE, that is expected to debut in 2017; Jane and Halla, the only two members left with the company, are expected to be part of the group.  Yuna left the company sometime between 2015 and 2016. Yujin has been in treatment for vocal cord nodules.

 

TINT | October 2013- Early 2016

TINT were cute and charming when they debuted with “Love at First Sight.” Their sweet personas wore thin in “Wolf is Stupid,” which was a messy, awkward song with an even worse MV. TINT had potential to remain charming if it wasn’t for the negative turn in music quality. After being on hiatus for two years, the group disbanded without fanfare earlier this year.

 

 

Trophy | October 2015-2016

Trophy had moments of potential in “Kiss & Goodbye” and “Close to Me,” but like many other flower boy groups, they suffered from generic boyband syndrome. Nothing set them apart, but they had good visuals and sound. Their true downfall came with lack of promotion as both singles were digital singles. It’s no surprise their run was short-lived.

 

 

Vividiva | September 2015- March 2016

Vividiva debuted with a cute-but-sexy, maid-themed concept with “Service.” The song generated mild buzz because of the theming, but it wasn’t enough buzz to thrust the girls into the spotlight. The girls and their cuteness disbanded in March. While Guu Me!, Ha.L, Sara, and SaeYan’s futures are up in the air, adorable vocalist Sun-Yul will redebut in TWINKLE.

 

 

Welldone Potato | June 2014- 2016

Banana Culture’s male group was a ballad quartet with two singles: “Shouldn’t Have Treated You Well” and “Empty Streets.” The group exuded maturity despite their name, and they had strong vocals to help their cause. Apparently, though, they were overbaked since they disbanded sometime after August of this year.

 

ZPZG | September 2014- March 2016

Zest Play Zest Grow (ZPZG) debuted in 2014 with some buzz with “Go Crazy,” but 2015’s “AOAO” earned them mild attention thanks to charismatic music show performances. While they did have some fans, the group didn’t have strongly recognizable songs that could have put them on the map, so they were sadly more generic than a standout. The disbanded in March of this year leaving being a small but upset fandom. Gyeom and Khan became a duo called Z.ON (ZPZG On) in August and released “A Second Side” soon after. N.K and Jihoon haven’t emerged from obscurity yet.

 

2016 will soon be over and as we look back, it would be safe to claim that this year definitely produced a lot of “ups-and-downs,” politically and socially in Korea. The Korean entertainment industry was no exception.

We will reflect just primarily on some of the negative incidences, which hit the headlines on the Korean celebrity news in the year of 2016.

The celebrities stated below mostly have ended up forfeiting not only their careers and reputation; they had to endure shame and regret from the outcome of their unwise actions.

This article is not intended to make record of unproven facts or rumors. And we also have to keep in mind that we can never cover the conclusion or make rash assumptions if the case is still under investigation.

DUI

Korea has an undeniably “loose” drinking culture and even the Korean police have the tendency to be lenient towards people who are intoxicated.  Nevertheless, there should never be a justifiable reason (or excuse) for DUI; you can never rule out the possibility that someone could get injured or in worse scenarios, killed.

Like in most countries, anyone convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (or drugs) can be fined or given a prison sentence.

This year, there have been quite a number of celebrities who drove in the dead of night while under the influence of alcohol. Instead of getting a cab or a driver’s service, they chose to drive while intoxicated themselves; forgetting that much would be at stake for them.

Here are just a few of those entertainers who had to pay a price for their actions regarding DUI.

 

Lee Chang-Myung

In mid-April 2016, Comedian and TV presenter, Lee Chang-Myung, crashed into a traffic light while driving his Porsche at an intersection, around 11 p.m. while heading for his home. He then fled the scene before the police arrived.

Around 20 hours later, Lee visited the police station and denied he had been driving while intoxicated, saying he drove off to the hospital having been injured from the accident.

Five hours prior to the accident, Lee and six of his acquaintances had been consuming considerable amount of liquor at a restaurant, where they had stayed for over four hours. This made it hard to believe that the comedian was sober. However, his acquaintances informed the police that Lee did not consume any alcohol while he was dining with them.

But soon, it was revealed through CCTV footages that Lee was seemingly driving like a drunkard, ignoring traffic signals before smashing his vehicle into a traffic light. There is also said to be an existence of a hospital record, since Lee informed the doctor that he had two shots of Soju when he visited a hospital that very night.

Since the second hearing took place on November 17, this will now become an on-going trial, because Lee is still adamant about being sober at the time of the accident. He admits to one thing, which is not having his car insured.

Whether he was really drunk driving at the time or not; he should be thankful that he only ended up rammed into a traffic light and not another human being, or this accident would have turned out to be uglier than it already is.

 

Lee Jung

Korean singer, Lee Jung has been residing in Jeju Island since 2013, going to and from Seoul for work.

On April 22, Lee’s car was pulled over by the police at a DUI checkpoint near a gas station in Jeju. Few hours prior to the scene, he had met up with acquaintances and had been drinking.

At the time, the singer’s blood alcohol content level was more than enough to get his driver’s license cancelled.

Lee left a message via his site, apologizing for causing disappointment for his fans and that his action was inexcusable. Lee will be taking time off from his activities.

 

Super Junior’s Kangin

K-pop boy band, Super Junior’s Kangin – whose real name is Kim Youngwoon –has been notorious for displaying his issues with alcohol for quite some time.

In May of 2016, Kim was initially reported to have turned himself in to the police, just 11 hours after he rammed his Mercedes into a streetlamp highly intoxicated at dawn. When asked what took him that many hours to turn himself in, he said he wasn’t so sure what had happened at the time.

It was later revealed that Kim’s manager initially went to the police in his place.

The last time he got into big trouble due to his alcohol was back in 2009 – to cut the long story short – he had quickly fled the scene and got himself enlisted in the military.

His die-hard fans were glad to see him back after he was discharged, as they have a way of forgiving their biases easily. But for the majority of the public, Kim’s behavior played a crucial role in diminishing Super Junior’s popularity.

For those of you who may not be aware of the regulations of the Korean military: please take note that being discharged from the military does not mean you are completely free from further military duties. After being discharged, you are required to receive training at the Reserved Forces Military and cover additional hours per year for seven years.

Amidst Kim’s DUI issue, he is also reported to have missed out two years of training at the Reserved Forces Military, which is regarded as a serious offence.

Kim replied that he was abroad and busy due to his schedule. But you still need to contact the military ahead of time, which was something he and his management failed or neglected to do. It’s highly possible Kim thought he could get away with missing some training. In terms of the payment of the fine, because it is not an immense amount; some do tend to neglect the training. But this could lead to a more serious punishment.

His agency also announced that Kim will be removed from all his activities.

 

Clazziquai’s Horan

On September 29 2016, Korean singer, Horan from the Korean pop group, Clazziquai, was arrested for DUI.

Her Jeep had smashed into another vehicle; parked on the side of the road and ended up injuring the passenger. The injured passenger was reported to have been a garbage collector who was taking a break in his truck at dawn.

Horan, whose real name is Choi Sujin, was on her way to the radio station where she is working as a radio DJ, at 5 a.m., she had been consuming alcohol around midnight.

DUI is common with Korean celebrities, but she was just a hair away from taking someone’s life while driving to work intoxicated.

Choi was usually known to the public as a smart woman with good judgment, but we might take a minute to wonder whether it would have been that difficult for Choi to ask someone like a manager or an assistant to drive in her place? (Somebody sober, that is.) She was known to be a relatively heavy drinker.

What’s ironic is that Clazziquai had just released their long-awaited new album but their lead singer will be halting all activities.

It is also a shame since we speculate that after recently getting a divorce from her husband of three years, it would have been a rough time for Choi.

Her band mate, Alex also had his share of alcohol issues back in 2012, when he was arrested by the police at DUI checkpoint. He had to be removed from his car racing team and had to halt from all his activities and stayed under the radar for the past few years.

 

Fraud and Plagiarism

Young Nam Jo

Young Nam Jo (71) is a Korean veteran singer, TV personality, self-proclaimed painter who gained fame in the 70s. Jo grew up in an underprivileged background but Jo currently ranks at the top for being the wealthiest Korean celebrity, and has held this title for many years.

(He is also known for being a notorious miser according to some reliable sources. Neglecting to pay child support for his own children would be one example but we won’t discuss that here since that would be another story altogether.)

Jo’s trouble with the law; first came to light when an anonymous artist claimed he had been ghost-painting for Jo’s art work for several years – he received a meager price for each piece of the paintings – these paintings were later sold at much higher costs without the painter’s knowledge.

It is reported that more than 300 art pieces were sold under the singer’s name since 2009.

Jo’s art mostly covers imageries of “Hwatu,” which is a pack of traditional Korean cards used for gambling for his paintings. Each painting accumulated quite a sum, not necessarily for their artistic form or value but because of the singer’s fame.

When Jo received backlash for selling art that he didn’t produce himself, he argued that he’s the creative force behind the work and that his “assistants” only replicates them into actual form. Then Jo allegedly oversees the art and finishes it off. Jo went so far as to say that he was doing a service by hiring starving painters.

It is a well-known fact that in-demand artists often use assistants or apprentices to work for them, but this would be in order to meet the need for mass production – which is definitely not the same case with Jo and his art. The art collectors who purchased the singer’s work were never aware the celebrity was using any assistance, which is the main factor for Jo’s art business accused of being shady and illegal. Consequently, Jo cancelled his solo art exhibition and stayed out of the public eye for months. But the worse was yet to come.

During the final trial on the case this past Wednesday, on December 22, prosecutors asked for a one-and-a-half year prison sentence for Jo and his manager to be put behind bars. Jo’s manager was responsible for arranging the deals between the painters and Jo.

According to the prosecutor, “If the assistant owns the copyright on his works, then what Jo did was an act of fraud because he presented them as if they were his own.”

The court trial will open on February 8, 2017. So we’ll have to watch and see how this plays out.

 

Sexual assault

Park Yuchun

In June 2016, Korean boy-bander and actor, Park Yuchun, during his two-year mandatory military as a public service agent, was accused of multiple sexual assault charges.

Scandalous strings of sexual accusations involving Park initially started after a bartender claimed that she was raped by him in the restroom of the bar she worked. Park refuted by saying the sex was consensual. This day was said to be his birthday and he was celebrating with his acquaintances.

The accuser dropped the charges just few days later and her boyfriend also claimed that she was at the time drunk. It was speculated at the time that Park’s management and the woman had come to an agreement of some sort. One month later, she re-surfed on the news again claiming that she was forced to have intercourse with Park in the restroom.

Then three additional women (who worked at a similar occupation background) came forward and accused the singer of rape. Most of these accusers claim they were raped in the restroom, one of them said she had to take therapy after being confined and raped in the restroom.

It seems Park to have been a regular to this bar (or whatever it is) which is known to be exclusive franchise that operates this sort of business and the access is usually visitors who are affluent males. We will not disclose the name of the business or get deeper into this topic, and most information can be found for those who are interested.

These females working at that bar are not necessarily considered as ladies of the evening but they can choose to accept offers and their employers take a percentage of their earnings.

Park is still serving the military as a public service agent, so this kind of exposure to his personal life seemed even more disturbingly inappropriate and degrading to his image.

In the same month, Park was acquitted of all four charges of rape and counter-sued his accusers of false accusation and blackmail. The first woman has currently been sentenced 2 years of imprisonment for blackmailing Park along with her cousins, who had hired gangsters to demand more money. The second accuser, who turned out to be the first woman’s accomplice, was sentenced one year and six months in jail.

Park’s die-hard fans still show loyalty and undying support – but in this kind of situation, even if Park gets completely freed from all his charges – the ones who pull away the quickest and burn bridges are the people who can make or break Park’s career, the directors or producers who previously worked or who were considering to work with him in the future. Since hiring a celebrity with a tainted reputation would also give them a bad name.

 

*Please take note that detailed events will not be found on this article, since my intention was to only make a brief summary and this is an on-going trial.

 

Uhm Tae Woong

In August of 2016, Korean actor and TV personality, Uhm Tae Woong was questioned by the police for rape and soliciting prostitution because an employee of a certain massage parlor accused of being raped by the actor several months before.

Prostitution is illegal in Korea, so usually these kinds of operations are disguised as massage parlors and other facilities. It turned out that this massage parlor Uhm visited happened to be the latter.

The actor had paid for service for prostitution but it seems the massage parlor thought it more profitable to blackmail the actor instead.

At present, sexual assault charges against the actor have been dropped, but investigations regarding prostitution are still ongoing.

What’s most unfortunate is that Uhm’s wife suffered a miscarriage with their second child, due to the shock of this publicized incident.

 

Lee Juno

Lee Juno is a former dancer and a business man; but best known for being the part of “Seotaji and the Boys,” the best-selling contemporarily pop band in Korea during the 90s.

On June 25, at around 3 a.m., Lee Juno (49) was accused of sexual assault against two females at a night club based in Itaewon, Seoul.

The victims told the police that Lee came up to them (highly intoxicated) and sexually molested them multiple times and continued to bother them. When Lee was escorted out of the club, he allegedly slapped the club owner. This was at a night club, so there would probably be a number of people who witnessed this, if it happened.

Lee was in a very similar situation reported in the news in 2002. He had met a female while drinking at a night club, took her back to his recording studio and she later sued Lee for sexually assaulting her. That incident was later settled between them.

At the trial held in November, Lee denied all charges of sexually harassing the two females and using violence at the club owner, but admitted to being very drunk.

Since 2014, Lee was also sued for not paying back loaned money when most of his business ventures failed. These two cases are still on-going.

 

 

Regardless of what has happened in 2016, we hope for everyone’s well-being and happiness for the New Year of 2017.

Have a blessed New Year!

 

– J.Chung

K.A.R.D (pronounced, “Card”) is a Korean co-ed group formed by DSP Media, consists of four members: J.seph, B.M, Somin and Jiwoo.

The letters of K.A.R.D each represents a card to a specific group member, which is a pretty interesting concept. Like hidden cards, there will also be featured hidden acts to associate with the group from time to time.

Here’s a brief introduction to the K.A.R.D members:

J. Seph (제이셉) the rapper and dancer of the group,was born on June 21, 1992 in South Korea. He was featured in Goo Hara’s single, “Choco Chip Cookies” and appeared inKARA’s “Mama Mia” music video. He represents the letter A, the Ace card.

B.M, who is in charge of the rap making and choreography, was born on October 20, 1992 in Los Angeles and is a former K-pop Star contestant. He featured in KARA’s member, Goo Ha-ra‘s “LA LA LA” single and was her dance partner for her album’s title track “Choco Chip Cookies”. He represents the letter K, the King card.

Jeon Somin (전소민) was born on August 22, 1996 in Korea. She is also a former two girl groups, Puretty and April, and took part on the Kara Project where she finished in second place. She represents the letter R as in BlackJokeR.

Jeon Jiwoo (전지우) was born on October 4, 1996 in Korea and was previously a trainee from FNC Entertainment, but recently joined DSP Media.

She represents the letter R in ColorJokeR.

On November 30, 2016 DSP Media released K.A.R.D’s first teaser announcing the group. On December 1, the agency revealed the first two members, B.M and Jiwoo. The next day, J. Seph and Somin were additionally introduced.

DSP Media revealed performance videos of Jiwoo and J. Seph on December 6.

The same day, the album titled; “K.A.R.D Project Vol. 1” was released and DSP Media stated would hold a debut showcase “Debut Party” on December 12, especially for exclusive fans at Queen Live Hall.

 

Debut single: Oh NaNa

On December 8, Kara’s Youngji was announced to be a hidden/guest member for the debut single, Oh NaNa. (For your information, hidden members are artists that are featured in the songs and participate in promotions, without being completely part of the group. They represent the letter D in the group.)

 

K.A.R.D’s debut single “Oh NaNa,” mostly has a sound infused with hip-hop and upbeat catchy tune, showcasing the female vocals, was produced by the Producer, Nassun and BM. Along with J. Seph contributing to its lyrics. Producer, Nassun featured as a cameo on their music video.

We must conclude by adding that we wish the group members the best of luck in their new venture.

 

— J. Chung.

 

Former Singer

On December 7, 2016 at 4:42pm local time, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-661 crashed in the mountains near Havelian, Pakistan, about 64 miles away from Islamabad. The plane, which was carrying 42 passengers, five crew members, and a ground engineer, was en route to Islamabad from Chitral, Pakistan. All 48 people on board perished.

Prior to the crash, the pilot reported losing power over one of the two engines on the plane. The pilot reportedly made a mayday call the National Disaster Management Authority said. Witnesses on the ground report seeing the plane “plummeting” prior to hitting the mountains.

PIA chairman Azam Sehgal said, “We were confident that the plane could land with one working engine. This is a tragedy. We are not absolving ourselves of any connection to this incident. We accept that it was our aircraft, and these were our passengers, and what happened is very sad.”

Video and images taken from the crash show debris and the surrounding area on fire.

“All of the bodies are burned beyond recognition,” said government official Taj Muhammad Khan.

Sehgal added that an investigation into the crash will occur soon, but that the focus is “to retrieve dead bodies from the wreckage, transport them to Islamabad, and hand them over to their families.”

The fire and terrain are making recovery efforts difficult.

Havelian police official Kurshid Tanoli said, “The nearest village to the site is Batolani and is deep in the hills. Vehicles and ambulances can only go to Batolani and then it is a 30-minute walk.”

However, helicopters and 500 troops were deployed to the area where 40 out of the 48 bodies have been recovered at the time of this writing. The victims’ bodies are being transported to Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad for DNA testing so family can be notified.

 

 

Junaid Jamshed Among Dead

Authorities confirm that among those who perished is evangelical Muslim cleric, fashion designer, and former pop star and actor Junaid Jamshed. His agent, Arsalan Khan, confirmed the news.

Background and Career

Jamshed was a member of the 1980s and 1990s group Vital Signs. The group was among Pakistan’s most well-known. In 1987, they released “Dil Dil Pakistan,” which is considered Pakistan’s unofficial national anthem. Vital Signs are credited as the group that helped develop Pakistan’s Rock scene. Following their second album, Vital Signs 2, in 1993, the group toured the United States.

Prior to his music career, Jamshed began earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Lahore. He graduated in 1990 while he was a member of Vital Signs. He was a civilian contractor for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and briefly performed aeronautical engineering duties for PAF’s science command division before resigning to continue his music career.

While still a UET student, Jamshed performed Rock music at different universities before joining his university’s rock band Nuts and Bolts in 1987. While performing at the Flashman’s Hotel in Rawalpindi, future Vital Signs bandmates, Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan, asked him to join the group as the lead vocalist.

In the 1990s following Vital Signs’ disbandment, Jamshed performed as a solo artist. His 1999 album, Us Rah Par, became a best-selling album that produced several hit songs including “Us Rah Par,” “Na Tu Ayegi,” “Aankhon Ko Aankhon Ney,” and “O Sanama.” In 2001, his final album, Dil Ki Baat, also experienced commercial success.

Post-Music Life

Following his last two albums, Jamshed experienced financial difficulties between 1999 and 2001. In 2001, Jamshed filed for bankruptcy following the 9/11 terrorist attacks after his Western concert tour failed. Jamshed attempted to go back to his engineering career but did not succeed. He later opened a fashion-design company with a friend and soon opened the clothing store J. (J-Dot). 

In 2004, Jamshed announced he had devoted his life to Islam and renounced music. Even though he abandoned music and once considered it haram, Jamshed continued to perform religious music or nasheeds on occasion until his death.

Controversies

While serving as a cleric, Jamshed was not a stranger to controversy. In 2015, he was blasted for sexist remarks when he stated, “Allah dislikes that any woman should be named [in the Quran].” He later clarified the comments.

Prior to aforementioned, Jamshed was accused of blasphemy that led several Sunni Muslim organizations to file First Information Reports against him. In the reports released by The Economist, Jamshed mocked one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives. On Facebook, Jamshed apologized after Pakistani police were involved in the case. Jamshed fled to the United Kingdom following the controversy, but he soon returned home to Pakistan. While he managed to escape the controversy relatively unscathed, there were still people who vehemently disliked him for his comments. As recently as March of 2016, Jamshed was assaulted at the Islamabad Airport.

Jamshed was also the subject of frequent satire due to what many deemed as conflicting interests and interpretation of the Quran.

Achievements

Despite his controversies, Jamshed had his share of achievements while serving as a cleric. He spent a significant amount of time as a philanthropist who focused on maternal health. Through his work with Muslim Charity, five hospitals that focus on maternal health have been erected around Pakistan. The charity efforts also extend worldwide.

In addition to maternal health, Jamshed zoned in on trying to improve literacy rates in his country via an exchange program where rundown mosques are refurbished and village imams receive housing in exchange for teaching the Quran to children. In 2013, Jamshed said, “The idea is to get these kids off the streets. We make them realize that they have a responsibility towards themselves. With mentorship, they realize that education is their path to a better life. Our aim is to produce peaceful and responsible citizens.”

In 2007, Jamshed was awarded the Medal of Excellence by the Pakistani president.  In 2016, he was named one of the world’s most influential Muslims.

Death

The Guardian reports that Jamshed was a follower of Tableeghi Jamaat, an “ultraorthodox Islamic sect which preaches that Muslims should replicate the life of Muhammad and tells them it is their duty to travel the world converting non-believers to the one true faith.”

Staying true to the belief, Jamshed was in Chitral for a 15-day preaching tour. He and his youngest wife, Nahya Junaid, were returning to Islamabad to deliver the Friday sermon at the Parliament mosque when the plane crash occurred. On December 4, 2016, Jamshed updated his Twitter with an image from the mission trip calling Chitral “Heaven on Earth.”

There are conflicting reports regarding how many wives Jamshed had with some sources stating he had three while others claim two. He is also survived by his three sons and one daughter.

 

—-Joelle Halon

The East Light is a funky rock, pop and electronic band from South Korea, which made its long awaited debut with their 1st digital single, “HOLLA” on November 3^rd of 2016.

The debut single, “Holla” (composed and produced by Midas-T) is combination of funky rock and pop that defiantly showcases The East Light members’ ability in handling instruments and live performance.

The six-members (their ages range from 14 to 17) are signed under Media Line Entertainment and all the members already have had a debut in their own way; whether through participating in audition programs, featuring movies and TV shows.

The East Light was created by the legendary composer and producer in Korean pop music – Kim Chang-hwan – who is famous for being the mastermind behind countless hits by Korean contemporary pop artists since the 90s. Kim is also the Executive producer and director of Midas ENT and the CEO of Media Line Entertainment.

The East Light is officially a six-member band, but due to the fact that WooJin Lee is only 14 years old currently; he does not currently participate in all their promotional activities. (However, we were able to attain an interview from him as well.)

The members of The East Light seem to have several things in common: They are all teenagers, still at middle or high school. They began showing genius for music and have gained recognition as prodigies at early stages of their careers.

Seokchul Lee (17) is the leader and drummer of The East Light with a very impressive musical background.

You may recognize Lee from the film, “My Boy (2013)” where he played the leading role of a child prodigy drummer, who had issues having to deal with anger management. Since 2015, Lee has been featured on Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend and performed alongside the Korean military orchestra and various orchestras; based both domestic and abroad.

The band’s vocalist, EunSung Lee (17) got his first appearance on TV since 2011; as a contestant on SuperStar K and later The Voice Kids in 2013, where he received high accolades for his angelic voice.

SeungHyeon Lee (15) is a bass guitarist of the band, who has a record of winning awards at various music competitions, since the tender age of 6.

Lee has also performed with the Korean Chamber Orchestra, appeared on TV shows like, Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend and 7080 Concert with Jang Hyunchul.

The East Light’s guitarist and composer, JunWook Kim (15), like the rest of his band mates, has been known to be a musical genius since he was in Elementary school. Kim was famed after winning the Grand Prize at the Yamaha Asian Beat Acoustic Grand Final in 2014, by performing a piece he had composed himself.

SaKang Jung (15) was also recognized for his talent in music after appearing on singing contests and TV audition programs including, SuperStar K Season 3, The Voice Kids, SNL Korea, and Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend.

And last but never the least, WooJin Lee (14) is a vocalist who has appeared in singing programs for kids, Cantabile and The Voice Kids. Lee also has experience acting in the movie, Precious Love, released in 2013. 

As mentioned above, because Lee is still in Middle school; he will be joining the band to participate in their activities as soon as he is old enough.

 

A KCRUSH Interview with

The East Light

Hello! Could you introduce yourselves to our readers at KCRUSH?

SeokChul: Hello, my name is Seokchul Lee, and 17 years old. I’m the leader of The East Light and in charge of the drums.

EunSung: My name is EunSung and currently 17 years old. I’m the vocalist of the band. 

SeungHyeon: This is SeungHyeon Lee, a 15-year-old bass guitarist of The East Light.

JunWook: Hi, I am JunWook Kim and 15 years old. I am the guitarist and also compose for the band.

SaKang: Hello, I’m SaKang Chung and aged 15. I am the vocalist of The East Light. It’s nice meeting you all!

WooJin: Hello! I am the vocalist and the youngest member of The East Light, aged 14.

 

Please tell us how you initially started music and playing the instruments.

SeokChul: I was able to get into various types of music from a young age through my parents’ influence. After being captivated by a drum performance by Roger Taylor from the band, Queen, I wanted to be a drummer and perform solo in front of a large audience; so I started learning the drums at age 6.

EunSung: I used to take lessons at the piano academy since I was a second grader in elementary. And one day, my piano teacher asked me to sing and complimented on my voice that got me to train on my voice as well music in general.

SeungHyeon: I got myself into music at 6 years old; after watching a video of Marcus Miller, who was playing solo on the base guitar.

JunWook: I was bored at home and wondering on what to do, when I found a guitar rotting away in the storage. I felt at that moment, that I found my other self. That’s how I started getting into playing the guitar.

SaKang: When I was younger, because both of my parents worked; I used to get into a lot of trouble and come home injured or would come home at late hours. So I got permission from my parents to attend a music academy and started music from then onwards.    

WooJin: By chance, I got to watch Justin Bieber perform and was mesmerized by the performance and decided to pursue a career in music; in hope to become a great musician like him.

 

What kind of songs or albums are you listening to these days? Who would you say are your biggest influences in music?

SeokChul: Travis Barker has influenced me when I was learning the drum in terms of his performances, producing and DJing and I am still learning about him today. He’s my idol!

EunSung: The artists that I like are the duo, TWENTY ØNE PILØTS.

The song I listen to most often these days is “Epilogue: Young Forever” by BTS.

I relate to the lyrics so much and it deeply impacts me emotionally, so I listen to it often.

SeungHyeon: The artists I admire are Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. “Run For Cover,” “Thunder,” “What Did He Say?” are some of the songs I listen to the most.

JunWook: I’m a fan of The Chainsmokers and frequently listen to their song, “Closer.”

SaKang: I like Bruno Mars. I think his songs suit my voice tone; I’d like to think of him as my role model.

WooJin: “Let Me Love You,” “Cold Water” and “Nothing Like Us” by Justin Bieber. 

 

Where would you want to perform the most in the world?

SeokChul: Our CEO named us, The East Light to mean for us to become the light of the whole world, so our wish is to perform wherever we can.

EunSung: I’d love to perform in America, during the halftime of the Super Bowl.

SeungHyeon: U.K’s Wembley Stadium and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Spain.

JunWook: I don’t have a specific location in mind, but my dream is to have a world tour.

SaKang: I want to go busking in the streets, packed with people in New York. 

WooJin: I would love to perform at the Times Square, New York.

 

 

Who do you admire the most in your life?

SeokChul: My parents who initially supported me to start music in love. And our CEO, Chang-hwan Lee producer who gave me the help I needed to develop my music to the next level.

EunSung: I really admire Michael Jackson. His performances are timeless and his songs and his dance moves make me want to be like him.

SeungHyeon: Cristiano Ronald! The next things I like after the bass guitar is… soccer and soccer video games.

JunWook: I admire the producer and artist, Babyface. He has the ability to project all genre of music into his own unique style, and practically took over the Billboard charts with his work.

SaKang: Pharrell Williams. He seems to look good in whatever he wears, even though he isn’t very tall. His sense of style and wit is similar to mine, I think.

WooJin: I admire my mother who is a vocal trainer.

 

How many hours a day do you practice and train? Do you have a special method for dealing with stress?

SeokChul: On school days, I usually practice for about 6 hours.

For weekends, I come to the studio early and start working on some productions and practice. I don’t think I have particular way of solving stress.

EunSung: I practice from 3 to 4 hours on weekdays when I have school to attend.

On weekends, the practice goes on for about 10 hours each day. When practice is over, I like to play games and that’s how I get rid of stress. 

SeungHyeon: The hours of practice really depends on the schedule. The way I deal with stress is to play soccer, video games or listen to music!

JunWook: I think I practice over 5 hours a day. A really great way to relieve stress is to listen to music at dawn.

SaKang: About 3 hours or so of practice for me. I have a really positive and active personality so I don’t get stressed out often but if I ever do get any stress, I relieve it by chatting to my closest friends over the phone.

WooJin: I practice for about 6 hours per day. For me, the way to relieve stress is to listen to EDM extremely loud!

 

What do you like to eat or drink the best?

SeokChul: My favorite food is hard-boiled mackerels my mother makes ~ I can always eat two bowls of rice with my mother’s boiled mackerels.

EunSung: I really like to drink coke. I normally drink a cup or two after I had a meal.

SeungHyeon: I like hamburgers and would love to try out the ones sold in the U.S.

JunWook: I like Chicken Galbi! There’s a Galbi restaurant near my home where I often go.

SaKang: My favorite food is pizza. It’s so delicious and has every right to be considered the top food. I really want to try the pizzas in the States as well.

WooJin: Spicy stir-fried pork with vegetables and Banana milk for me. 

 

 

Please describe what your ideal person would be like.

SeokChul: My ideal would be someone with chubby cheeks, pale skin and overall who is just cuteness overload!

EunSung: I like someone who makes me feel good and who has an attractive and pretty smile. 

SeungHyeon: My ideal is a pretty female who has a beautiful physique.

JunWook: Someone who brings a smile on my face when I’m looking at her.

SaKang: I think my taste in what I consider my ideal keeps changing as I get older. I used to like girls who are just pretty, but now my ideal is someone who understands me, who is patient with me, contacts me often, plus cute at pushing and pulling the relationship.

WooJin: I like females with waved brown or dark hair, with long arms and legs.

 

Are there hobbies or any special skills that you own other than music?

SeokChul: I’ve always loved music since I was a child, so my hobby is digging deeper into music.

EunSung: My hobby is playing video games; I play games to the extreme.

I like to play games like Winners on PlayStation.

SeungHyeon: I collect soccer boots, soccer uniforms, soccer player figures and Real Madrid soccer player’s cards.

JunWook: I love watching movies. From my experience, movies help me to unload unnecessary stress and motivate me to gain inspiration.

SaKang: I play many instruments. And I am also very good at noticing certain traits in people’s speech and characteristics. So I try mimicking our company’s producer or other Sunbaenim artists’ voices in front of the members which helps to brighten up the atmosphere.

WooJin: My hobbies are watching movies! I am very interested in acting so I tend to watch movies frequently.

 

What would be the most precious belonging that you own?

SeokChul: The set of drums that my father got for me! It’s my No. 1 treasure!

EunSung: The most precious belonging I own is my pillow, I have in the house. It’s because I love to sleep and I’ve had this pillow since I was very young. I can fall asleep really well with this pillow.

SeungHyeon: My bass guitar, soccer boots, uniforms, soccer player figures! I love soccer so much!

JunWook: My mobile. I can listen to music and communicate with people with it, so it’s something you can do everything with!  

SaKang: A photograph of my family! Whenever I feel sad or down I look at the photo, I can get over the gloom.

WooJin: My first ever piano! I have it at my house ~ I normally use my first piano when I have to practice.

 

How do you communicate with your fans?

SeokChul: We each have our own Social networking service where we connect with our fans through messaging.

EunSung: I communicate with the fans by reading out their comments and give them shout-outs from our V Live broadcasts.

SeungHyeon: We communicate with our fans by commenting and messaging via Social networking.  

JunWook: We communicate a lot with our fans via SNS! Please come and join us!

SaKang: I was the one who used to do most of the communication with our fans and was able to reply to everyone’s comments before, but I got tired after a while when we got busier with our work.

I didn’t want to upset our fans by not replying to all of their comments, so I don’t comment one-on-one as I used to nowadays.

WooJin: We use SNS messaging or online bulletins to connect with our fans.

 

Thank you for such an interesting interview. We wish you all the best with your new single, “Holla” and look forward to more music! As we are nearing the end of this year and soon to be starting the year, 2017 in a couple of weeks, our last question is…what are your hopes and plans for the New Year?

SeokChul: Our goal for The East light is to showcase great music to many people through working hard on our activities and craft.

EunSung: We want to get invited to perform abroad in 2017!

SeungHyeon: I hope my favorite soccer players get to become our fans!

JunWook: I wish that a lot of people would gain positive energy from our music.

SaKang: We hope to gain more fans in Korea and abroad; later tour and do live performances around the world.

WooJin: We really want to get on the Top 10 on the Billboard Charts.

 

— J.Chung.

2016 hasn’t been a good year for Kang Jung-Ho as the now-besieged Pittsburgh Pirates infielder found himself in trouble again following an early-morning DUI accident in Seoul, South Korea.

Following Kang’s arrest for the accident by the Seoul Gangnam District Police, it is alleged he asked his friend/passenger to lie and state he or she was driving. The unnamed friend did claim to be behind the wheel, but camera footage disproved the story. The Guardian reports that Kang is being investigated for falsifying his story.

Per Yonhap News, Kang was driving to his Seoul-area hotel in a rented BMW when he and his unnamed, 29-year-old passenger smashed into a guardrail. Debris from the impact hit a parked car and damaged it. Following the crash, CCTV cameras caught Kang fleeing the scene. He was later arrested for the incident and charged with fleeing the scene of a DUI accident. Kang, who’s blood-alcohol level was 0.084 (legal limit in Korea is 0.05), was released following the charge.

If the case proceeds, Kang could face a fine and three years in jail.

This isn’t the first issue with Kang. On June 29, 2016, a woman formally accused Kang of sexually assaulting her at Chicago’s Westin Hotel on North Michigan Avenue on June 17. In her statement, she claims she met Kang through a dating app and that the two agreed to meet. In the police report, the 23-year-old female stated that while in Kang’s room, she slipped in and out of consciousness after accepting an alcoholic beverage from him. She then claims he assaulted her. In July, police investigating the case stated the alleged victim wasn’t cooperating. In September 2016, police stated they couldn’t find the victim. Updates into the investigation have not been made since; the case still hasn’t been resolved.

Kang also made headlines earlier this year when stories circulated the Web that he and T-ARA’s Hyomin were allegedly dating. The allegations began when Hyomin threw out the first pitch at a Pirates game in September 2015. At the time, Ilgan Sports reported the two started dating January 2016.  The stories were proven false, and agents for both parties clarified that the two are good friends.

Kang, who has a 4-year, $11 million contract with the Pirates, began playing in the Major Leagues in 2015. In a statement by Pirates president Frank Coonelly, the team expressed disappoint. The statement reads:

 

We have been made aware of the very serious charges filed against Jung Ho Kang early Friday morning in Seoul, South Korea.

We are extremely disappointed in Jung Ho and in his decision process during this matter. I know firsthand how foolish and dangerous it is to drive under the influence and am most thankful that, as we understand it, no one was injured.

We will have further comment once we have been able to gather all of the relevant facts and speak with the player.

Neither the Pirates organization or Major League Baseball commented on how or if Kang will face any punishment for his off-field conduct.

 

—-Joelle Halon

While the K-Pop scene is buzzing with excitement and electric dance tracks, sometimes this music isn’t to everyone’s liking. Some fans of the Korean music scene may crave something calmer and more melodic. Popping over to the K-Indie scene, an up-and-coming trio that’s recently started to capture a lot of attention with International fans is quietly creating waves with their album The Bay. While the album was released August 22, 2016, it’s just now catching attention several months later.

La Baie is made up of pianist Park Jinwoo, guitarist Denis Sungho, and vocalist Kim Hyemi. Together, the trio creates sultry, jazzy, and almost-New Age music (they’re officially listed as “chic pop”) that is hypnotic and rhythmic. Throughout The Bay, the trio uses a mix of French, English, and Korean to make the lyrics for each song sound enchanting, while the simplicity of the guitar and piano paired with Kim’s vocals seduce the listener into take a journey to another world of peaceful, sensual sounds that are like warm water over a weary soul.

Even though the descriptions sound cliché, they’re the only fitting way to describe the music quality The Bay presents to listeners. Instrumentals and vocals are so well executed that it’s difficult to not feel something deep within the heart. Perhaps it’s the familiarity of Kim’s vocals as she sometimes sounds BoA-esque before switching to deeper, sexier vocals. In a way, Kim is like a snake charmer charming listeners as her vocals sway back and forth between her myriad of tones. Paired with the melodic instrumentals, music on The Bay is an experience, not just background music.

The lead single, “The Bay,” captures the imagination with its slight repetition and beautiful melodies. Kim’s vocals tell a wonderful story with subtle emotion that sweeps listeners away into an ocean of fantasy. Denis and Park create a complex backtrack with the few instruments they use to add dimension. The instrumentals’ rises and falls throughout the song make it seem shorter than its 5-minute timing even though Kim is a bit monotone. With the monotone aside, the song is fresh, upbeat, and warm to entice listeners to proceed deeper into the album.

For track two, listeners are gifted with the jazzy, sexy “Voice.” Here, Kim can be likened to a graceful snake weaving through the musical scale with skill. In “Voice,” Kim uses huskier tones to enchant listeners. The song is best appreciated with the eyes closed because it’s the best way to feel the music. Denis’ guitar is light and magical to help lull listeners deeper into the mysterious wonderland “Voice” creates. Everything here is pure magic.

“Let Them Dream” picks the beat up a little more to create a soft, mid-tempo track that’s dreamy and hopeful. Kim makes good use of high notes in the chorus to make the song feel lifted and pretty. The instrumentals also have an optimistic quality to them. The song swallows listeners and envelopes them in warmth. Sometimes the instrumentals are louder than Kim, but this issue evens out as the song progresses.

Track four is “Valse D.” The track features Denis’ enchanting guitar with Kim harmonizing with it. The track features Park talking in French over the instrumentals. The music is the highlight of the track as it has moments of slow beauty followed by a moment where it sounds like frantic, old-timey movie tracks. “Valse D.” isn’t the strongest track on the album, but it’s pleasant all the same.

“Ocean” wraps around to the sultry, mysterious sound listeners are first introduced to in “Voice.” This time, Denis’ guitar charms listeners in an intense way, and it makes listeners sit back and imagine waves crashing upon the shore. Then, Kim comes in strongly to create a storm upon the ocean. Her vocals aren’t as soft in “Ocean” as they were in previous tracks. There’s a sense of urgency and desperation in her voice for this song, creating an emotional appeal that’s ripe of sadness. Park’s piano, too, helps create more urgency to give the song an intense tone. Some of the instrumentals recall sounds from “The Bay,” so the two tracks could be considered bookend songs.

Track six, “The Photographer,” begins with feelings of darkness. Kim’s vocals are haunting and feel like they come from a horror film at times as they echo and reach new lows. Denis and Park’s instrumentals also have dark tones as they sound off-key at times to make the song eerie. There are hints of Latin sound in the song, so there are many dimensions to the dark-toned tune. Around the 2:30-mark, though, Kim’s vocals feel too harsh as they’re too forceful, but this helps with the dark feel. “The Photographer” isn’t as refined as the other tracks, but it’s interesting.

“Revolutionary” is a dance track that feels like a remix with the echoing “Chopin is back” and arrangement of the vocals. There is some French-speaking overlaid on the track as well as some Spanish guitar that makes the song have a bit of a confused identity. That’s why the song is “revolutionary” as it borrows from many different spheres to come together to create an interesting piece. For those looking for something that is classical and electro-pop, “Revolutionary” will catch listeners’ attention with ease.

Finally, “Postude” features children talking over an eerie track that sounds like a skipping old record. The children speak in Korean and French while Kim’s vocals echo from a distance. The track has varying beats that start slow and pick up to a groovy, bass-filled sound. The track is short and closes the album out strangely because the children feel out of place, but the instrumentals are spot-on.

As far as music releases go this year, The Bay stands out in a positive way because it’s different, sensuous, and inviting. Each song makes a listener wanting more. La Baie’s The Bay easily earns a 4.5/5 and is a definite must-have in a music collection.

 

You can listen to and purchase The Bay on La Baie’s Bandcamp page. Visit them on Facebook also.

 

—-Joelle Halon

The Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) was held December 2, 2016. For the seventh year in a row, the awards were held outside of Korea with the event taking place at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong for the fourth consecutive year. Like with previous years, the event was riddled with poor sound and mistakes (Day6 being called Day8, for example) showing how ill-prepared the awards ceremony organizers were. Additionally, controversy came into play with two of the biggest stories this year was Taeyeon backing out of a performance with Wiz Khalifa (either due to “no explanation” or technical issues) and YG artists opting to not appear this year. Despite the show’s issues, fans’ spirits weren’t dampened as the winners were named. Without further ado, here are the 2016 MAMA winners.

Winners

2016 Best of Next Award (Female): BLACKPINK

2016 Best of Next Award (Male): Monsta X

Best Asian Artist China: Hua Chenyu

 

Best Asian Artist Indonesia: Isyana Sarasvati

Best Asian Artist Japan: Sekai No Owari

Best Asian Artist Singapore: JJ Jin

Best Asian Artist Thailand: Getsunova

 

Best Asian Artist Vietnam: Noo Phouc Thinh

Best Asian Style Award (award to most tweeted about celebrity during the ceremony): EXO

Best Band Performance: CNBLUE

Best Collaboration: Suzy (miss A) and Baekhyun (EXO) “Dream”

Best Dance Performance (Female Group): GFRIEND

Best Dance Performance (Solo): Taemin “Press Your Number”

Best Dance Performance Group (Male): BTS

Best Female Artist: Taeyeon (SNSD)

Best Female Group: TWICE

Best Male Artist: Zico

Best Male Group: EXO

Best Music Video: BLACKPINK “Whistle”

Best New Female Artist: I.O.I

Best New Male Artist: NCT 127

Best OST: Lee Juck “Don’t Worry”

Best Rap Performance: BewhY, Cjamm “Puzzle”

 

Best Vocal Performance Group: Davichi

Best Vocal Performance Solo (Female): Ailee

Best Vocal Performance Solo (Male): Crush

Hotels Combined Album of the Year: EXO EX’ACT

Hotels Combined Artist of the Year: BTS

World Performer: Seventeen

Worldwide Favorite Artist: GOT7

 

What were your thoughts on the show and the winners? Share your input on our Facebook page!

 

 

—-Joelle Halon

Asian food is always appetizing and enjoyable, but some may find it difficult to make. There are many reasons why some deem Asian food inaccessible: Ingredients, it’s time-consuming, or even not having enough skill to create tasty dishes. Never fear! We found some cookbooks that make Asian food accessible for even the novice home cook, so let’s put aside the excuses and get cooking!

But first, let’s set the mood.

 

Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking: Authentic Dishes for the Home Cook– Maangchi

For followers of Maangchi’s YouTube channel and for anyone wanting to make authentic Korean cuisine at home, Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking is a must-have. The recipes are accessible and easy-to-follow. Most of the recipes don’t use complicated ingredients, a plus for anyone who may be a novice chef or someone who cooks on a budget, but there are some recipes that require a little more exotic flavor, but fear not! The glossary has a list of substitutes if needed. Plus, the dishes all have photographs that show Korean cuisine’s appetizing side. The glossary is a useful tool because it lists ingredients in both English and Korean, so it can even be a primer for navigating a Korean grocery store. Maangchi provides several tips and techniques to make Korean cooking fun and easy. Recipes include seafood-scallion pancakes, Korean fried chicken (worth the price of admission!), and kimchi among other flavorful dishes.

 

 

Simply Ramen: A Complete Course in Preparing Ramen Meals at Home- Amy Kimoto-Kahn

For those who enjoy ramen and want to make it taste authentic, this cookbook is for you. Recipes can be used for homemade or store-bought ramen noodles, so this is a plus. However, be prepared to visit your local Asian cuisine store as there are ingredients in some of the recipes that are a little difficult to locate. Kimoto-Kahn brings several traditional recipes to life using pork, beef, chicken, seafood, veggies, and cheese that will help anyone jazz up their ramen and take it to new heights. In fact, there are over 70 recipes to make! What’s nice about it is that directions are easy to follow and fool-proof despite the need for some more specialized ingredients, so it’s a fun adventure.

 

 

Quick and Easy Thai: 70 Everyday Recipes– Nancie McDermott

For those who love Thai cooking and feared it wasn’t approachable, this cookbook will work out for you. What’s nice about this cookbook is that it doesn’t feature ingredients that may be unapproachable for some home cooks. Instead, ingredients can be found at grocery stores with ease. Recipes like Thai iced tea, mango rice, chicken coconut soup, and curry noodles are easy-to-follow and fun to make. The photos are bright, appetizing, and engaging and encourage aspiring chefs to want to make the meals. For beginners, there is a section in the book describing different Thai ingredients and cooking tools one may need, so it’s easy to be prepared for the contents in the book. One of the pluses of Quick and Easy Thai is that it makes curry appetizing as it shows you different types of curry to make depending on taste. It’s a win for everyone!

Beyond Curry Indian Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through India– Denise D’Silva Sankhé

In Beyond Curry, D’Silva Sankhé does a great job breaking through the stereotype that everything Indian has curry. She does a nice job breaking down Indian cuisine from different locales in India from Indian-Chinese fusion foods to the Southern tip of India. Along with dishes like dosas, favorite recipes like Tandoori chicken make up different recipes featured in the book. The recipes are not time-consuming, a plus for anyone who’s on-the-go or just doesn’t want to take the time to prepare elaborate meals. Recipes are also ranked by spiciness. If you have a pressure cooker or a slow cooker, there are recipes inserted for those tools as well. Some of the rice dishes are perfect for beginners, so readers can grow with the book.

 

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors– Andrea Nguyen

In this comprehensive cookbook that serves as a nice primer for Vietnamese cooking, Nguyen provides fun and simple recipes and tips. Nguyen provides great explanations of ingredients and tools used in Vietnamese cooking and even covers what fish sauces and rice brands are the best for different recipes. Nguyen adds different notes to the ends of recipes to help at-home chefs. Additionally, ingredients are listed in English and Vietnamese which makes it easy to find ingredients in the store, and she provides storage and preparation information. For those who are vegetarian, there is even information on how to make meals vegetarian-friendly. This cookbook has the potential to be a favorite in any kitchen.

 

Do you have any favorite Asian cookbooks you find useful? Share with us and let us know why you enjoy them.

 

—-Joelle Halon

Shortly after a video of female comedian(s) on SNL Korea grabbing K-pop group, B1A4 members’ private parts (?) was uploaded on 26^th of October, the fans went livid.

So SNL Korea made an apology via Facebook as follows.

“Hello, this is SNL Korea. We apologize to the B1A4 members and their fans, if they were disgusted by the aggressive actions taken against the group, released through a video on Facebook yesterday (26^th). It was an appropriate action toward the hosts and we will ensure nothing like this happens again. We again apologize to B1A4 and their fans.”

The video showed Seyoung Lee, a female comedian on SNL Korea Season 8, touching (or attempting to touch) B1A4 members’ specific body parts when several SNL staffs bombarded the members for greetings backstage.

Although the video was of poor-quality, it clearly showed B1A4 looking shocked and embarrassed; the members kept their hands in front of them after being violated.

The disturbing part of the video is that everyone was either laughing or cheering. Lee, in particular was seen pumping her fists in the air, mouthing the words that “she got to touch them all.”

The enraged fans who saw the uploaded video on Facebook, demanded Lee to be taken off the show as a way of punishment for sexual harassment.

One fan messaged SNL Korea’s Facebook page and asked if the female staffs groping the male genitals the norm or a part of the greeting when guests are featured in their show.

Whoever is managing the SNL Korea Facebook page, jokingly replied, “It wasn’t really touching. Hahaha.”

After the fan tried to reason with him that the situation is not a laughing matter, the page manager apologized and said they’ve taken the video down.

 

Seyoung Lee is a rookie comedian, who has recently been a rising talent in the comedy world through SNL Korea. Lee first got her slight taste of fame when she was featured on K-Drama, Reply 1988 (2015), as a small supporting act.

Lee made a handwritten apology to show how extremely sorry she was after the incident, but this did not in any way die down the anger of the fans; most of them still wanted her kicked off the show and face legal fine.

The short hand written note was much less than 10 lines, the content was mostly about admitting to her wrongdoing and that she wanted to apologize to each individual who was affected.

But does this imply that she admits to sexually assaulting these males and now apologizing for it?

To make matters worse, this was not Lee’s first attempt to commit something like this but it seems she’s developing it into some kind of habit. All-male K-pop groups, Infinite and Block B were also on SNL Korea in the past and they are said to have experienced similar treatment from Lee. Their fans are currently demanding an apology as well. The proof is recorded on videos, so people can see for themselves and judge.

As of today, December 1^st 2016, Lee will no longer be appearing on SNL Korea, since she was ordered to take some time off to contemplate on her misbehavior, harassment or whatever you’d prefer to call it.

The story does not end here.

Lee is currently to be investigated by the police for sexual assault; since several people took action to report her on Kukmin Ilbo Newspaper. The press released a statement that Lee will be investigated by the Women and Juvenile Division, which could lead to criminal charges.

 

Here is a compilation video of the three groups who are said to have been sexually harassed by Lee. Please judge for yourselves if this is sexual harassment that needs legal action and let us know your opinion.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ick-qPm3fBI

*INFINITE BLOCK B & B1A4 being Molested Backstage at SNL Korea

 

-J. Chung.

The K-Pop scene is a saturated market that has many big-named groups like BIGBANG, EXO, Super Junior, and SHINHWA among many others. In-between those groups, there are some decent songs from groups and singers that get lost in the competitive fray, have disbanded, or never heard of at all by international fans. Often, these groups release decent to extremely good songs, but they often get zero recognition. In an effort to call attention to these groups and their music, we at Kcrush want to share some of these songs and artists. While history may have forgotten many of them, we believe that what’s old can be new again through this series.

Black Pearl “GoGoSsing” (2010)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4sP0S4CCMM

Black Pearl debuted in 2007 and had strong potential with songs like “Finally… It’s You.” The group had singers with lovely voices and strength that made them perfect additions to the OST-circuit. “GoGoSsing” was a departure from their R&B songs and ballads as it showed their cheery pop-side that resonated well with K-Pop fans in 2010. Given how 2010 was also one of the best years in recent K-Pop history with many memorable and, as some say, historic year, “GoGoSsing” didn’t stand out as much, but it’s still a solid song that’s worth a listen today.

BMK “Left Abandoned” (2003)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofgiu6dFSuI

BMK, also known as Big Mama King (Kim Hyun-Jung), is not only a singer, but she’s a lecturer for various schools also. She’s appeared on I Am a Singer and has released three albums between 2003 and 2007. Her song “Left Abandoned” has a Soul heart with loads of passion. Her strong, steady voice draws the listener into the music. Everything about the song is BIG, which is fitting for someone who goes by Big Mama King. Each note will leave you wanting more.

BPPop “Never Ever Let Me Go” (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTyxpjViOSY

BPPop debuted with the J-Pop-esque song “Today.” The cutesy tune didn’t fit them well, but their comeback song “Never Ever Let Me Go” was perfect in every way because it highlighted their vocals and vulnerability. The only crime that occurred with this song was that no one paid attention to it and it slipped by unnoticed. If another group like Gfriend or APink sang it today, the song may be the hit it should have been. BPPop was a victim of a terrible debut song and lack of strong promotions, so if they were still around today (they haven’t “officially” disbanded, but core members left years ago) and this song was the hit it should have been, it would be interesting to see the type of group they’d be.

Bubble Sisters “Bubble Song” (2003)

https://youtu.be/zEbskKVqcOQ

“Bubble Song” was a good song that featured amazing vocal abilities and recalled musical eras gone by. The song could have been a standout, instead, the song got lost due to Bubble Sisters’ black-face controversy. In the MV and during live performances, Bubble Sisters donned black-face that completely underscored the quality of music the group had (and they had a killer version of “It’s Raining Men”). Today, the MV lives on as an example of cultural insensitivities and is still a conversation topic pointing to how far we still need to go to leave ignorance behind.  Despite the controversy, Bubble Sisters are still around with a different lineup.

Girl Friends “Listen!” (2006)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tEYcH4bBPE

Girl Friends was a duo made up of Cool’s Yuri and Roo’ra/Diva’s Chae In. Yuri and Chae In were friends during their years in their respective groups and wanted to come together as a duo. The wish to release music together resulted in two albums: Another Myself and Addict to Times in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Both albums had R&B and dance flare, but neither charted well despite the music quality within songs like the bright, poppy “My Love Story” and rock-infused “Cider and Cola.” If you watched Reply 1997, you’re familiar with “All for You” as stars Seo In Guk and Eunji (APink) sang the song for the OST. Girl Friends had a version of the song prior to the OST release. Girl Friends’ version has slower pacing, but the familiarity of the tune is enough to pique interest.

Released in 2006 on the album Another Myself, “Listen!” has some Latin sound that accentuates Yuri and Chae In’s vocals nicely. The song is edgy and summery, giving it a timeless quality. The rap breaks fit nicely in the song, but the chorus is fun and pleasant to hear.

M.I.L.K “Come to Me” (2001)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtWUBfhdWT0

Many think M.I.L.K was signed to SM Entertainment; this is incorrect as they were signed under an SM sister company, BM Entertainment. The group experienced short-term fame between 2001 to 2003 and disbanded when Bae Yumi departed the team. They had one album: 2001’s With Freshness that produced the lead single, “Come to Me.” Besides, “Come to Me,” the group also had strong singles in “Crystal” and “Sad Letter.”

“Come to Me” is one of those songs that captures the sound and feeling of the early 2000s. Its quirky instrumentals and soft vocals have a calming quality despite it being a pop song. “Come to Me” is a reminder of simpler times before the K-Pop Machine really came alive and exploded in popularity.

Purplay “Love and Remember” (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QicxVvyvMeU

Purplay is an odd inclusion to this list that mostly includes music that’s pre-2010, but they are worth mentioning because they were a group with potential that was wronged by a controversy that was beyond their control thanks to their choreographer “stealing” a dance from I.aM.mE dance crew, an issue that caused International K-Pop fans to be in an uproar and encapsulating Purplay in a whirlwind of hate. Besides the dance, weird dolphin laugh, and orgasmic grunting during the dance break, “Love and Remember” was a solid debut song that featured excellent vocals, amazing chorus, and music that set them apart from other 2013 rookies.

 

Sugar “Secret” (2004)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isvGbBAA7hM

Sugar existed between 2001 and 2006 and had several releases in Korea and Japan. The now-defunct group had some familiar faces on its roster including actress Park Soojin, Japanese singer and actress Lee Ayumi (also known as Iconiq and presently Ayumi Ito), and singer and actress Hwang Jungeum. During their run, Sugar experienced moderate success in both countries, but for international audiences, their success is lost.

With a strong discography on their side including songs like “Shine” and “Tell Me Why,” their 2004 song “Secret” captures the era of which it was released while still sounding relevant to today’s music thanks to its dance-heavy track and catchy chorus. While it lacks powerhouse vocals, it’s still enjoyable even today.

U;nee “Call Call Call” (2005)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuhHgZKzMaE

U;nee’s story is one of the saddest in K-Pop. When she debuted in 2003, she was touted as a dance-pop singer with many talents: She sang, dance, and rapped on her songs, and she had natural beauty to help with her all-around appeal. Her debut album, U;nee Code, was well-received by the media and public, and a star was born.

According to her mother, U;nee suffered bouts of depression due to the pressures of fame and took medication for her condition. Her company allegedly compounded her mental health by forcing her to undergo plastic surgery to change her breasts and face prior to her 2005 comeback with “Call Call Call.” Her company wanted her to have a sexier appearance to match her new image as an R&B singer, and it’s at this point fans theorize that U;nee’s fate was sealed with the image change and dark nature of the “Call Call Call” MV. The latter is unfounded speculation. In 2007 prior to her new album Habit’s release, U;nee hanged herself following a depressive episode according to her mother. She did not leave a note.

Since her death, the single “Call Call Call” and the accompanying album are considered her best work due to the diverse sound and growth exhibited in it. It’s a shame U;nee didn’t get to show off more of her talent.

 

There are more groups and songs to come! Stay tuned each week to see what else we dig up.

 

—-Joelle Halon

B.A.P mean a lot to many of their fans, and these feelings extend past their music as fans appreciate their charitable efforts as well. As the season of giving is upon us, Babyz and Warriorz followed in B.A.P and Bang Yongguk’s charitable footsteps and recently worked diligently to raise money to go toward building a school tentatively named B.A.P Town in Ghana, Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHs3T-RavWs&feature=youtu.be

B.A.P’s Helping Hands collected donations through Pencils of Promise. As the fundraising page states,

B.A.P’s Helping Hands is coordinating the B.A.P Town School Campaign on behalf of BABYz all around the world to make B.A.P’s dream of building a school into a reality.

B.A.P’s School* is a non-profit project organized by fans who love B.A.P and wish to help honor them by giving education to those less fortunate. Pencils of Promise works with communities across the globe to build schools and create programs that provide education opportunities for children, no matter where they were born, or what resources they have.

Pencils of Promise have broken ground on over 200 schools throughout Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos. We are excited to join the Pencils of Promise movement that empowers lives around the world by increasing access to quality education for children in the developing world.

Please help us reach our fundraising goal by donating and generously helping us build B.A.P’s future school. Together BABYz can make a cherished dream come true for our six angels Yongguk, Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup and Zelo who love us unconditionally.

The non-profit fansite began accepting donations January 26, 2016. Through social media, affiliate sites and groups, and even a holiday online store, B.A.P’s Helping Hands worked tirelessly to help fulfill a dream of having a school in Africa in B.A.P’s name.

Even if there were fans who couldn’t donate monetarily, there were ways fans could help. Throughout the campaign, fans and supporters also had an opportunity to vote on logos for the school, share fanart, and vote on the name for the school.

As of November 25, 2016, donations exceeded the requested amount of $25,000. As of this writing, the group has collected $28,497.

Even though the donation goal has been met, the organization is still collecting donations through December 26, 2016. With the additional funds raise, B.A.P’s Helping Hands has other plans. With an additional $6000 past the target amount, donations will go toward e-readers for a classroom, while $10,000 goes toward a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) infrastructure in an in-need community, while an additional $25,000 goes toward funding for teacher support and e-readers in the Ghana school the initial funds went toward.

There is still time to donate to this worthy cause. Potential donors can donate through the Pencils of Promise page. More details about donating and how to donate can be found on the B.A.P’s Helping hands website or through their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Congratulations, Babyz and Warriorz! Keep up the hard work!

 

—-Joelle Halon

South Korea’s first ever female President, Park Geun-hye was the first-born to Korea’s third President, Park Chung-Hee, a.k.a the military dictator in Korean history. As the daughter of the Korean President, Park Geun-hye grew up with privileges but on the other hand, she didn’t get to experience what you’d consider a normal childhood.

Circumstances got extremely harsh for her when both of her parents got assassinated. (Her mother was shot by a North Korean sympathizer in 1974, while her father was killed by his intelligence chief in 1979) Thus, it is a widely known fact that the current President grew up with only few people to trust and call close friends.

Now, one of those friends whom Park foolishly relied to take care of excessive affairs has not only put the presidency in serious jeopardy but became the main factor for the President’s current downfall.

Since late October, South Korea has been booming and rocking with countless crowds of demonstrators demanding the President to resign.

The previous weekend, organizers said over one million people gathered in Seoul alone, (and various cities around the country) as the largest demonstration that South Korea has ever had since the pro-democracy movement in the ‘80s.

One event management claimed to have gathered over 1.9 million participants in favor of Park‘s ouster.

It was announced today on November of 29^th 2016, by President Park herself that she will relinquish her rights as South Korea’s President and let the Parliament decide on the time of her resignation and overall the rest of her political career.

For this article, I will cover some of the episodes that led to Korea’s biggest political scandal in modern history.

 

Who is Choi Soon-sil?

This woman aged 60, who goes by the name – Choi Soon-sil – and various other names, has been convicted to be the primary person (along with her siblings) responsible for making vital decisions during Park’s administration, masterminding governmental and foreign policy, extorting millions of dollars from corporations and conveniently bending the law to suit herself and her family members.

Choi, who has known the President for 40 something years, even had special access to over a hundred confidential policy documents and is also been reported to have her own set of advisers who had their hands on critical government decisions – which includes the appointment of cabinet ministers – and shutting down the Kaesong industrial park after North Korea took nuclear tests, earlier this year.

Mind you, Choi is an ordinary citizen. Not in any way a politician or someone who was hired to work at the governmental office. By normal standards, she should never have been allowed to interfere with any presidential decisions or responsibilities. As later revealed, who would have thought she would have gone as far as editing presidential speeches?

When local news media first reported allegations that Ms. Choi had edited the president’s speeches; the President’s office initial reaction was that it was “absurd” and “untrue.”

However, after the cable channel JTBC reported they had obtained a tablet computer that belonged to Choi Soon-sil that included drafts of 44 speeches and speeches that President had given as a presidential candidate and later as president. The computer’s log indicated that Choi had received the files hours or days before the President delivered the speeches to the public.

Overseeing some of the speeches was the only charge that Choi admitted to have done, she has so far denied the extortion of funds and etc.

In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, the President also acknowledged that she had let Ms. Choi edit some of her speeches.

So this is how this scandal shook the nation and became the main story in all the media outlets in Korea, in late October of 2016.

Choi Soon-sil was staying in Germany, where she had purchased three houses, in order to primarily let her daughter, who is a dressage rider to train and reside in. Her daughter, Soora Chung also caused a stir since it was revealed in the media that Choi bribed a university to alter their admission criteria especially for her daughter to enroll in, although she was not eligible to attend.

Earlier this month, her admission was cancelled because the media had caught on that Choi’s family was getting another free ride. This resulted in the president of Ewha Womans University resigning amid accusations that she had given Choi’s daughter, a favorable treatment.

On the October 30, Choi returned to Korea sooner than people expected, because she had prior told a journalist that she would not come home to face investigators. However, she was not arrested until 30 plus hours after her arrival.

For more than a whole day, she was free to visit banks and attend to her personal (or otherwise) businesses. Some sources claimed she couldn’t hide out in Germany any longer because she was already in trouble with the police for laundering money there.

On November 20, the prosecutors raided the offices linked to Choi, and she was charged for intervening with state affairs, charging conglomerates to donate millions of dollars to foundations and businesses she owned or linked to. (Choi’s niece has recently been arrested for similar illegal activities as her aunt.) Prosecutors stated the partial of the extorted sum was spent on the Choi clan’s extravagant lifestyles.

Cult Connection

Choi is the daughter of a Korean Shamanistic cult leader, Choi Tae-min, who was the founder of a cult sect called the Church of Eternal Life.

Mr. Choi was once a Buddhist monk; then later converted to Roman Catholicism and is said to declare himself a Maitreya, or a “Future Buddha.”

This situation gets more bizarre because Choi Tae-min is a religious cult figure;

Choi was a mentor for President Park Chung-Hee and remained close to him until he was assassinated in 1979. Kim Jae-gyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Unit, claimed that his motive for the killing was Park’s inability to rid of Choi’s manipulation.

According to a report by the Korean intelligence agency from that era, and later published by a South Korean newsmagazine in 2007, Mr. Choi is said to have approached Park Geun-hye by telling her that he has been having dreams about her deceased mother, and that she had asked him to help her daughter.

The relationship from then onwards have been the subject of rumors that they were in an affair or had a child together. When Choi first befriended Park, he was at the time forty years her senior, right after her mother was assassinated in mid 70s. He soon acted out as a mentor for Park as he did to her father and aided her in organizing a pro-government volunteer group, Movement for a New Mind, in which Choi Soon-sil was also a youth leader.

In a 2007, through WikiLeaks, the American Embassy in Seoul reported that there is circulation of rumors that Choi Tae-min “had complete control over Park’s body and soul and that his children accumulated enormous wealth as a result.”

During his lifetime, Choi Tae-min is said to have used seven different names, married six times and used his connection to Park to his advantage until the time of his death, in 1994.

But the gossip about the relationship (although it was always denied by the Park) has not ceased even after Choi’s death.

 

Current state

As foreseen, Choi Sun-sil was charged with extortion and abuse of power this past weekend, while Park’s two former aides were indicted on charges of pressuring companies to donate to foundations controlled by Choi.

President Park has apologized more than twice on national TV for her ties to Choi but failed to directly address the allegations or answered any questions by the press. It seemed Park was denying all allegations she was accused of and that she was not fully aware of what Choi was up to all this time.

She even refused to be investigated after initially announcing publicly she will do everything that is asked of her, in terms of the investigation. This outraged the Korean citizens and when Park publicly acknowledged her close ties with Choi, her approval ratings dropped to the lowest ever 5%.

President Park raised controversy by dismissing the key members of her office and even went as far as dismissing the Prime minister of South Korea, Hwang Kyo-ahn via a text message

One of the questions, the President cannot or will not give answer till this very day is, what she was doing during the seven hours” in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster that occurred on April 16, 2014.

Suspicions linked to Choi with the unknown whereabouts of Park, some rumors even claim that the accident was related to a sacrificial ritual and the victims were actually “offerings.”

Because Choi Tae-min died in 1994 on the 21st day of the third month, according to the lunar calendar, the 20th anniversary of his death was April 14, 2014, on the solar calendar. Family members had to perform a rite marking the 20th anniversary of Choi’s death, but Sunday was not appropriate, so the rite was performed on April 16^th.

Some claim Park was in the hospital getting skin or plastic surgery even though it might not be easy to get that proof from the hospital.

Because the President was clearly absent during the first seven hours of the ferry’s sinking, (which ended up as a disaster of killing more than 300 passengers on board) people have been demanding answers.

Her spokesperson just kept repeating that the President was in her office working. This prompted public outrage for the truth. If she was working, then why couldn’t she have been giving out orders during the seven hours like any presidents would do?

The family members of the ferry disaster victims and civic group members held a press conference, demanding the President’s resignation since she is seen as responsible for the government’s belated response during the hours of the accident. They urged the government to unveil the truth about the President’s whereabouts during the first seven hours of the accident.

As the citizens gathered in front of Seoul’s City Hall and protested into the night every week, with candles lit in their hands since the very week scandal broke out, it was getting to the point where nobody could deny or ignore this outcry.

And the people have every right to be there to demonstrate because this scandal was not just a simple incident about a woman called Choi acting greedy and abusing her power in the name of politics.

Due to the outcome of this outrageous scandal, the Korean stock prices have hit a low, the nation’s financial state has vastly deteriorated, and not to mention the negative effect this had on national security.

Even the officials who supported the President through and through feel betrayed and no longer support her, while many of them sincerely advised the President it’s best to step down when she can.

 

The Speech

This very day on Tuesday 29^th November, the President made a public speech addressed to the nation. She began by saying that it has been an honor to serve the country for the past four years and that she will let the National Assembly decide the fate of her presidency.

This was her third speech since the Choi scandal.

She stated, “I will lay my course of action and the rest of my presidential term to the decision of the National Assembly. If the political circles suggest a way I may hand over authority in order to minimize chaos in state affairs, I shall step down from the presidency according to the given timeline through legal procedure. “

Park apologized for the inconveniences the recent scandal has caused but seemed to imply that she was not the sole person responsible for the scandalous events. She continued on to stress the fact that she did not take any personal advantage for herself during her presidential administration. But that she was at fault for not “properly managing” the people around her.

This President’s speech took place just days before the plans ahead of the parliament’s vote on a presidential impeachment bill and it must have pressured her since the chances of her getting impeached is very likely at this stage.

The President continued to state, “I have now laid down everything. All I hope is for Korea to get free from this state of chaos and back on track. Since I started politics in 1998 and until now as president; I made utmost effort to work for the nation and the people. I did not work for my personal interests but only worked for what I believed to be for the country.”

President Park concluded by saying, since she has announced something that was bearing heavy on her heart, she will be withdrawing without taking additional questions from the press.

 

We cannot predict at this point how the ending of the last month of 2016 will be, in terms of politics along with the various chaotic incidences that has been occurring in Korea. But I hope we are all in the same mind and desire when it comes to wishing the best for everybody, as citizens of this world.

Here is a note to wish everyone a very merry “Season’s Greetings” and hope that we can all get through the end of this year the best way we can. And we really look forward to the year of 2017 which is just a month away…

Thank you very much for reading.

— J. Chung.