K-pop celebs a growing force for tourism in pandemic-hit South Korea
SEOUL: On a chilly January afternoon, four young men are at a white and wooden kitchen studio set up at a traditional Korean house, cooking up a street-meets-royal Korean dish. They are Woobin, Hyeongjun, Seongmin and Allen — members of nine-piece rookie boy band Cravity — who are making gungjung tteokbokki, a less spicy and […]
First Black K-pop singer Reid writing ‘against-all-odds’ memoir on idol life
SEOUL: From BLACKPINK and NCT 127 to GOT7, the K-pop industry as of late has seen a noticeable boost in diversity in respect to members’ nationalities and racial backgrounds. But still, the ethnic and regional makeup of international K-pop talents today is largely oriented towards East and Southeast Asia. All things considered, it wouldn’t be […]
K-pop stars break out of glossy idol image with musical roles
Seoul: At the height of his K-pop career this week, Hwang Min-hyun, a member of five-piece boy band NU’EST, launched a new show business career which his fans scarcely expected. The 24-year-old Hwang appeared to his fans in his first acting role in the famous musical, “Marie Antoinette,” as the show’s main male character, […]
K-pop, ‘hallyu’ emerge as powerful marketing tools for Korean consumer goods
Sejong: At a trade fair exhibiting Korean goods in Bangkok in June, whenever a customer came to the small booth where he was promoting beauty products, Jake Choi would use his smartphone to show them a video clip as part of his sales pitch. The three-minute video includes a scene of popular South Korean […]
BTS hits front page of U.N. website
A one-minute YouTube video featuring world stars BTS’ partnership with UNICEF is on the front of the official homepage of the United Nations, giving a message of hope and happiness for young generations, the website showed Thursday. The short video shows the band engaging in the U.N. Children’s Fund’s campaign for “Generation Unlimited” and promoting […]
New army of K-pop stars breeds generation of avid young hallyu fans
As K-pop band BTS’ latest hip hop song, “Dionysus,” hit the speakers at a small dance studio on a quiet backstreet of Shinjuku district in Tokyo one Saturday morning in May, a group of Japanese boys and girls swung their arms back and forth in sync with the music, their eyes focused and serious. After […]
K-pop superfans’ craze for special items creates new potential market
Choi Seo-hyun, a big fan of BTS, recently bought a card bearing a photo of band member Jungkook via Twitter. The card was from the boy band’s latest album, “Love Yourself: Answer,” which comes with a random photo of one of the seven members. “It’s a probability of one in seven,” said Choi. “If you […]
Seoul to build K-pop arena by 2024
A K-pop performance hall will be built in northern Seoul by 2024 to attract more foreign tourists, the city government said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled its plan to establish a cultural complex near Changdong Station on subway Line No. 1 in Dobong-gu, the 18,400-seat Seoul Arena as its key project. Construction is scheduled to […]
[Indonesia Report] Living in a foreign country is exciting, adventuresome experience
![[Indonesia Report] Living in a foreign country is exciting, adventuresome experience](http://www.theasian.asia/wp-content/themes/city-desk/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theasian.asia%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F10%2FUnknown.jpg&q=90&w=160&h=106&zc=1 "[Indonesia Report] Living in a foreign country is exciting, adventuresome experience")
Psy concert in City Hall, Seoul (October 4, 2012) (Photo: www.kzoz.com) Living in a foreign country with different language and cultural background could be an exciting as well as adventuresome experience. Especially when one has to be involved in the society where majority does not adopt English in their daily life. When I first came to Seoul, I was […]
Leader of K-Pop Group Meets Press
Tae Yeon, header of South Korea’s pop group Girls’ Generation, answers questions during a press conference for foreign media in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on Nov. 1, 2010. <Xinhua/He Lulu> news@theasian.asia
![[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯](http://www.theasian.asia/wp-content/themes/city-desk/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theasian.asia%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FAshraf-2novel-news_9601.jpg&q=90&w=300&h=0&zc=1 "[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯")
