Generations Hard Work Pays Off Big….

Generations is a Japanese pop boy group, who is signed under the sub-label, Rythym Zone, and the agency, LDH. The boys were trained well in terms of singing and dancing, making them experts in what they do. All the members attended Exile Professional Gym, which is a school where people can have dance and vocal lessons. The idol group consists of seven members: Shirahama Alan (Performer), Katayose Ryota (Vocal & Performer), Kazuhara Ryuto (Vocal & Performer), Komori Hayato (Performer), Sano Reo (Performer), Sekiguchi Mandy (Performer) and Nakatsuka Yuta (Performer).

Generations debuted in 2012 and, right now, they have various singles, a special collaboration with labelmates, J Soul Brothers, one full album and some remixes, too. Their debut track was ‘’Brave It Out’’ and was released in November, 2012. The song was a hit on the charts, becoming their first Top 3 ever. It was also used as a theme song for the drama, Sugarless.

After that huge success, the group’s label didn’t wait long to release another single. In January of 2013, ‘’Animal’’, Generations’ second official single, dropped. Just like its latter, this track was also a massive hit, peaking at number two on the Oricon weekly charts. ‘’Animal’’ was also used as the ending theme for the TV Show, Onegai! Ranking. The tune has an english version.

Months have passed since their second single and, in May of 2013, Generations made, finally, a comeback with a brand new song called, ‘’Love You More’’. The track became their third consecutive Top 3 hit, on the Oricon weekly charts. Like ‘’Animal’’, this track has an English version, as well. In the summer of 2013, Generations paired with their labelmates, J Soul Brothers, and released a single EP as a collaboration between the two boybands. The digital release included three exclusive songs, plus instrumental versions of them. The title-track was ‘’Burning Up’’, which ended up being number one on the charts, making the first time that Generations had accomplished such a ranking.

The idol group later came back, in October, with a brand new single and an album to follow. The new song was, ‘’Hot Shot’’, which preceeded their first debut CD, ‘’Generations’’. For a fourth consecutive time, the boyband won themselves the Top 3 spot, again. ‘’Hot Shot’’ debuted at number two, on the charts, making the second time they did so, the first being with ‘’Animal’’. ‘’Hot Shot’’ has an English version, just like the previous singles.

Their first album, a self-titled one, was released in November of 2013 and features all their songs, plus brand new ones and another from the joint single they had with J Soul Brothers. Speaking of ‘’Burning Up’’, that track gained also a Generations-only version, which is also included on their album. The CD was out in three different types: CD, CD+DVD and CD+Blu-Ray. The DVD features music videos and a special docummentary that the boy group filmed. The album sold pretty well, debuting at number one on the charts. That wasn’t a surprise, actually.

A bunch of hits, an album selling a lot of copies, a fan base growing… You can say that these seven guys were pretty lucky and they didn’t stop there! This year (2014), Generations released a new single titled, ‘’Never Let You Go’’. The song was released in April.

Much continued success to this hard working group.

K-Fans feel I-Fans don’t understand what it’s like to be K-Pop fans, because we don’t wait in line to purchase albums and merchandise, don’t wait for hours to catch a glimpse of their idols, or stand in long queues for music shows. They also say we don’t understand what it’s like to invest time and money into a group in order to make them who they are.

As an international fan, I can attest that many of us do all these things even though we’re far from Korea. When B.A.P came to Chicago, the line to get into Star Plaza was out the door and spilled into the parking lot. A large number of Babyz arrived super-early in hopes of getting the golden ticket that was the High-Five pass. And, on rare occasions when the music shows scan the crowds, the faces of international fans can be seen. So, at times, we do spend time and money to head to Korea to see our favs.

We international fans are just as dedicated as K-Fans.

But, being an international fan comes with hardships K-Fans don’t have, because they’re the home crowd. Few realize what we go through to support artists in the name of a fandom. The struggle is real.

Music Shows

Watching music shows is pretty much a way of life. For countries in Asia, these shows are on during reasonable hours. For those of us in other countries, especially those of us on the other side of the International Date Line (PST still have reasonable hours), these shows are either very late at night or very early in the morning. We’re talking 2am, 4am, 6am… A lot of us sacrifice sleep or morning routines, because we want to see our biases. Then, if we have to wake up early for work or school, we have to suck it up, guzzle coffee, and accept our zombie statuses.

Poor Quality Streams

Some of the channels block feeds for the U.S. audience, so we can’t rely on official means to watch our shows from time-to-time. That means we have to rely on the kindness of K-Fan friends to help with show livestreams.

There is one person out there who has amazing high-quality streams, and those of us who converge on that stream thank him immensely. But, there are times when that one person is MIA and we’re left with low-quality streams that are pixelated messes with hiccupy sound, then you have conversations like this with K-Pop buddies:

“Is f(x) performing or did B2st borrow their voices?”

“No, I think that’s Henry using K.Will as a body double.”

But, we put up with bad quality sometimes, because we just want to see our biases.

Waiting for Translations

While many of us are trying to learn Korean, some of us just aren’t gifted in the language-learning department. For example, when I tutored English Language learning, I was trying to learn Chinese to communicate with my students better. The student teaching me said I could “single-handedly destroy the Chinese language.” Ouch.

While K-fans can watch shows right away, sometimes I-Fans have to wait a week or more for translations from dedicated translators. Or, we may end up being a week late on a drama so we end up playing the spoiler-avoidance game.

And don’t get me started on some of Google’s YouTube translations.

The Waiting Game

I-Fans are just as excited about purchasing a new album or merchandise as K-Fans, and some K-Netz feel we just download everything illegally (this came up during arguments over the Baekhyun-Taeyeon “controversy”). We try to find retailers that count toward the music charts. But, I-Fans—depending on country—have to wait a month plus (unless we spend more for rush-shipping) for items to arrive. Sure, we can purchase music from iTunes, but some albums aren’t available. Plus, K-albums have awesome packaging. You can’t download that!

Customs Can Be a Pain

Part of the waiting is due to customs causing issues. Over the past few years, as I found out from one of the stores I frequent, customs in Korea, Hong Kong, and China have gotten strict with what is shipped to the United States. There may be an additional month tacked on to the already long wait for merchandise.

The Postal Service has it In for You

For a while, I had a lucky streak on Arirang’s radio shows winning books and CDs. After winning, the waiting game commences, but I waited a long time… and still waiting.

Sometimes, the postal service loses packages. Since they’re prizes, there’s no tracking number; there’s no way to tell where a package got lost. Is it in the country? Was it shipped to Antarctica? I swear penguins have my goods. Three years later, I’m still waiting for an SNSD album; one year later, I’m still waiting for signed Veloce and TEENTOP albums. The latter I spammed the Super K-Pop forum since my niece loves them, and I wanted to win for her. Perhaps I should be glad I didn’t hold my breath?

The Agony

More often than not, packages do arrive, but when they do, panic attacks may occur. Apparently, there are package handlers who care not for your international mail:

Left: Two very bent B.A.P “Unplugged” posters. Center: B.A.P “Crash” album with ripped corners. At least someone at the postal service taped it after it apparently crashed? Right: Tatsmato had a rough journey in a very smashed box.

The horror! Considering that product and shipping prices are a bit higher for imports, it’s disheartening to receive smashed boxes and taped goods. Perhaps it’s outlandish to expect perfection, but when money is spent on goods, this shouldn’t be what arrives.

Ridicule

Liking K-Pop can sometimes breed disdain among friends and family. There are times we international fans endure ridicule for enjoying the genre. Some of us sometimes take to hiding our love while others don’t seem to care. So in a way, K-Pop is like a forbidden or secret lover, because of how some people don’t accept the relationship. It’s part of being an international fan.

So, International Fans don’t understand what it’s like to be a K-Pop fan? We understand what it’s like, and sometimes our fangirling and fanboying has to come with a little more patience.

Pack Your Bags For Korea– What You Need?

If you do a quick Google search, you will see lots of blogs with helpful information detailing lists of things you might want to carry into Korea. Lists suggest silly items from honey (which is readily available all over Korea) to other items more universally recognized that foreigners can’t live without. Some of these items are readily available in markets for foreigners in Seoul (specifically Iteawon), but if you plan to stay outside these areas, be sure to stock up.

The Drug Store

For some reason I never really understood in my three years in Korea, there is no antiperspirant to be found in Korean markets (E-Mart, etc.). I imported several sticks of my favorite brand every time I came back to Korea, and never encountered it any time in my travels in Asia. Do you like Q-tips with the fluffy cotton tips on them? Me too! Bring some with you, the Korean versions are not soft.

While many Korean over-the counter medications for cold and flu are available, a lot of them simply jolt the system with caffeine, so the workday isn’t interrupted. I always imported both Dayquil and Nyqil (neither of which were available in Korea) for colds. Since “sick day” isn’t really in a Korean business vocabulary set, whatever comforts you for minor cold, flu, or chronic illnesses are an absolute must-have. Do NOT assume that it is available in a Korean pharmacy.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that until you are fluent with the language, and if you are not in Seoul, you may find yourself in a Korean pharmacy miming to a pharmacist what the problem is, and doing your best to understand the directions that you are given.

The Kitchen

While you will hopefully cook lots of Korean food in your new home, you should be prepared for homesickness to kick in around 3-6 months after you have left your country. I was shocked how wonderful simple Greek seasoning, a brown gravy packet, or a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing tasted. It’s difficult to get vanilla extract, dill weed, cloves, and many other western spices.

If you happen to like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I highly recommend you bring a stash, I have yet to see them anywhere in Korea, even in Iteawon. Remember, if you can’t live without it, it’s probably a good idea to bring a bit, just in case.

Wardrobe

I’m quite tall for a female, and therefore, wasn’t able to do any shopping for clothes in Korea (again, with the exception of Iteawon). Everything had to be either brought with me, or shipped from home. If you are “average” sized, there are a wide variety of clothing options, but if your body fits into any category other than small or average, do not plan to buy any clothes in Korea. This is true for both men and women, clothes, shoes, and outerwear.

Iteawon

Once you have arrived, if you live in the provinces, you will discover Iteawon. Iteawon, a neighborhood that caters to foreigners, has many foreign items including plus sized clothes and shoes, foreign toiletries (you may not get the brand that you prefer though) and all kinds of interesting western ingredients that expats get a hankering from all over the world: American cheese, English tea, South African Braii meat, etc.

My first trip to Korea, I had heavy bags laden with deodorant, Dayquil, clothes, socks, and a giant sized bath towel. As I dragged my bags up the stairs and unpacked them, I wondered if I had brought too much with me. As it turned out, every year when I returned to Korea, my bags were stuffed with the same items. Check to see how far from Iteawon you will be living, and remember you can always ask a friend to ship you something from home, if you decide you can’t live without it.

SpyAir – Japanese Indie 2005 To Today…

SpyAir is a Japanese rock band from Nagoya formed in 2005. Previoulsy 5, the band now consists of only 4 members: Ike (vocals), UZ (guitar/programming), Momiken (bass) and Kenta (drums). The former member was the DJ Enzel. Until now, SpyAir has a total of three albuns, another old four that were self-produced and various singles released. Their name comes from the word, spyware.

In the time they were formed, the band produced all of their own music, making four entire records (‘’Can You Listen?’’, ‘’NEXT STAGE and Vol.1’’, ‘’Alive’’ and ‘’I’LL BE THERE’’) on their own that no one knew or heard of. The band held various free concerts, where they earned money by selling their CDs. However, that lasted until they were signed to U-Project, an Indie label. Under that recording label, SpyAir released the independent singles:”Japanication” and “Kanjou Discord”.

Even though, the band released those two songs, their first major debut-single was a track called, ‘’Liar’’, after they got signed to the major recording label, Sony Music, back in 2010. ‘’Liar’’ dropped in August 11 and it was the theme song of the drama, ‘’Hammer session!’’. Its follow-up single, ‘’Last Moment’’, was used as an ending of ‘’Bleach’’. SpyAir re-released ‘’Japanication’’ as an official single, in 2011, and dropped also their fourth one, ‘’Samurai Heart (Some Like It Hot!!)’’, which was used in the anime, Gin Tama. All those singles, plus ‘’BEAUTIFUL DAYS’’, were included on SpyAir’s first major record, ‘’Rockin’ the World’’, which was released in September, 2011. The album sold pretty well, peaking in the Top 10 of the Oricon weekly charts, for 7 consecutive weeks. Despite the album selling amazingly good, all the singles from it flopped miserably, with not even one song peaking under the Top 10 chart.

2012: New year, brand new tracks and a sophomore CD, as well. SpyAir began their newest chapter with the single, ‘’My World’’, which was used as the second ending theme of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Then, they were given a chance of participating on the official ‘’The Amazing Spider Man’’ OST, in 2012, with the song ‘’0 Game’’. SpyAir produced a second song for Gin Tama called, ‘’Genjou Destruction’’. Following the release of ‘’Naked’’, in September, 2011, the band announced all the details for their second album, ‘’Just Do It’’. ‘’Naked’’ was the official title-track of the record. Just like the previous ones, all the singles from ‘’Just Do It’’, flopped on the charts.

All those situations didn’t stop the band as they were just starting and the albuns sales were impressive. They released another theme song for a drama called, Koi Suru Hae Onna. That track is called ‘’Wendy ~It’s You~’’. However, the single didn’t come with good news as DJ Enzel announced its departure from the band, in December, 2012. Luckily, he still had a chance to perform one last night, at Nippon Budokan. The concert was a total success, which caused them to announce also a new single, “Sakura Mitsutsuki”. The song dropped in March of 2013 and served as the opening theme for Gin Tama. Another two singles, ‘’Niji’’ and ‘’Genjou Destruction’’, were released and their third album, ‘’MILLION’’, came afterwards. The album sold pretty well (peaking at number 2), in its first weeks, but started to drown slowly.

They released two new tracks, throughout the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, called, ‘’Just One Life’’ and ‘’Imagination’’, respectively. The latter became their first Top Ten hit, peaking at #9 on the Oricon weelky charts. ‘’Just One Life’’ was used as the theme song for Samurai Flamenco, while ‘’Imagination’’ served as the opening theme of Haikyuu. Unfortunatly, SpyAir isn’t recording anything new due to the vocalist, Ike, being diagnosed with Acute Chorditis and Vocal Chord Polyp.

We wish Ike a speedy recovery and much success for the band to continue to produce great music.

“Happiness” Returns With Juciy Love

Happiness is Japanese pop girl-group, who was formed in October 2008, and are produced by LDH, aka, their company. The idol-group currently has seven members, however, they were previously only a five member group: Kaede, Miyuu, Mimu, Karen, and Sayaka. Arisa Mikyuu is the leader of the group. Some members of Happiness, along with other girls from labelmates, ‘’Dream’’ and ‘’Flower’’, are also part of a unit called, ‘’E-Girls’’, created by their company. As of now, the girls have seven singles and one studio-album, which is called, ‘’Happy Time’’.

Before they got really famous, the group used to be back up dancers for the ‘’Exile Live Tour’’, from the Japanese Pop/R&B boygroup, EXILE, back in 2008. The sixth member, Yurino, joined the group, in the summer of 2009, after the ‘’LDH Dream Girls Audition 2008’’, in which she won. Their debut single was a track called ‘’Happy Talk’’, however, since it was released under an indie label, the song flopped hard on the charts. Despite not having a lot of success, ‘’Happy Talk’’ was used in a commercial for ‘Mister Donut’. After such a tragic debut, the girls tried one more time and, this time around, they decided to release their first major debut-single, ‘’Kiss Me’’, in 2011. The song is described as a love ballad for the Valentine’s Day and charted far better than their previous single, however, it wasn’t still not enough since it peaked only under the Top 20. Two more singles were released afterwards, ‘’Friends’’ and ‘’Wish’’ and became more successful than its predecessors, peaking at #20 and #12, respectively.

Unfortunatly, one of the members, Mimu, decided to graduate, from the group, in January of 2012. But that situation didn’t stop the idol-group as they were ready to unveil one more song, ‘’We Can Fly’’. The track was used as an ending theme for a TV show called, Piramekino. ‘’We Can Fly’’ had the same success that its previous singles had. All of their tracks, plus brand new ones, were included in their first studio-album, ‘’Happy Time’’, released in the summer of 2012.

They may be called ‘Happiness’, but sadness is what the group felt after another member had to stop her activities. Due to a medical treatment, Sugieda Mayu was forced to the group, during August 2012 to August 2013. Even though, she was set to return in 2013, Mayu decided to leave ‘Happiness’ in order to pursue a career as a solo artist.

Two have left the group, but another two were added! In May of 2013, Suda Anna and Kawamoto Ruri, from the unit, E-Girls, were added to the girl-group. Now with seven members, the girls released a new song by the summer of 2013. ‘’Sunshine Dream ~Ichido Kiri no Natsu~’’ was released in July and became their first Top 10 hit ever, peaking at #7, on the Oricon weekly charts.

In their beginnings, Happiness signed with an indie label, from LDH Company, called, ‘Rythym Zone’. During the course of their career, the group signed under Universal Sigma, a sub-label from Sony Music Japan. However, the girls were then transferred from that agency to NAYUTAWAVE RECORDS. As of 2014, Happiness returned to their first label, Rythym Zone, and released a brand new single: Juicy Love. The track became their second consecutive Top 10 hit, peaking again at #7, on the charts.

Members Takeda Kyoka, Dobayashi Kaede, Fujii Karen and Suda Anna were, also part of the TV Drama, Koibumi Biyori, from January to March of 2014.

Celebrity couples: How it’s viewed

– Juyeon Oh

The number of celebrity couples has been increasing a lot lately, and there has been mixed reviews coming from the fans. Some turned out to be very negative and some were positive. Since celebrities are always exposed to cameras, it may or may not bring problems into the relationship. Once people find out about the couple, it can go 2 ways. The fans will either wish them a happy relationship, or they will demand for a break up. When negative comments get out of control, the couple usually ends up breaking up, which happens quite often to idol group members, because they have a lot of younger fans. It really depends on the situation though. When the other person has a lot of anti-fans, the fans will want them to break up, so that it doesn’t ruin the other person’s image. The younger the fans are the more drama there seems to be. Problems and constant fan outbursts are not always the case though. There are many couples that are supported by the fans and are doing just fine.

Let me just introduce a few couples:

Lee Byung Hun and Lee Min Jung

Lee Byung Hun is one of the famous actors in South Korea and is also known in Hollywood for movies he has filmed. Lee Min Jung is also a popular actress in South Korea. These two first met back in 2006 and quickly fell in love. They broke up, because they were so busy with their schedule, but in the year 2011, they met again and got married in 2013.

Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young

These two are both famous in South Korea. They met while filming a movie “Save the Last Dane for Me” back in 2004 and announced to the public about their relationship in 2007. They got married in 2013 and are one of the most influential celebrity couples in Korea.

Ki Sung Yong and Han Hye Jin

Famous soccer player Ki Sung Yong and actress Han Hye Jin got married in 2013 after several months of dating.

Oh Jong-Hyuk and Park So-Yeon

There has been a rumor that these two were dating a couple of years ago, but was not confirmed back then. Photos of them meeting at a coffee shop was later released in 2013 and it turns out they have been dating for 3 years.

Jung Ji-Hoon (Rain) and Kim Tae-Hee

Jung Ji Hoon, aka Rain is a singer, dancer, actor, screenwriter, model, producer, and a designer. He is the owner of a music record label called J. Tune Entertainment that is located in South Korea. Kim Tae Hee is a popular actress who is also known for her beautiful looks. The news states that they have been secretly dating and Rain confirmed their relationship to the public a year later.

Sun Ye and James Park

Wonder Girls leader Sun Ye got married to a Korean-Canadian missionary James Park. She was the first idol to get married while still maintaining her career. They had their first baby last October. It’s not official that Sun Ye left the Wonder Girls, but as for now it’s unclear if the group will release another album.

Lee Seung Gi and Yoona

When Lee Seung Gi returned from his concert in Japan, he picked up Yoona from her apartment and they enjoyed an hour-long date. Few years ago he mentioned Yoona was his ideal type at a show called ‘Strong Heart’ that he hosted. They’ve been together for several months now and is the hottest couple in Korea

How is the World Cup celebrated in South Korea?

– Juyeon Oh

Some of you may be wondering how World Cup is celebrated in other countries, and today, I’m going to talk about what it’s like to celebrate the World Cup in South Korea. Before I get into details, let’s take a few minutes and learn about the history of South Korea’s national soccer team.

South Korea is one of the most known, and successful teams in Asia. They have participated in 8 consecutive, and 9 overall FIFA World Cup tournaments, which is the furthest any Asian team has ever gotten. Even though the team went through 5 World Cup tournaments, and not winning a single match, South Korea became the first and the only team from Asia to make it to the semi-finals when they hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. Since then, the team improved a lot and was finally able to reach Round 16 in 2010 World Cup. They also, won the first 2 editions of AFC Asian World Cup back in 1956 and 1960. Not only just that, but they finished second in 1972, 1980, and 1988, and finished third in 2000, 2007, and 2011.

The team is usually called as “The Reds” by the fans and the media, because of the color of their kit. This led to a creation of the Red Devils in 1995, which is an official supporting group. The mascot for the Red Devils is a legendary figure from the ancient Chinese and Korean history. It is a symbol for victory and a guardian figure. The membership is open to anyone who wears red and supports the team during the games.

Couple of hours before the game starts, about ½ of the population or more gets together at stadiums, theaters, and public plazas where they can watch the game live on large screens. Everyone in the crowd wears red t-shirts to support the team. Cheering is also a big part of the game. The most common cheer is a combination of shouting and clapping saying: Dae~Han Minguk! Which means, Republic of Korea, and is followed by 5 claps. During the clapping part, instruments such as drums and thunder sticks accompany it to keep on going with the beat. The fans also sing a famous folk song called : “Arirang”, and several other songs that were made for the World Cup.

You can also watch concerts from popular singers/idol groups when you go to the bigger stadiums. The stadium itself already has great atmosphere and with concerts involved, it can get way more tense. Not only that, but also many celebrities come to watch the game, so you’ll be able to see one or two famous people cheering in the crowd when you go to these places. But really, the most important thing is being able to get together with hundreds of people and cheer as a whole, because you don’t see this happen very often. It’s great to see everyone get along to enjoy the moment especially since this is very rare in this generation.

While most people are outside of their homes to watch the game, many choose to stay home and enjoy the game with only their family. People who stay at their homes, usually order chicken and beer, which is like a traditional food when it comes to World Cup, (it’s similar to how we eat Doritos during Super Bowl). Chicken and beer may sound a bit nasty if you have never tried it, however those two are a great combination.

You now see and understand how and why the World Cup is such a big deal to the world, but to South Korea’s population especially.

Summer Gold: Girl’s Day Fourth Mini album Exceeds Expectations

Joelle Halon

“Whooo, ooh, ooh, ooh! It’s summertime!” This summer, every day is Girl’s Day!

Girl’s Day made their summertime comeback July 14 with their fun and cool mini album Everyday 4. The upbeat sound is enough to take away your troubles, and despite only having four songs (excluding “Darling’s” instrumental companion), it’s worth purchasing, because it’s just that enjoyable from beginning to end.

Right out of the gate, “Summer Party” featuring David Kim sets the tone. The Caribbean Island-vibe of the song just transports a listener to a warm, friendly island where it’s a nonstop dance party. David Kim is hardly noticeable in the song as he’s mostly just background, and that’s a good thing ,because it really should be about Girl’s Day. It’s different to hear them engage in some rapping, but it doesn’t sound weird or out of place. In fact, this is one of those rare K-Pop songs where the standard formula of singing-with-a-complimentary-rap-thrown-in felt perfect in order to set the mood and get listeners excited.

With the intro song, it’s clear Girl’s Day keeps improving with each album. Their voices have more power to them, and that should be attractive to a listener. Harmonies and English pronunciation are better, the latter of which should please some of the International listening community.

The sound introduced in “Summer Party” carries over to the title track “Darling.” The song starts out with a mambo vibe. And, if anyone out there remembers Lou Bega’s 1999 summer hit “Mambo Number 5,” the introduction of the song may remind you of it a little bit before shifting to a cute 1940s big band sound.

The chorus of the song is ridiculously catchy and infectious. The lyrics are super-adorable, which is part of the reason the song is just so perfect for warm weather: It’s a soundtrack of first-love, a date on the beach, and everlasting memories rolled into one bubbly package.

While “Darling” is overall fun, at times, the high notes may grate on some listeners’ ears. The chorus is rife with high notes in the background, and while they seem to fit the song, depending on your listening mode—headphones or stereo—it might be overwhelming. Through headphones, the notes tend to drill right through your head in a startling fashion. On a stereo, this isn’t much of an issue. If you’re sensitive to high pitches, exercise caution when using headphones.

“Look at Me” takes listeners a different direction with its mid-tempo beat. The instrumentals at the beginning of the song sound just as incredible as the song itself. It has an uplifting spirit with lyrics like “look at me now. Look what you see. I’m a beautiful lady.” There’s a certain warmth, beauty, and fragility about the lyrics paired with the instrumentals that make the song stand out more than others including the title track! The only downfall was that the low rap felt out of place a bit. The low tone wasn’t the issue, but the rap could have been left out, because it changed the feel of the song a bit. But, if Girl’s Day needed a second single from the album, this would be it.

“Timing” brings back the upbeat sound to close out the album. As with “Darling,” “Timing” is a listen-with-headphones-with-caution track not, because of the vocals, but because of the track’s chirpy whistling playing in the background.

The chorus, though, is what makes the song wonderful. The rise in their voices makes the song complete and exciting and perfect for a summer road trip to the beach. It’s bright, filled with warmth, and good vibrations. Turning the song up on a good stereo and dancing around the house is advised, especially since it will cancel out the background whistles.

Fresh from their megahit “Something” earlier this year, some fans worried if returning to a cute vibe would hurt Girl’s Day’s chances for further popularity. From the sounds of the album, the girls have nothing to worry about! Way to go, Girl’s Day!

 

Grade: A-

JJCC (pronounced as Double JC) is a South Korean hip-hop boyband, created by Jackie Chan. The group was signed under the label, Jackie Chan Group Korea, making the first time that the chinese actor formed a boyband and debuted them in Korea. JJCC consists of 5 members: SimBa, E.co, EDDY, San-Cheong and Prince Mak, they debuted officially on Mnet’s M! Countdown, back in the 20th of last March.
The name of the band combines the words, ‘’Jackie Chan’’, with ‘’Joint Cultures’’, therefore, ‘’Jackie Chan Joint Cultures’’. However, the band’s name pronunciation, ‘’Double JC’’, stands for ‘’Double Joy Creative’’. Overall, Chan just wanted to spread K-pop, since he’s a fan of it and sees its potencial and development, while uniting cultures and creating the double joy, through Asia. So, for that reason, JJCC also symbolizes all the effort that Jackie Chan put on the group.

 

Each of the member received an individual training, especializing their own personality, stunts, vocal abilities, dancing skills, songwriting and, off course, rapping. There were no boundaries, Chan always made sure they knew every type of dances they could, including popping, b-boying or ballet. Will they only sing in Korean, you ask? No, aside from singing in the Korean language, JJCC also trained English and Chinese, so they could appeal to different countries. As for the members’ nationality, four of them are Korean (SimBa, E.co, EDDY, San-Cheong), and the other one is a mix of Chinese with Australian (Prince Mak). Do you wanna know a little more detail? Eddy competed on 2012’s ‘’Master Chef Korea’’, proving his good cooking skills, while Prince Mak participated on the Chinese version of the talent show, ‘’So You Think You Can Dance’’, back in 2013. SimBa was also at a TV show, he appeared on the second season of ‘’Let’s Go Dream Team!’’, this year.

 

But if you think Jackie Chan is all alone in this project, you’re totally wrong! Veteran producer-composer, Choi Jun-Young, helped the boyband with their songs while serving as their executive producer. Sha-Sha Lee also, helps the Chinese actor, being the official CEO of his record label.

 

Korean music is still very unknown in western cultures, however, with Chan’s presence on the management of the group, JJCC received some attention from American media prior their debut. They appeared in traditional papers and news outlets, such as, New York Post, making a possibility that, because of JJCC, K-pop can become more mainstream in USA or beyond.

 

The band has only one single, until this day. Their official debut song is called ‘’첨엔 다 그래’’ (which can be translated to “Everyone Is Like This At First”), however, the international title was shortened to simply ‘’At First’’. It’s a track that combines a melancholy hip-hop beat with bits of R&B. Unfortunatly, member Prince Mak doesn’t appear on the song’s music video due to injuries during the shoot.

 

The group promoted ‘’At First’’ on music shows, such as, Music Bank or Inkigayo, however, they also performed on a charity event, created by Jackie Chan, called, “2014 Peace, Love and Friendship”, in Beijing, on the 6th of last April.
A proposed new single may be coming out mid-July, 2014 with the possible title “Heart Attack”. We can only hope that it is true.

 

For many, K-Pop is more than just music: It’s a lifestyle. People choose different music for a variety of reasons, but the main reason is because it speaks to them in a whole different way other genres cannot. But why dislike a person or a particular genre just, because it’s something you may not listen to personally?

 

Dear K-Pop, We Hate You Because…
Many international K-Pop fans greet this issue. When some say K-Pop is their favorite genre or name a Korean artist as their favorite singer or group, sometimes this is met with sneers and snarky comments.

 

“I hear ‘how can you listen to that ching-chong music?’ all the time from my family. ‘How can you understand it? It’s not in English,’” a commenter said via an anonymous Survey Monkey survey. The survey drew over a hundred responses from people between the ages of 13-30 years-old. The majority of participants were female (80%), but some of the male participants also had plenty to add.

 

“I had a friend once who said he loves all music,” a male participant said. “I asked him if he liked K-Pop like I did and he said ‘heck no! Ew, who listens to that crap?”

 

Over the past decade, K-Pop’s popularity has grown with international fans. Many of them jumped onto the K-Pop bandwagon through listening to J-Pop and K-Pop artists who’ve crossed-over into that market; whereas others learned of K-Pop through Starcraft, online radio, and YouTube. However, while the international fandom continued, and continues, to grow, so does the number of “haters” who feel K-Pop is “over-processed,” “plastic,” “disgraceful,” and “not music.” With this, those who dislike the music extend the disdain to the fans, calling them “close-minded,” “racist,” “annoying,” and “defensive.” Online, many Facebook groups, Tumblr pages, and online forums document people’s dislikes.

 

On one Facebook anti-K-Pop page, some of the many reasons they list for hating K-Pop and its fans include:

• How some male performers look female
• Plastic surgery the idols undergo
• Auto-tuned vocals
• Fans are viewed as narrow-minded, “delusional,” and racist toward other country’s music
• Annoyed by fans using Korean words
• Annoyed by fans who feel K-Pop is superior to other genres
• Dislike how obsessed fans get over their idol biases

 

Only Connected to K-Pop?

Many of the issues brought up on many hate-forums are often issues that are not solely unique to the K-Pop industry, though.

 

For decades, all music genres have experienced their share of fanboys and fangirls. For example, when the Beatles and the “British Invasion” occurred in the 1960s, women would swoon over John, Paul, George, and Ringo and dress in British fashion; men would have their hair and clothes styled after many British boy bands for a touch of cool. During the 1980s when “hair bands” and glam rock were all the rage, men grew their hair to mimic the likes of Poison and Guns n’ Roses. And, Bon Jovi posters graced the walls of many females.

 

Today, most music is processed and auto-tuned so artists can bring their best voices forward; and young fans scream and cry over the likes of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and One Direction, even avidly defending them for their missteps. In fact, even non-Korean stars have their share of “sasaengs” and people who will do anything to feel closer to their idols.

 

“Plastic Barbie Dolls on Stage”

For many, K-Idols seem to go too heavy on plastic surgery. Even K-Fans will agree that the K-Pop industry and their need for idols to look perfect and fit a certain beauty ideal is a bit excessive.

 

Destinee, 36, a Reddit commenter, said “While I like the music, I can’t stand the plastic surgery. There’s too much! A lot of these people are nice-looking pre-debut. K-Pop is a business, yes. But, why take the business to people’s faces and bodies? This is what turns me off to K-Pop a lot of times. Why not just let talent speak for itself?”

 

South Korea is the leading market for plastic surgery, so it’s no surprise many idols undergo plastic surgery to achieve the right “look” from double-eyelid surgery, jaw shaving, cheek implants, and eye-widening surgery. Many feel that the image South Korean artists bring forth helps perpetuate impossible beauty ideals, especially for K-Pop’s preteen and teen target demographic.

 

“Each country has ideal beauty,” K-Blogger Maria Sanchez said on Tumblr. “While many see K-Pop as plastic Barbie dolls on stage, the same can be said for Hollywood actors and actresses. Even singers from across the globe may feel pressure to look or act a certain way by their companies. I do feel the K-Pop industry should allow more artists to be natural. It would be nice. In fact, if this happened, perhaps people will take K-Pop seriously as a musical genre as opposed to a fad.”

 

The Polarizing Genre

In the Survey Monkey poll, many participants said friends and family made them feel weird for liking K-Pop. Many said they had parents who felt K-Pop was the new “stage” for kids growing up; parents who commented were confused by the whole concept. As one participant said, “I am really not a fan of K-Pop. It all sounds alike to me. Is K-Pop, like, how the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC were for us in the 1990s? If so, kids will grow out of it in a few years, and this conversation won’t matter. If these kids turn out like me, they’ll laugh someday and wonder why they even listened to it or spent money on the merchandise.”

 

One comment that cropped up often was how listeners were made to feel as if they were turning their backs on their own country’s artists and music. Those who experienced these comments said they felt like they weren’t supposed to enjoy something they loved in fear of being ridiculed or bullied. Sammy, 18, was one of these people. She took down her K-Pop-related content on her Tumblr and Facebook pages because of the comments she received.

 

“Because of some attitudes people have with K-Pop, I feel like I should be locked in a closet,” said Sammy. “If I say anything or post a video on Facebook from B1A4, my bias group, I get teased. ‘Oh, that one looks like a girl!’ ‘The lyrics make no sense!’ Why should any of that bother anyone? I also, hear ‘Sam, why don’t you listen to American music?’ I do listen to American music! Just because I like K-Pop, it doesn’t mean I don’t like everything else.”

 

“I guess I’m one of those fans antis hate,” said Tumblr user D’Ante, 22. “My half-sister introduced me to Epik High about, maybe, five years ago? Since then, I haven’t listened to any American music. People stare at me funny since I am 6’2” black man in college, but who cares! I’ve even had my friends razz me and say I turned my ‘back on my roots’ according to them.”

 

But, K-Pop-hater Yumi feels differently: “People who like K-Pop act like they’re elitists, like they are cooler than everyone else. No, you’re not cool. You’re trying to be something you’re not. You’re not Korean. Your country has its own music, you should be supporting that and trying to make that music number one. Then, everyone is like ‘Oh! K-Pop is so cool! Saranghae, oppa!’ These idols aren’t your ‘oppa.’ And because of K-Pop’s rise, everyone forgets about their roots. Other countries’ music is forgotten too. A lot of these people who are like ‘wee, K-Pop everywhere!’ used to like J-Pop, now they hate it and act like Korean is perfect.”

 

Yumi’s comments are echoed on many anti-K-Pop sites, too. A lot of antis do not like how some K-Fans place K-Pop above other music, often without giving another music genre a chance or being open-minded toward other country’s music. Anti-fans would like to see K-Pop placed on a pedestal,l less. With this, they hope fans will not force the music upon them.

 

It’s Okay to Hate It… to a Point

While some of the anti-fans have great points in asking K-Pop fans to be more open-minded and less forceful, on the same token, many K-Pop fans feel antis could be nicer about stating their opinions.

 

Kelsey Pierce, 17, said “I respect anti-fans. I have many friends who are antis. However, these ones who hate for shallow reasons, these ones who call those of us who are fans ‘stupid,’ ‘blind,’ ‘deaf,’ and ‘foolish’ are the ones who get to me. Why am I all these things because I like Korean pop? If you have a good, valid reason for hating the music that makes me feel so happy and alive, then I am willing to listen. But don’t insult and put down others. What are you trying to achieve by being nasty? Are you hoping your meanness will make me stop loving my music?”

 

While antis feel those who love K-Pop are far from open-minded, this is also a sentiment shared with fans as the feel those against K-Pop should be less close-minded.

 

“My way of being open-minded is to make it a goal to figure out why a group is liked,” one survey responder said. “Open-mindedness is a much better alternative to hating other groups for getting so much attention. We could do with less hating in this world.”

 

Another responder said, “I don’t like K-Pop. I don’t want to like it. Don’t force it upon me. If you don’t, then I will accept your taste in music more.”

 

Find a Common Ground

Like with anything in life, there will be lovers and haters. Just because people are on opposite ends of the K-Pop-Love spectrum, it doesn’t have to be a fight to the death. If someone doesn’t enjoy it, don’t force them to, but on the same token, don’t make someone feel bad for loving something. Music doesn’t have to be polarizing.

Things I Learned While Watching Asian Film– Joelle Halon

Asian cinema has a lot to offer from weepy melodramas to outlandish comedies guaranteed to make you say “what the heck did I just watch?” That’s part of its beauty: There’s something for everyone, and most will keep viewers on their toes. Many of us eat these films up without a second thought.
Recently, I went to an Asian film marathon and engaged the part of my brain that spent years in school learning how to analyze and see the deeper meaning in things. As it turns out, I did not need to tap into these skills because Asian media often has a spill-over of life lessons for all to see, if they care to pay attention. It’s easy to learn something from these films as I found out. Here is what I discovered.

Trying to be Perfect May Not be Worth It
There are too many times we try to be perfect, fit into an ideal, or try to change in order to feel accepted in society. But, by trying to adapt to what people may want or expect from us, we get further away from who we really are. We should accept our flaws and let our beautiful selves shine! Remember, it’s okay…

 

 

…To Be Ourselves
You may be quirky, a tomboy, or an extreme girly-girl. You may be obsessed with a band, a hobby, or even a job. You could be like me: Dropping everything and struggling to chase the dream of becoming a writer, but you may want to be a singer or an actor. You may question your decisions. You may want to throw in the towel, scream your frustrations from a mountain, or even run away from it all. Some days, you may feel like the world wants you to conform, but it’s your responsibility to let your personality and every unique element that makes you who you are take center stage. You only have one life (YOLO!), so be you! No one else can take that from you, but keep in mind,

 

 

 

Life is Crazy-Unpredictable!
We can make all the plans we want, but fate may have something else in store. Always keep an open mind and never feel like your plans are cemented. Something will always come along to make you wonder why you planned anything at all and that fate’s plan may be the right path for you.

 

 

 

But it Really Depends on What Path You Take
According to movies, cars are pretty squirrelly and they will dramatically hit you during pivotal moments of your life. Fight with your boyfriend? Watch for them cars. Life-changing decisions need to be made? Perhaps it’s best to stay indoors in the comfort of your home under some comfy blankets and cushions. You need to run across town for a life-bettering job? For the love of puppies, look both ways before crossing the street! Otherwise, you will get hit and possibly die! Maybe you’re better off talking about things with friends.

 

 

Good Friends Will Hear You Out After All
You don’t have to deal with life’s struggles alone. If you have good friends, no matter how strange or indifferent they may be, they’ll have your back and may even help you fight the good fight. Don’t be afraid to be open!

 

 

 

 

If You’re Feeling Down, Your Friends Will Pick You Up
Great friends know when you’re in need. Even if you may need a shoulder to cry on, don’t forget that friends will make you laugh, helping troubled times feel better even if it’s a temporary high. You don’t have to be alone when you have amazing friends who may drop everything for you. But if you lack these types of friends,

 

 

Sometimes Family Will Lift You Up
With some families, if one person is struggling, everyone else will struggle with you, creating a unified front. In some instances, family may be the only people you can count on when your world feels like it’s falling to pieces. They may help you,

 

 

Even If it Feels Like They Don’t Accept You
You may be surprised how much a family can help, if something is awry. You may not always agree on lifestyle choices and different topics such as politics, religion, whether a raw food diet is acceptable for children, or even, if getting a tattoo on your face is a brilliant idea, but that doesn’t mean love isn’t there underneath all the differences.

 

 

 

Families are Quirky
Part of what makes different families unique is that they’re all a bunch of different people—blood relatives, adopted individuals, foster kids, furbabies, or even friends who feel like family— thrown together under one roof. Everyone is on a separate journey trying to find his or her place in the world. Not everyone can see eye-to-eye, but we can learn to accept each other’s weirdness in order to see the whole picture of what our own life roles may become.

 

Love Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
Sometimes, friends and family may not be enough, so choosing a mate is in order. When choosing a partner, love comes in many forms. Never settle, but don’t set your standards so high you may miss out on some wonderful adventures. The right person may be there in front of you, but you may miss that person, if you keep hoping for someone who looks like TOP and has Bang Yong Guk’s heart, brains, and creativity, and Himchan’s sense of style and goofy sense of humor. Trust me, if this person existed, he’d be mine anyway, so stop looking for this person. Just kidding, but seriously, love doesn’t have a standard.

 

 

 

Love Truthfully and with an Open Heart
Sometimes, we tend to close off aspects of ourselves when it comes to matters-of-the-heart. We may fear being judged by our partners, because of our pasts, our secrets, and our insecurities. Sometimes we feel that by closing off, we’re helping the other party, but we may end up pushing them away and hurting them despite our best intentions not to do so. Be open and truthful; you may
find you’re more of a team than you think.

 

 

 

 

Keep Promises
Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep. In relationships of any kind, promises are important and could mean a lot to the other person. Of course, if someone confesses a crime or something dangerous and asks you to promise to never tell, then all bets are off. Other than that, never bail on a promise.

 

 

 

Cherish Memories
Memories—good and bad—are important and help make you who you are. Memories are your story, so never hesitate to tell anyone your tale, so your memories will live on. You never know whom your tale may impact, and you may not realize how important these memories are until…

 

 

 

…You Realize Too Late
Then you don’t realize what you had was important until it’s gone. Do you ever wonder what your favorite memory is? Do you ever wish to continue to relive that memory repeatedly?
We all experience loss, heartache, and pain. Usually when this happens, we realize all the things we should have said and miss all the memories we could have made with loved ones. Instead of living with regret, try creating memories worth reflecting upon later on in life.

 

Most Importantly, Never Forget to Say “I Love You”
These small words carry so much weight. They’re so small, yet they can mean so much to someone even if they may not mean much to you. One day, you may miss your chance to say them, but by then, you may not have another chance.

 

 

Life is a Journey
Despite the melodrama, craziness, and times where we may understand where we’re headed, life is a journey, and we need to grasp it. This is what I learned.
Looking back, did you learn anything from watching anything in Asian cinema or television? What could you discover?

“What are the most popular Kdramas of all time?”
Juyeon Oh

For those of you who are very interested in Korean dramas, but can’t decide what to watch let me introduce you to a list of top 5 most popular Korean dramas of all time with a short summary of what they’re about.

First drama I would like to introduce is called ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ This story starts off as the main character Jan Di, who is an ordinary girl whose family owns a dry cleaning store, which is located by the luxurious and very well known Shin Hwa High School. Jan Di gets admitted to Shin Hwa High School by a swimming scholarship. In school, she tries to stay away from the four richest, and the most spoiled boys known as the F4, because she knows bad things will happen, if she gets involved in a situation with them. However, this all changes after she helps out a friend of hers who accidentally spilled ice cream on one of the members of the F4, Goo Joon Pyo. He treats her like she’s nothing and Jan Di sticks up for her friend, which gets her more involved with the F4. Now, I don’t want to give out all the details, so if you want to know what happens next, you’ll have to watch the drama.

 

Second drama I would recommend is called ‘Secret Garden.’ In this drama, Kim Joo Won is from a wealthy family. He runs a large company, which his family owns. Kim Joo Won’s cousin Oscar is a popular singer and he’s also a womanizer. Oscar asks Joo Won to pick up an actress Park Chae Rin from a shooting set, but Joo Won mistakes a stuntwoman Gil Ra Im for Park Chae Rin and takes Ra Im to a hotel. When they arrived at the hotel, Joo Won realizes that the woman he picked up isn’t the actress. During this time, he starts experiencing feelings towards the stuntwoman, even though she wasn’t his type. He tries to get her out of his mind, but he can’t stop thinking about her. One day, they end up switching bodies due to a magical accident and now they have to get use to each other’s lives.

 

 

 

 

 

The third drama I’d like to suggest is called ‘My Love From the Star.’ This drama is about an alien named Do Min Joon, who arrived on the earth 400 years ago during Joseon Dynasty, but he couldn’t go back to where he came from, because he missed his “flight” back home. He tries not to get involve with humans, but this soon changes when a new neighbor moves in next door, who is a famous actress named Cheon Song Yi. Do Min Joon has many different kinds of powers such as powerful strength, great hearing, able to stop time, visions of the future, telekinesis, teleportation, and more. He also has many degrees and has studied law, psychology, medicine, astronomy, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name of the fourth drama is ‘I Hear Your Voice.’ It’s a thriller/romantic comedy drama. Jang Hye Sung becomes a lawyer after she overcame her painful childhood memory. Park Soo Ha is another important character in this drama and he’s a 19-year-old boy who has the ability to read other people’s thoughts. Jang Hye Sung became Park Soo Ha’s first love after she went to court as a witness of Park Soo Ha’s father’s murder case 10 years ago. He promised to protect her from any danger and they reunite 10 years after the case and what they don’t know is that there is more danger coming their way.

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, the fifth drama I’ll be introducing today is ‘That winter, the Wind Blows.’ This is a melodrama about a man and a blind woman who both believe there is no such thing as love. Oh Soo is an orphan who was left heartbroken after his first love passed away and he becomes a gambler. Oh Young is a lonely character that feels like she has to look after herself and others after her parents get divorced. But, she slowly finds herself becoming blind. After these two come together, they find the true meaning of love.

 

You probably have your own favorites. Tell us your favorites.

5 Life Lessons To Learn From Korean Dramas

With the upward trend of Korean fever, otherwise known as K-fever, Korean songs and dramas have been spreading like fire. Even Korean cuisine has garnered its likes and is sprouting across almost every other street internationally. Gone are the times of Japanese dramas with Korean dramas becoming the IN thing. Those eye candies combined with beautiful scenery and the addictive nature of the storylines means a great audience base. Who knew that you could actually learn a thing or 2 from Korean drama amidst the lovey-dovey cast and addictive plot? Here are some things I picked up while watching Korean dramas.

1. Change is desired
Whether it’s the makeup, outfit, or hairstyle, a change would always do you good. It could change the way people look at you, the way you feel about yourself, thus changing your life forever.

Lesson learned- Embrace changes instead of sticking to your comfort zone. You may never know what to expect, but positive things will come along the way, because of your mindset and attitude.

 

 

 

 

2. Forgive and forget

 

 

 

 

 

No matter how annoying the ‘enemy’ may seem in those shows, Korean drama always teaches us to shake hands and make up in the end. Even if they seem all-out evil, unrepentant and even unbending, they usually back down no matter how difficult it seemed initially. Therefore, learn to forgive and forget and make up as two always works out better than one.

Lesson learned- Keep your peace and calm. It’s easier to not make enemies than forgive and forget. Learn not to take things to heart as each individual has their own viewpoints. If you have already established bad terms with people around you whether it may be your colleagues or friends, learn to take the step to work things out, so that there won’t always be that hatred and anger consuming you.

3. Being rich doesn’t make you happy

Let’s put it this way. If you watched the Korean version of Boys Over Flowers, the F4, they were rich spoiled brats. They were a bunch of rich and elite kids who only stuck to people of their own status and had literally no idea how to interact with others. What made the drama bearable was that the seemingly plain Jane female lead would appear and transform their lives and make them learn how to be part of the world.

Lesson learned- Being rich and having the money is desired by all, but it doesn’t instantly make you a good or better person. It also, doesn’t mean that being rich will make you happy. Learn to be content, live and like where you are currently. Achieving that entire monetary goal may give you the materialistic items you want, but eventually, being happy is of the utmost importance.

4. Get out More
In these dramas, there’s always beautiful scenery and wonderful sights. The cast are always going somewhere. Whether is it camping, watching stars, going to the beach or just driving the car to Busan or taking a domestic flight to Jeju, they were always getting out.
Lesson learned-Get out more and learn to appreciate the beauty of the world with new eyes. Even going to the same place twice with different people could allow you to learn and discover new wonders. Sometimes, it just reminds you of how beautiful your life is and how the problems you were facing now seem so small.

5. Don’t Worry, be happy
The most important lesson that Korean drama teaches is this. Whatever situation or fixes you get into, whether it’s falling for an alien, being that poor kid in town and lusting after the rich hot kid, a birth secret, amnesia, coming across stalkers, falling in love with the enemy’s son, sickness, or whatever it is, Kdramas always manage to find a way to end the drama happily 99% of the time.

Lesson learned-Whatever happens, learn to take it positively and things will eventually turn out well for you. It doesn’t help anyone or any situation to be mopping around when nothing is done about it. Why not get out there with a positive attitude and attract the positive to come your way!
Other than the hot bodied shower scenes and eye candies, what attracts you to watch Korean Dramas? Feel free to share with us on your takeaways from these shows!

Travel to Korea in Kpop Style

Are you a self-proclaimed fan of all things Korean? Be it, because of the country, the cuisine, the dazzling celebrities, wide array of skincare, flawless makeup, amazing scenery, pop music with great dance moves, Korea is sparking a huge spike in tourist visits.

Being a tourist in a foreign country with just an address in hand, it’s easy to get lost while trying to hunt down the popular Korean drama filming locations or celebrity spotting café. Here, we share some popular locations to visit, with details and addresses, so you can easily execute your trip in Kpop style!

SM Entertainment Location Guide

Are you a fan of SNSD, Super Junior, SHINee, f(x), EXO or Boa? Try your luck if you could spot some of these faces around their office building.

Subway: Apgujeong line 3 Exit 2
Take bus number 4419 and get off at the 3rd bus stop.You can actually see the old SM Ent Building across the street.

Follow the map below and walk to the new SM Ent Building.

Cheongdam-dong, 106

Hakrim Coffee – You From Another Star ??? ? ??

With the popularity of this show, it’s no wonder this little known café shot to fame.


Details:
Hakrim Coffee ????
?? ??? ??4? 94-294-2
Myeongnyun 4(sa)ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Opening Hours: 10am to 12:00 mid night
Nearest Subway: Hyehwa Line 4 Exit 3
The Café is located along the main street and look for the signage

 

Coffee Prince Cafe in Hongdae

Were you a fan of this popular show? Then drop by to have a look when you go Hondae!


Directions:
Subway: Hongik Uni line 2 exit 8

Kang Gary 2nd Restaurant – Pocha Center ???? ?

Running Man’s Kang Gary opens his 2nd Restaurant. Take the chance to see if you can spot him there!

Directions:Name: POkka Center
Tel: 02-543-5882
Address: ????? ??? ??? 536-6
Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 536-6
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 05:00
Subway: Sinsa station Line 3, Exit 8

Miss A’s Suzy Caffe Soo ? in Korea,GwangJu

Fan of Miss A’s Suzy? Try spotting her here.

Here’s the OVERVIEW map

Step 1: Take a KTX Train from Seoul to GwangJu.
Step 2: Take bus number 47 in front or back of GuwangJu Station. Bus Stop name: ?????

Step 3 : Get off at the 6th Bus Stop (Bus stop name: ?????). ( not counting the GuwangJu station bus stop )

Step 4: Walk straight and turn left. Caffe Soo is located opposite GwangJu Library.

Finally you should be able to see Caffe Soo. The picture below is still show the old shop but you should be able to see the new shop – Caffe Soo

Do share with us some of the filming locations and celebrity cafes you would like to visit, and we will come out with a Part 2 just for you!

A New Shining Star Emerges
J. Chung

 

Most of you would recognize and know Lee Michelle from the audition program K-pop Star back in December 2011. She certainly is the kind of person who sticks to one’s memory a long time.

Michelle took the stage away with her singing (Although some of the judges had to put in a few harsh words to criticize) when she sang Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain of Fools’ for her first audition. She certainly had a different level of volume to her voice that made her stand out from a crowd, which is practically her trademark: Her ability as a singer.
Michelle was born on 9th of September 1991 in Paju, South Korea to a Korean mother and an African American father and her parents divorced just before Michelle was born. Michelle has one brother and three sisters (two of them now live in America) and she’s the youngest member of the family.

Michelle must have had a lot of hardships while growing up in Korea. Growing up is hard for anybody, but being an interracial child in Korea must have been more than challenging. On top of that she had to experience poverty and would frequently go to school on an empty stomach.

But amidst of all her troubles, Michelle knew she loved to sing from an early age. She recalls her childhood saying she can never forget listening and singing to Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton’s cassette tapes her mother owned and trying to match the singing pitch with her sister.

K-pop Star gave her a chance to have a shot in a singing career she expressed that she found the kpop Star experience exciting and really enjoyed herself and was able to sing as much as she wanted to.

After K-pop Star, Michelle was signed to YG Entertainment as a girl group Supearls’ member along with her Kpop Star peers Lee Jung Mi, Lee Seung Joo, and Lee Ha Yi, but later in 2013 it was reported that the Supearls had disbanded for some unknown reason. The real reason behind the disbandment is not told by either any of the former band members or YG Entertainment, so we have no way of knowing what happened exactly except there was some kind of dispute. Since leaving YG Michelle has kept herself pretty busy singing in live stages in Hongdae areas and performing gospel songs at her church.
In March 2013, Michelle signed to her current label DIMA Entertainment, to finally undergo training to become a solo artist officially, as we wished she’d done years ago. And this isn’t just my personal opinion, she has fans from all over the globe who have been waiting for her to emerge as a solo artist since day one.

Lee Michelle’s first digital single, ’Without You’ has been out since 21st March. The song’s lyrics might not be what everyone could relate to, but nevertheless her voice is so beautiful and soothing to listen to. Like the lyrics to the song, she is beautiful and meaningful and she certainly knows it.

The music video also made a massive impact on the viewers. I took the time to watch some of the reaction videos from the fans and many of them got very tearful and some even cried out loud. How one person’s work effects and tells stories of others is amazing.
The child actor who appears in her music video is of mixed race like Michelle and she plays a part. And, she draws, writes and colors banned racist words on the wall and later… well for those who haven’t yet watched the music video please take the time to check it out.

And don’t get me wrong. ‘Without You’ is not about misery and loneliness but Michelle releases her emotions she’s had for so long, overpowering her weaknesses and standing up to everything that was hurting her in life. Michelle has said in one of her interviews how she doesn’t like to express and show her emotions because she knows she’ll be in pieces if she does. She says shed a lot of tears after she watched her music video. I hope they were happy tears because she made her fans thankful and happy hearing her song.
When I first saw the title I wondered who the “You” from ‘Without You’ really was, but after seeing the MV I came to the conclusion that it does not matter at all. The lyrics are about yourself and overcoming your fears, obstacles and everything that hinders you.
Lee Michelle is an inspiration for the people who are from mixed or diverse background and she takes pride in giving her hope for others. No one should be alone and the world still has a lot of educating to do.

Everyone needs to know they are beautiful and loved, I really love the fact that Michelle is doing something great to make an impact and she’s speaking out for herself and others which is something vital for the Korean society. And, of course, for the rest of the world.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lee Michelle, although I wasn’t lucky enough to meet her face-too-face since she was so busy. I contacted her management and, because I needed an interview within three days, they were decent enough to reply within the time limit with Michelle’s answers via email. I could feel she was such a warm and humble person through merely reading her words and I was very touched. For some of you who are wondering, her Korean is perfect as any Korean you’ll meet. And, her English is very proficient. She is definitely a full package to become a successful singer. She is so grown up for a 22 year old with such a modest and caring personality and she’s bound to shine like a star.

Hope you guys all enjoy the short interview from Lee Michelle and wish Michelle a great career.

GOT7 – Hot and Dedicated to Success  –  J Chung

Got7 is a seven member boyband who made their debut officially on Mnet’s M! Countdown on 16th of January this year.  Got7’s members are named JB (the leader, who appeared in Dream High 2) Mark, Jackson, Jr, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugeom. Unlike most other typical Korean boybands, three members of the band consist of guys who are not originally Korean.  Mark is a twenty year old Taiwanese American from Los Angeles.   Jackson is also, twenty years old from Hong Kong.  BamBam is from Thailand, and he is 17.  The rest of the members JB, Youngjae, Jr, Yugeom are born and raised in Korea.

On 10th January 2014, JYP released Got7’s debut teaser video on YouTube.  On January 15, 2014, Got7 released the music video for their debut song “Girls Girls Girls” from their first album Got it?

The album was released on the 20th, featuring six tracks including their first single “Girls Girls Girls”,  which later reached number 1 on many sites.  And, songs like “Hello,” “Playground,” “I Like You,” and “Follow Me”, also did well.  The album reached to the top on the Billboard World Album Charts and number 2 on Gaon Album Charts.  Got7, also has their own reality web show running called the Real GOT7 .

Their first single “Girls Girls Girls” was written and produced by Jin-Young Park, a.k.a JYP, the CEO who signed them.  One of the Got7 members, Jr- has the same name as JYP, thus the management decided on renaming him Junior to avoid any confusion.

GOT7, also signed a contract with Sony Music in Japan, then on 4th of April they held a showcase called “GOT7 Showcase 1st Impact in Japan” in Ryougoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo in the presence of a crowd of 10,000.

A unique point about the group is that Got7’s dance performances display moves derived from martial arts combined with b-boying and since the boys are highly proficient in b-boying and martial art tricking, it makes it all the more interesting to watch them perform.

Got7 has their official fan club called ‘I Got7’, which the boys indicate, because number 7 is considered lucky, they want the fans to say they are lucky to have all the members in the group.

Their next album will be out in late June of this year.  We managed to get their interview, and it seems that they worked extremely hard to bring this to fruition.  We wish the guys would enjoy themselves in bringing new kinds of music to the Kpop industry.  And, that they would have a massive success and stay 7.

 

Hello Got7 members!  Was becoming a singer your childhood dream, or did you have other careers in mind?

Jackson:  I used to be a fencer, getting the gold medal was my dream. I became interested in hop hip while being a fencer, so I was also interested in becoming a singer.

Bambam:  Yes, I wanted be a singer since I was young.

Mark:  I had no idea I would become a singer.  After getting cast and going through various trainees’ show cases, I really wanted to become one.

Yugeom:  My dream was to become a singer since childhood.

Youngjae:  I enjoyed cooking and art at first, but as I stared singing, I built my dreams to become a singer.

Jr:  I wanted to be a singer since I was young.

JB:  No, my initial dream was to be a B-boy. But, now my dream is to become a singer who makes good music.

 

Who do you most respect in the world.

Jackson:  I respect my parents. They were both athletes.  Their sincerity, and their mind to do their best is very outstanding.  I thank my parents for giving birth to me.

BamBam:  My mother.

Mark:  My parents.

Yugyeom:  My parents.

Youngjae:  My father.

Jr:  My father.

JB:  My family, because I learn a lot from my parents.

 

Are there any places in the world you want to travel in the future?

Jackson:  I’ve traveled a lot when I was an athlete.  Right now, I’d like to visit Thailand where BamBam lives.

BamBam:  Want to travel to Dubai.

Mark:  Paris.

Yugeom:  The U.S and the U.K.

Youngjae:  Africa.

Jr:  France, the U,K, the U.S.A.  There are so many other countries besides that  I’d want to visit.

JB:  The U.S and Japan.

 

Which color do you like the best?

Jackson:  I like black. Most of my outfits are black.

BamBam:  I like gold, pink and black.

Mark:  Red.
Yugyeom:  I like all the pastel toned colors.

Youngjae:  Red.

Jr:  I like blue.

JB:  Saint blue.

 

What kind of food do you like to have usually?

Jackson:  I like pizza and pasta. I also like Chinese and Korean food.  I am not picky with food, but I can’t eat spicy stuff that well.

BamBam:  Stewed chicken.

Mark:  I like types of stewed soups.

Yugeom:  I like rice and meat.

Youngjae:  I like chicken.

Jr:  White rice.

JB:  Korean food, I like types of stews and rice.

 

Do you have any bad habits?

Jackson:  I don’t have any bad habits in particular. I use my computer with the light switched off, but I want to fix that habit, ‘cause it’s bad for my eyesight.

BamBam:  I keep rotating my neck, because I have pain at the back of my neck.

Mark:  I don’t have any bad habits.

Yugeom:  I don’t have any habits.

Youngjae:  Biting my lips. I wanna fix from getting annoyed easily.

Jr:  I have a lot of sleep in the morning.

JB:  I tend to have the habit of sticking my chin out a lot.

 

Do you have any complaints about the other members, or any requests you would like to tell them?

Jackson:  There isn’t any.

BamBam:  Our members talk to each other often, so there isn’t anything to complain about.

Mark:  There isn’t anything to complain about.

Yugeom:  There isn’t any.

Youngjae:  Nope.

Jr:  I don’t have any complaints.

JB:  There isn’t anything so far, our members get along so well.

 

Are there any bands you consider a rival to Got7?

Jackson:  15&, who is also a new band in our company.  I wish we’d both try very hard, and later get recognition as artists.

BamBam:  I think the fundamental thing is to win against yourself.

Mark:  No.

Yugeom:  No.

Youngjae:  There isn’t anyone we consider as rivals.

Jr:  No, there isn’t.

JB:  Because, we are still new comers, the best thing for us right now is to just try our best.

 

What kind of person is your ideal girl?

Jackson:  A woman who is healthy.  And, someone suited to me.

BamBam:  I like women with short hair.

Yugeom:  Just someone I like.

Youngjae:  My ideal is someone I like.

Jr:  Someone who goes well with me, who loves to do her own work, would be my ideal.

Jaebum:  Someone who catches my eye.

 

Has anything changed for you after your debut?

Jackson:  I began to see more of what I lack and thought I should put more effort into work.

BamBam:  People recognize me when I’m out and about.

Mark:  When I’m walking in the streets, sometimes I get recognized by people.

Yugeom:  I feel that I have to get down to more practice!

Youngjae:  On anything I do, I act out more carefully.

Jr:  There’s more stuff to prepare for in the morning than before.

JB:  I began to think we need more practice.  And, that our skills still need more work.
We will try our best.

 

Do you have any wishes for the future?

Jackson:  I wish Got7 will be able to show a more elaborate performance with better music.

BamBam:  I really want us to get the new artist award. We’ll put in a lot of effort.

Mark:  I wish our group, Got7 will do well.

Yugeom:  I wish I could become a singer like Chris Brown and be recognised in every field.  And, also, I want our team members to be together forever.

Youngjae:  I want to become really good at singing.

Jr:  I want Got7, myself and everyone around me to become successful and live happily.

JB:  I want to understand music more and be extremely good at it.  And, learn to love it more.

 

What kind of songs or genres are you into?  Do you have any artists you like?

Jackson:  I like hip hop.  And, the artist I like is Ludacris.

BamBam:  My role model is G-Dragon.

Mark:  I like R&B and hip hop.

Yugeom:  I like hip hop, R&B.  And, Chris Brown is the artist I like the most.

Youngjae:  I like R&B.  And, I like Luther Vandross.  And, I want to sing like him.

Jr:  R&B, jazz are my favorite genres.  I like artists like Michael Jackson, Usher, Justin Timberlake.

JB:  I like genres like R&B, Soul.  And, D’angelo is the artist I like.

 

Could you state the school subjects you were confident in or really poor at?

Jackson:  I was confident in economics, but I wasn’t so in science.

Yugeom:  I was very good at Korean language, but I was the least confident in math.

Youngjae:  I was the most confident in Korean language and least confident in math.

Jr:  I was the most confident in math and not as much in social science.

JB:  I was the good at math and science, but I was not so strong in other subjects that require memorization.

 

Which performance do you remember the most?

Jackson:  The first performance Got7 had I remember the best.

BamBam:  I remember the performance we had on M Countdown in Yokohama, Japan, because it was the first time we were performing in front of a crowd that massive since our debut.

Mark:  I remember our debut performance the most.

Yugeom:  The first performance we had as our debut.

Youngjae:  The first showcase we had in Korea.

Jr:  Our debut performance.

JB:  The first performance we had was the most memorable.

 

What is the one thing you can be the best at?

Jackson:  I never give up on anything I am doing. I’ll try my best until the end.

BamBam:  Taiwanese rapping.

Mark:  Martial arts tricking

Yugeom:  I can do the best free style dance.

Youngjae:  Singing.

Jr:  I’m best at dancing and speaking.

JB:  I am good at making an effort continuously.

 

What is the most important to you?

Jackson:  My family and Got7 are the most important to me.

BamBam:  My family and Got7.

Mark:  Family.

Yugeom:  Our team, family and everyone whom I consider precious to me. And the fans.

Younjae:  Family, friends and the group members.

Jr:  Family.

JB:  Family, music.

 

Could you say a few words to the fans in America?

Jackson:  I’m going to work hard and never give up!!

BamBam:  SEE YOU SOON ^

Mark:  I hope that we can see you guys soon…

Yugeom:  Really wanna meet you.  Want to come see you with a great performance in the future.  Please hold on.  I LOVE YOU!

Youngjae:  We’ll come back with a great song soon.  We wish you’ll stay around.

Jr:  I love you.  See you soon!

JB:  We will strive to become artists who work hard.  We ask for a lot of interest and love from you guys. ^^

 

Listen to this interview or article on your Alexa device or app: https://amzn.to/34t7TUt

Got7 ‘Girls Girls Girls’ lyrics and English translation           Lyrics and music by Jin-Young Park

JB)노력하지 않아도 왜 그런지 몰라 나만 보면 자지러져 놀라 내 Look 내 Style 내 Swagger

E.T) I don’t even try and I don’t know why, but when they see me they go crazy
My look, my style, my swagger

Jr) Oh 아무것도 안해도 그냥 내가 좋아 쳐다보면 가볍게 다가가 그냥 Hey girl, How’re you doing?

E.T) Oh even when I’m doing nothing, if I look and glance at them to casually say “Hey girl! How’re you doing?” (hey)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love meJackson) 나는 왜 몸이 이러는 거니

(E.T) What’s up with my body

All) Girls Girls Girls They love meYugeom) 어릴 적부터 계속 쭉 영원히

E.T) From birth until forever

BamBam) 나는 나타나기만 해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I just show up (oh my)

Mark) 그를 바라보기만 해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I just glance (oh my)

Yugeom) 그냥 숨쉬기만 해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I’m just breathing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love me JB) 살짝만 웃어도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I only smile a little (oh my)
Jr) 몸을 살짝만 흔들어도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I just move my body slightly (oh oh my)
Jackson) 나는 아무것도 안해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I do nothing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love me
JB)좋은건지 아닌지 아직 잘 몰라매일 유혹이 너무나도 많아

E.T) This girl That girl 하루종일
Don’t know whether it’s a good thing or or not

So many temptations everydayThis girl.

That girl. All day long.

Jr)Oh 마음을 아주 착하게 한명만 골라 만나보려고 해도나를 놓아주질 않아 어쩌면 좋아
E.T) I wanna pick one nice girl to meet but they simply won’t let me go. What should I do (hey)

All)Girls Girls Girls They love me
Jackson) 나는 왜 몸이 이러는 거니

E.T) What’s up with my body

All) Girls Girls Girls They love meYoungjae)어릴 적부터 계속 쭉 영원히

E.T) From birth until forever
BamBam) 난 나타나기만 해도 (어머나)
Even if I just show up (oh my)

Mark) 그를 바라보기만 해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I just glance (oh my)
Yugeom) 그냥 숨쉬기만 해도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I’m just breathing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love me
JB) 살짝만 웃어도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I just smile a little (oh my)

Jr.) 몸을 살짝만 흔들어도 (어머나)

E.T) Even if I just move my body slightly (oh my)

Jackson) 나는 아무것도 안해도 (어머나)
E.T) Even if I do nothing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love meBamBam) Yo uh! 과장하지 말라고 과장이면 좋겠어 제발 노래 가사라고 생각하지 말고 내말 있는 그대로 믿어줘아 꼬아서 듣지말고 내 얘기 잘 좀 들어줘아 이해가 될진 모르겠지만 난 자석을 먹은 것처럼 주위여자를 내 몸이 그냥 혼자서 잡아당기는걸 되는걸 어째오늘 벌써 몇번째 그랬는지 몰라식을줄 모르는 이놈의 인기는 대체 어째

E.T) Yo Uh! But I’m not exaggerating, I wish I was but unfortunately I’m not. This is not a lyrics from a song, just believe my words as they are. Don’t regard it twisted, please listen to me. Don’t know if you’ll understand, but it’s like I ate a magnet. My body pulls the girls around me, can’t do a thing. So many times already today? I’m just too damn popular

Mark) 맞아 나이가 많건 적건 동생이건 누나건 날 잡고 붙잡고 좋다고 같이 놀자고 날 알던 모르던 어쨌건아 뭐하냐고 잠깐만 좀 얘기하자고 쌍둥이라도 있으면 좋겠어 정말 매트릭스처럼 복제라도 할까 날 내 몸은 하난데 요구는 계속 있으니

(E.T) Right, every lady wants a piece of me. Whether they’re young or old, they grab me and say let’s play. Whether they know me or not they say “Whatcha doing?” “Let’s talk for a while “I wish I had a twin or should I clone myself like Matrix. I only have one body, but they keep demanding me. Every lady wants a piece of me

BamBam)나는 나타나기만 해도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I just show up (oh my)

Mark) 그를 바라보기만 해도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I just glance (oh my)
Yugeom) 그냥 숨쉬기만 해도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I’m just breathing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love me JB) 살짝만 웃어도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I just smile a little (oh my)

Jr) 몸을 살짝만 흔들어도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I just move my body slightly (oh my)

Jackson) 나는 아무것도 안해도 (어머나)

(E.T) Even if I do nothing (oh my)

All) Girls Girls Girls They love me

 

Interview with Lee Michelle
J. Chung

 

Tell us about you and your family while you were growing up.

Because my mother was the head of the family, she was very strict and at times kind of stern. My siblings’ personalities were nearly all like that as well but when it was time to play, we had lots of humorous laughs and fun.
The youngest of my older sisters played a mother’s role for me a lot particularly on my character building.

 

How old were you when you started singing and when did you discover you had a talent?

Since I was 5~6 years old I used to sing along to the songs playing on TV or the radio and used to sing harmonizing with my sister. When I was a freshman in High school I learned singing at a practical music academy for a short while and the teacher there said I had talent. I started learning singing properly when I became a junior in High school.

 

Could you name some of the singers/ entertainers you admire?

For Korean artists, I admire Moon-Sae Lee, Yong-Pil Cho and Lyn. (She added선배님 after each of their names. Sun-bae is a respectful term meaning ‘senior’)
For oversee’s artists I admire Beyonce, Idia Arie and Ledisi.

 

What is your favorite song?

It always depends. Nowadays I listen to ‘Treasure’ by Bruno Mars the most.

 

Are you satisfied of the reactions from your fans of your ‘Without you’ music video?

I am just so grateful rather than just being satisfied. I’m just very thankful ‘cause I hadn’t thought there would be so many fans are out there liking and supporting me. All the more I’m just happy because of the people who are content from listening to my music.

 

If you were to have three wishes, what would you wish for?

I don’t have any wishes, I am just content with the current life God has given me.

 

Do you have any special skills?

I am able to think positively in any given situation, even if it’s the gloomiest state. I am at times more naive than I need to be.

 

What is most important to you?

In meeting with God.

 

Do you have a boyfriend or a crush?

I sometimes make one up when I sing.

 

Tell us more about your ideal person.

I like someone who is like a bear. My ideal is someone who is heavy and attractive, rather than a tall person with good looks.

 

What are the kind of clothes you enjoy wearing normally?

I like wearing shirts, Man to Man T-shirts and jackets. It’s always the best to dress casually.

 

In the past, have you had part-time jobs or other kinds of work while you were at school?

When I was a high schooler I had to earn the tuition fee for the academy so I got a job at a fast food restaurant. I took orders, worked as a cashier and made burgers.

 

Michelle, you are so busy these days but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to watch videos of other artists on youtube, I can also watch concerts I couldn’t go to in person. When I listen to diverse music I often feel that I want to make better music.

 

What are your dreams and plans for the future?

When I first started music I had in mind that “I must make music if there is even just one single person in this world who is happy, encouraged or be comforted through my music.” I wish I would continue without losing that in mind and make music of diverse genres and contents.

 

Currently the craving for Kpop in the U.S is huge. Please say a few words to the American fans and also the fans from everywhere else! We wish you the best for your career and hope you’ll only have great things coming your way.

First, I thank you all very much. I’ve always considered myself a very small person, thank you very much for loving me and my music.I sing about something not everyone can sing about, but I hope make music that anyone can sing along to easily. Please root for me, I am going to try to be that kind of an artist.A singer who sings about life. Thank you!

 

 

Michelle Lee is a Korean female singer and music instructor from Paju, South Korea. After successfully auditioning for K-pop Star Season 1 in 2011, she eventually was signed to YG Entertainment as part of a new girl group called Su:Pearls. However, after two years of training, the group was suddenly disbanded before they could debut, and Lee’s contract was nullified.

This is Kcrush first magazine issue. you can buy it for $6.75 .

Bulgogi beef, a staple in Korean cuisine, is a dish that is made with thin slices of marinated beef. Bulgogi translates to fire meat in Korean since it is usually cooked on a grill.**
According to CNN, bulgogi was named one of the tastiest meals in the world in 2011. It’s easy to taste why! The grilled meat is rich in smoky warmth due to hints of cayenne and serrano peppers with just enough honey-sweetness to temper the taste.  Served over rice, this dish is a filling, delightful meal.

While bulgogi is a favorite for many Koreans and International food lovers, one of the qualms people may have is the soy sauce used to marinate the meat. Some people may not like the taste, and others may be allergic. If you fit into either category, bulgogi may seem like a food that needs to be avoided. It doesn’t have to be the case!

After some trial-and-error, a recipe does exist to make bulgogi that tastes just as good as the soy sauce version, and all it takes is a few simple ingredients you may have in your house right now.

**This recipe will use a cast iron skillet.

Main Dish

 

Marinade Ingredients

· 1 ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

· ½ tsp Serrano Peppers (optional)

· 2 tsp Paprika

· 2-2 ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

· 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder OR Six Medium Cloves of Garlic, Minced

· 1/3 Cup of Sugar

· ½ tsp-1 tbsp. Honey

· ½ tsp Sea Salt

 

Additional Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of Flank Steak, London Broil, OR Equivalent
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Side Dish:

• 2 Cups Jasmine or White Rice
• 3 Cups Water

 

Tools

• Meat Tenderizer
• Spoon
• Mixing Bowl
• Plate or Cutting Board
• Large Serrated Knife
• Ziploc Bag
• Microwave Safe Baking Dish
• Cast Iron Skillet
• Tongs

Preparation

• In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients together with a spoon. Ingredients should form a rust-colored paste. 1
• Take meat and drizzle it with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Massage the oil into the meat so it is evenly coated.  This preps the meat to help it stay tender and moist.
• Use the meat tenderizer to pound the meat until it is a half-inch thick. This will help beat the oil into the meat better to prepare it for grilling.
• Rub the marinade paste all over the meat, coating it generously. Massage the ingredients into the meat well in order to make sure it is evenly coated for maximum flavor.
• With the serrated knife, cut the meat into strips. The strips should measure half-an-inch in thickness; length does not matter.
• Rub the meat with more marinade if you desire to coat the cut sections.
• Place the marinated meat in a Ziploc bag and place it in the fridge for 24-hours to enhance the smoky flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

Side-Dish Prep

20-minutes before cooking the beef, cook the rice. Since the meat will cook quickly, you don’t want it to burn or get cold before the rice is ready.

• Place two cups of rice into the microwave safe dish.
• Add three cups of water to the rice and mix it up.
• Place the rice in the microwave to cook by setting the timer on two cycles: One with the timer set to seven minutes on power setting ten; the second set time for 13 minutes on power-level seven. Start the microwave to allow rice to cook.

• Spray the skillet with a nonstick cooking spray in order to prevent the meat from burning and sticking.

• Turn the stovetop dial to high heat and allow the skillet to heat up.

• When the pan is hot, place the meat in it; the meat should sizzle as it hits.

• Let the meat brown on both sides, stirring and flipping it using the tongs to make sure it doesn’t stick. When meat is brown, slice a few pieces to see if it cooked throughout. Meat should be just slightly below well-done. 3

• Remove from heat.

• Serve the bulgogi immediately over rice, spooning the cooked marinade onto it.

There you have it: Tasty, delicious bulgogi that is tasty for all foodies! Just wait until you try it!
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