IFANS PROJECT UPDATE: Online Interview with BigBang Fan

iFans: Mapping K-pop’s International Fandom is a digital project that examines the attitudes, practices and creative output of global K-pop fans. VIPs (as fans of BigBang are called) were given the opportunity to participate in an online interview with questions geared toward their experience as BigBang fans. Whale, a VIP, wrote about the criticisms about BigBang as well as the…

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Battle: Going for Legend

Battle debuted in December 2006 after being formed on the popular television show Let’s Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa!. The group consisted of five members: Ryu (Won Seung Jae), Ki-hyun (Shin Ki Hyun), Lio (Park Ji Woon), Tae-hwa (Jin Tae Hwa), Hwi-chan (Kim Tae Kwan), and Chris (Jung Hyung Rok). The group members were personally chosen by…

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Piggy Dolls: Not Your Ordinary Girls?

Piggy Dolls is signed with LOEN Entertainment and debuted in early 2011 with members Min Sun (Kim Min Sun), Jiyeon (Lee Ji Yeon) and Jieun (Lee Ji Eun). The group’s name and unique concept was based on their looks, which went against the Korean beauty standard of maintaining a slim momjjang (good body shape) and instead focused…

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Byul: SoKo’s Female Balladeer

Byul (Kim Go Eun) is a solo artist known for her prolific work in singing ballads for Korean television and film. Her name, (별,) means “star” in Korean. While she was discovered by Jin Young Park (JYP) and was signed for a short while with JYP Entertainment, Byul is currently signed with Spring Entertainment.  In…

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Hallyu Harmony Update: S.E.S – Original Queens of K-pop

S.E.S is an acronym for “Sea, Eugene, Shoo,” the names of the three members of the group. Formed in 1997 by SM Entertainment, this female group consisted of Sea (better known as Bada, born Choi Sung Hee), Eugene (Kim Yoo Jin) and Shoo (Yoo Soo Young) and became the first successful female group in the…

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NRG: Spreading Energy

New Radiancy Group (NRG) was a popular male pop/dance group that debuted under the Music Factory label in the fall of 1997. The group was formed out of the duo HamoHamo, whose members were Lee Sung Jin and Chun Myung Hoon. NRG was founded with those members and the addition of three new members:Moon Sung…

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Wheesung: Slow Song Namja?

Wheesung (Choi Hwee Sung) is known for his penchant for R&B music. While he originally started his career as a part of the kpop group A4, Wheesung, debuted as a solo artist in 2002, signing with M Boat, a sister company with YG Entertainment. During his career, Wheesung won several awards for his soulful music….

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B.A.P.: Badmen

B.A.P (Best Absolute Perfect) was formed in 2012 under the TS Entertainment label. The six-member hip hop group includes Yongguk (Bang Yong Guk), Himchan (Kim Him Chan), Daehyun (Jung Dae Hyun), Youngjae (Yoo Young Jae), Jongup (Moon Jong Up), and Zelo (Choi Jun Hong). The group had a very strong debut, showcasing their strong personalities…

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2AM: K-pop’s Balladeers

2AM debuted in 2008 under JYP Entertainment. A subunit of One Day (made up of 2AM and 2PM), 2AM has four members: Lee Chang Min (Changmin), Im Seul Ong (Seulong), Jo Kwon (Jo Kwon), and Jeong Jin Woon (Jinwoon). The group is known for their emotional singing and moving ballads, which fits the group name…

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