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stuart a. Kallen Featuring quirky horse-riding dance moves and an infectious electronic beat, an unlikely and its leading man made history in 2012. In December of that year, “” reached billion hits on YouTube—the most views ever. Seemingly overnight, the South Korean pop star behind the hit— ( Jae-sang)—became a household name.

But Psy is just part of the story. Other South Korean pop sensations such as Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, and BigBang are part of a global sensation called Hallyu, or the . South Korean bands are performing to sold out arenas all over the world, and fans can’t get enough of South Korean music, films, television, food, and manhwa (cartoons).

K-Pop: Korea’s Musical Explosion traces the journey of South Korean , from the early influences of ‘n’ roll in the 1950s to the success of a tiger-eyed sensation called , who wowed American audiences in the early 2000s. Discover how this Korean , and those who came after him, rose through ’s star-making system through grueling hard work to seduce international audiences with their tight choreographies, irresistible beats, outrageous outfits, and exciting stage shows. You’ll become part of the K-Pop fandom world too!

REINFORCED BINDING Stuart A. Kallen

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOOKS / MINNEAPOLIS To all those fans of K-Pop and Hallyu all over the world. Keep on poppin’! —S.K.

Copyright © 2014 by Stuart A. Kallen

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Twenty-First Century Books A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.

For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kallen, Stuart A., 1955– K-pop : Korea’s musical explosion / by Stuart A. Kallen. p. cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–1–4677–2042–7 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) ISBN 978–1–4677–2549–1 (eBook) 1. Popular music—Korea (South)—History and criticism—Juvenile literature. I. Title. ML3928.K35K66 2014 781.63095195—dc23 2013009293

Manufactured in the of America 1 – PC – 12/31/13 Table of contents chapter 1: The emergence of K-Pop 4

chapter 2: The star Factory 16

chapter 3: The Korean Wave 30

chapter 4: K-Pop style 43

Glossary 56

Must-have Playlist 57

source notes 58

selected Bibliography 59

Further information 60

index 62 chapter 1: The emergence of K-POP

South Korean pop exploded onto the world stage in the summer of 2012. That year the “Gangnam Style” video by the South Korean , rapper, and dancer known as Psy went through the roof on YouTube. Psy—whose real name is Park Jae-sang— was little known outside his native land. However, his “Gangnam Style” video, with its catchy electronic beats and amusing horse-riding dance moves, struck a universal chord. Within weeks of its July release, Psy’s video became a worldwide sensation.

Psy shows off his horse-riding dance moves during a performance of “Gangnam style” on The Today show in september 2012.

4 By the end of 2012, “Gangnam Style” had become the most popular online video in history, with one billion hits on YouTube. Psy was invited to perform his song and dance on several American television shows, including The Today Show , , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2013 . Psy’s -heavy, hip-hop music is part of the Korean pop, or K-Pop, genre. While many Americans and Europeans discovered the music in 2012, K-Pop artists have been performing and recording throughout the world since the 1990s. South innovators laid the foundations for the style in the 1950s. Without these pioneers, K-Pop might not have become an international craze in 2012.

Korea’s Godfather of rock South Korea’s musical traditions date back centuries, but the first pop music was brought to the country by US soldiers fighting the during the early 1950s. After the war ended in 1953, the Americans remained, stationed in more than two dozen military bases around the country. By the mid-1950s, American GIs were introducing Koreans in the nation’s capital of to the rock-and-roll sounds of Bill Haley & His Comets, Elvis Presley, The rock-and-roll music of american(above) and Chuck Berry. South Korea’s singers such as elvis Presley influenced in south Korea during the 1950s and the 1960s.

The eMerGence OF K-POP 5 military government considered immoral and banned it. But according to the music historian known as Egon: “The American records . . . made their way to the progressive populace via sessions at [South Korea’s] teahouses, whose owners smuggled the records into their collections.” Shin Joong-hyun was among the teenagers who heard Elvis and other rockers in Seoul teahouses. He learned to play and decided to become a rock star. In 1957 he changed his name to Jackie Shin and started playing music at clubs south Korean guitarist Jackie shin, shown here in 2011, wrote songs and and social gatherings on US performed during the experimental Army bases in South Korea. pop music era of the 1960s. During the 1960s, Shin became Korea’s biggest rock star. He played songs he wrote, and he also composed hit songs for other Korean pop acts. Those performing Shin’s songs included the duo the Pearl Sisters and the female folksinger Kim -mi. During this era, Shin was inspired by Western artists including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jefferson Airplane. By the late 1960s, Shin had become an accomplished guitarist. Like many players, he imitated the Jimi Hendrix sound. This included distorting and bending the tones of his electric guitar, using sound effects such as the fuzz tone and wah-wah pedal.

6 K-POP: KOrea’s Musical exPlOsiOn THE PEARL SISTERS In the late 1960s, the Pearl Sisters were among the top recording acts in South Korea. However, the group’s success was an accident. In 1967 group founder Bae In-soon decided, on a whim, to enter a singing competition hosted by the US Army. She mesmerized the soldiers in the audience and won the contest. That night, she persuaded her sister, Bae In-sook, to form a duet. They named their group the Pearl Sisters. The Pearl Sisters had singing talent, but they did not have original songs. They auditioned for Jackie Shin, who was already producing The Pearl sisters found some of South Korea’s top musical success with their first artists. Shin liked what he heard album, My Dear, in 1968. and began writing and producing songs for the sisters. The duo’s first album, My Dear (1968), was an instant success. The record featured songs written by Shin, such as the hit “A Cup of Coffee.” The album also featured American tunes such as Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” but was sung in Korean. My Dear sold more than one million copies, and the Pearl Sisters remained extremely popular until they broke up in the mid-1970s.

During this time, South Korea was run by a military regime headed by Park Chung-hee. Park helped transform South Korea from one of the poorest nations in the world to an economic powerhouse by developing a manufacturing and electronics industrial base. But Park believed —especially Shin’s music—was subversive. Park barred Shin from performing and banned his music from the radio. After Park died in 1979, the

The eMerGence OF K-POP 7 government lifted the ban on Shin’s music. But by this time, music tastes in South Korea had changed, favoring syrupy love ballads and bubblegum music. These upbeat sounds with innocent lyrics were written for mainstream tastes. Few Koreans were interested in hearing Shin’s . Looking back in 2008, Shin explained, “It was all . . . ‘Let’s be happy’ kind of stuff. It was completely physical, with no spirit, no mentality, no humanity. That trend has carried over all the way to today.”

singing and Dancing Because of changing tastes, Shin’s rock career was over by 1980. He opened a bar called Woodstock in Seoul. It became a popular music venue. Although Shin stopped recording, his music proved to have a lasting influence on Korean pop, and he became known as South Korea’s Godfather of Rock. One of Shin’s fans, Soo-man, went on to become the prime promoter of K-Pop in the 1990s. Born in 1952, Lee was awakened to the sounds of South Korean rock in the 1960s. As he later recalled, “When I saw the Pearl Sisters, with their singing and dancing, I thought that was the style for me.” Lee began his career in the entertainment business in 1971, playing guitar and singing folk songs. In the following years, he also worked as a DJ for the hit radio show Viva Pops and as show host on South Korean TV. Lee formed the heavy metal band Lee Soo Man and 365 Days in 1980. The heavy metal sound—which features loud, distorted , extended bass and drum solos, and screaming vocals—was new to South Korea. Lee’s band was the first to play the style. However, another repressive South Korean president, Chun Doo-hwan, imposed strict censorship on entertainers and the media. In 1981 Lee decided he had no future in the South Korean entertainment business. He moved to Southern California, where he attended college.

“a lot Korea could learn” While living in the United States, Lee witnessed the birth of MTV, television’s music video channel, which launched on August 1, 1981. By 1983 MTV had become an international sensation. It featured fast-paced videos with the hottest new singers, dancers, and musicians. US writer Mark James Russell says:

it was the age of. . . skinny ties, big shoulder pads, and bigger hair. it was the age of tinny bubblegum pop and cheesy lite metal bands. it was the age of . lee soaked it all in and decided that there was a lot Korea could learn.

In 1985 Lee returned home with a plan to introduce South Korea to the flashy dance moves and slick pop music he had seen on MTV. In 1988 his dreams began to take shape when he founded lee soo-man, pictured here in SM Entertainment, a music 2010, founded the sM entertainment in 1988. his company recording studio and artist has produced and managed some of management business. the biggest artists in K-Pop music.

The eMerGence OF K-POP 9 Glossary ballad: a song, usually with a slow tempo, that tells a story bubblegum: a style of music with bouncy rhythms, innocent lyrics, and sing-along choruses. The music is geared toward preteens and teens. debut: the first public appearance of a person, record, or video Hallyu: in English, the word means “Korean Wave” and describes the worldwide interest in all things South Korean, including music, food, films, and fashion K-Pop: an abbreviation for Korean Pop, popular music produced in South Korea, commonly under the star-factory system run by the nation’s three major entertainment agencies, SM, YG, and JYP : a musical style that emerged in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the late 1980s. The music, popularized by in the United States and Taiji & Boys in South Korea, draws on a number of genres including hip-hop, dance pop, soul, , smooth jazz, and R&B. producer: a person who works with a band to manage and oversee the songwriting, recording, and performing processes rhythm and blues (R&B): a musical style developed by twentieth-century African American artists who merged gospel harmonies, swinging blues rhythms, and soulful lead vocals royalty: a percentage of sales paid to a writer or songwriter for the creation of a book, song, or other artistic work synthesizer: an electronic keyboard instrument that produces unique sounds or imitates other instruments such as drums, violins, or horns. The synthesizer is also sometimes referred to simply as a synth.

56 Must-Have Album Playlist 2NE1 Psy 2NE1 , 2009 PSY from the Psycho World! , 2001 2NE1 2nd Mini Album, 2011 PSYFive , 2010 BigBang PSY 6, 2012 BigBang , Vol. 1, 2006 Rain Remember , 2008 It’s Raining, 2004 BigBang Live Concert: Alive Tour in Rain’s World, 2006 Seoul , 2013 Rainism , 2008 BoA ID; Peace B, 2000 Seo Taiji & Boys I , 1992 Listen to My Heart, 2002 Seo Taiji & Boys II , 1993 Valenti , 2003 Seo Taiji & Boys III , 1994 Fin.K.L S.E.S. Fine Killing Liberty, 1998 Love , 1999 Now , 2000 Letter from Greenland, 2000 G-Dragon Shin Joong-hyun Heartbreaker , 2009 Beautiful Rivers and Mountains: The G-Dragon and TOP Sound of South Korea’s Shin Joong-hyun , 2011 GD & TOP, 2010 Girls’ Generation Super Junior 05, 2005 Girls’ Generation, 2007 Sorry , Sorry, 2009 Gee , 2009 , 2010 The Boys, 2011 Mr. Simple, 2011 I Got a Boy, 2013 Super Junior—M H.O.T. Me , 2008 We Hate All Kinds of Violence, 1996 H.O.T.—99 Live in Seoul, 2000 Pearl Sisters Pearl Sisters Hits: Complete Collection , 1991

57 Source Notes 6 Egon, “The Godfather of South Korean 39 James Brooks, “: The Rise Rock,” NPR, September 11, 2008, http:// of Korean Wave,” , November www.npr.org/templates/story/story 2, 2011, http://pitchfork.com/features/ .php?storyId=94247883. articles/8700-to-anyone-the-rise-of- 8 Mark James Russell, Pop Goes Korea korean-wave. (Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 44 Brian Hiatt, “Can Psy Move Past 2008), 143. ‘Gangnam Style’ ?,” , 8 Ibid., 135. December 6, 2012, 22. 9 Ibid., 139. 45 Ibid. 12 Ibid., 144. 46 Vital Warning, “Psy’s ‘Right Now’ Gets Banned by the Ministry of 13 Ibid. Gender Equality and Family,” , 14 Ibid. September 6, 2011, http://www.allkpop .com/2011/09/psys-right-now-gets- 21 Victoria Huynh, “10 Reasons Why the banned-by-the-ministry-of-gender- Kpop Fandom Is Not Like the Rest,” equality-and-family. Ningin, June 2, 2011, http://blog.ningin. com/2011/06/02/10-reasons-why-the- 47 Roger Hamilton, “6 Trips to Get to kpop-fandom-is-not-like-the-rest. Gangnam 1 Billion Views,” NextUp. , February 13, 2013, http://www 21 Ibid. .nextupasia.com/6-trips-to-get-to- 21 Ibid. gangnam-1-billion-views. 22 Russell, Pop Goes Korea , 154–155. 47 Michelle Nichols, “U.N. Chief to Meet South Korean Pop Star, Austrian 27 “BoA’s Bio,” JpopAsia , February 28, 2013, Skydiver,” , October 23, 2012, http://www.jpopasia.com/celebrity/boa. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012 28 Simon Stawski and Martina Stawski, /10/23/entertainment-us-un-gangnam- “Jumping BoAs and Kpop Fan Groups,” skydive-idUSBRE89M12L20121023. Eat Your Kimchi , October 27, 2010, 49 , “GD and TOP—Knock Out,” Mad http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/jumping- Decent , January 20, 2011, http://www boas-kpop-fan-groups. .maddecent.com/blog/gd-and-top- 32 Russell, Pop Goes Korea , 146. knock-out. 33 Ibid., 147–148. 50 Joseph Lapin, “BIG BANG—Honda Center—November 3, 2012,” OC 33 Deborah Sontag, “The Ambassador,” Weekly , November 5, 2012, http://blogs New York Times , January 29, 2006, .ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/11 http://www.nytimes.com/2006 /bigbang_honda_center_k-pop.php. /01/29/arts/music/29sont. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. 53 August Brown, “Live Review: K-Pop’s 2NE1 at Nokia Theater,” 33 Ibid. Times , August 25, 2012, http://articles 34 Ibid. .latimes.com/2012/aug/25 36 Ibid. /entertainment/la-et-ms-live-review- kpops--at-nokia-theatre-20120825. 39 Robert Michael Poole, “A K-Pop Sensation Plays Letterman,” Wall 53 Choi, “The Globalization of K-Pop,” Street Journal , January 31, 2012, http:// Situations , 71. blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/01/31/girls- 54 Brown, “Live Review.” generation-plays-letterman. 39 Yun-Jung Choi, “The Globalization of K-Pop,” Situations, Winter 2011, 70.

58 Selected Bibliography Barry, Robert. “Gangnam Style & How the World Woke Up to the Genius of K-Pop.” Quietus , December 18, 2012. http://thequietus.com/articles/11001-psy-gangnam-style-k-pop. “BoA’s Bio.” JpopAsia , February 28, 2013. http://www.jpopasia.com/celebrity/boa. Brooks, James. “To Anyone: The Rise of Korean Wave.” Pitchfork , November 2, 2011. http:// pitchfork.com/features/articles/8700-to-anyone-the-rise-of-korean-wave. Brown, August. “Live Review: K-Pop’s 2NE1 at Nokia Theater.” Los Angeles Times , August 25, 2012. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/25/entertainment/la-et-ms-live-review- kpops-2ne1-at-nokia-theatre-20120825. Choi, Yun-Jung. “The Globalization of K-Pop.” Situations , Winter 2011, 69–75. Diplo. “GD and TOP—Knock Out.” Mad Decent , January 20, 2011. http://www.maddecent.com /blog/gd-and-top-knock-out. Doyle, Patrick. “Things You Didn’t Know about Psy.” Rolling Stone , November 22, 2012. Egon. “The Godfather of South Korean Rock.” NPR , September 11, 2008. http://www.npr.org /templates/story/story.php?storyId=94247883. Hamilton, Roger. “6 Trips to Get to Gangnam 1 Billion Views.” NextUp.Asia , February 13, 2013. http://www.nextupasia.com/6-trips-to-get-to-gangnam-1-billion-views. Hiatt, Brian. “Can Psy Move Past ‘Gangnam Style’ ?” Rolling Stone , December 6, 2012, 22. Huynh, Victoria. “10 Reasons Why the K-pop Fandom Is Not Like the Rest.” Ningin , June 2, 2011. http://blog.ningin.com/2011/06/02/10-reasons-why-the-kpop-fandom-is-not-like- the-rest. Lapin, Joseph. “BIG BANG—Honda Center—November 3, 2012.” OC Weekly , November 5, 2012. http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/11/bigbang_honda_center_k-pop. php. Maliangkay, Roald. “Hard Acts to Follow: Seo Tae-ji Phenomenon in the 1990s.” K-Pop Essentials for Academics, September 24, 2011. http://kpopreader.com/2011/09/24/ hard-acts-to-follow-seo-tae-ji-phenomenon-in-the-1990s. Nichols, Michelle. “U.N. Chief to Meet South Korean Pop Star, Austrian Skydiver.” Reuters , October 23, 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/23/entertainment-us-un- gangnam-skydive-idUSBRE89M12L20121023. Russell, Mark James. Pop Goes Korea . Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2008. Sontag, Deborah. “The Ambassador.” New York Time s, January 29, 2006. http://www .nytimes.com/2006/01/29/arts/music/29sont.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. Stawski, Simon, and Martina Stawski. “Jumping BoAs and Kpop Fan Groups.” Eat Your Kimchi , October 27, 2010. http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/jumping-boas-kpop-fan-groups. Vital Warning. “Psy’s ‘Right Now’ Gets Banned by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.” allkpop , September 6, 2011. http://www.allkpop.com/2011/09/psys-right-now-gets- banned-by-the-ministry-of-gender-equality-and-family. Woo, Michelle. “10 Old-School K-Pop Bands to Make You Remember Why You Fell in Love with K-Pop.” OC Weekly , October 10, 2012. http://blogs.ocweekly.com/ heardmentality/2012/10/10_old-school_k-pop_bands_to_m.php?page=2.

59 Further Information Books Chi, Crystal, and Sangoh Bae, eds. K-Pop Lyrics Vol. 2—Girls Generation . Seoul: SlowBooks, 2012. The second of nine volumes about K-Pop includes the lyrics of Girls’ Generation songs translated to English. Other groups in the series include PSY, Super Junior, and 2NE1. Mendelson, Aaron. American R&B: Gospel Grooves, Funky Drummers, and Soul Power. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2013. This book in the American Music Milestones series gives a great overview of the history of R&B music in the United States and includes must-have playlists to learn more about the genre. Miller, Jennifer A. South Korea . Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2012. This book offers a quick and easy exploration of the culture, environment, and people of South Korea. Russell, Mark James. Pop Goes Korea . Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2008. Written by an American living in Seoul, this is one of the few books for kids that covers the development of South Korean film, television, comics, and music since the 1950s. Sacks, Nathan. American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs, and Hard Beats . Minneapolis: Twenty- First Century Books, 2013. This book in the American Music Milestones series gives a great overview of the history of hip-hop music in the United States and includes must-have playlists to learn more about the genre. Shim, Elizabeth, and Allie H. Yoo. Seoul Sweet Seoul . Lawrence, MA: Small Planet Publishing, 2011. This guide to modern Seoul is written by two young Korean American writers who describe South Korean culture through the context of K-Pop.

Websites AllKPop http://www.allkpop.com Since it was launched in 2007, this site has been covering the rising popularity of K-Pop. With more than five million monthly readers worldwide, Allkpop features videos, photos, news, live cams, tour schedules, and more from the biggest South Korean stars. Eat Your Kimchi http://www.eatyourkimchi.com This site is maintained by a Canadian couple, Simon Stawski and Martina Stawski, who moved to South Korea in 2008 and began posting videos about their new lives. The site has evolved into a K-Pop mainstay with blogs, music videos, and record charts.

60 GoKpop http://www.gokpop.com This site features an alphabetical listing of K-pop groups along with biographies and pictures. The Charts section has weekly music sales charts that allow visitors to click on a song and watch the accompanying music video. Kpopedia http://www.kpopedia.com Launched in 2001, this site is a source of K-Pop music, history, news, events, celebrity gossip, and videos. K-Pop Essentials for Academics http://kpopreader.com This site provides in-depth coverage of K-Pop music, stars, and history along with articles and book reviews concerning South Korean food, film, television, and other cultural topics. Korea.net http://www.korea.net The official website of the Republic of South Korea features details about South Korean history, government, business, art, music, sports, food, and other cultural matters. Mnet http://global.mnet.com One of the most all-inclusive K-Pop sites on the web, Mnet features videos, concert footage, and fan polls. The site also has a video fashion show called “Stitch,” in which David Yi provides tips for how to dress like the biggest K-Pop stars. Rain http://rain-jihoon.com/n2/eng The official website of the entertainer Rain provides photos, videos, messages from the singer, and tour dates. SMTOWN http://www.smtown.com The official English-language site of SM Entertainment provides news, videos, and sound clips from the company’s latest South Korean sensations. Soshified http://www.soshified.com This website, hosted by the international fan club for Girls’ Generation, draws 10 million views every month. It features the videos, news, reviews, English translations of song lyrics, gossip, and well-written editorials for SONEs—fans obsessed with Girls’ Generation and its subgroups. YG Family http://www.ygfamily.com This site, presented in English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese, features news, music, videos, and other information about the hottest acts coming out of YG Entertainment, including BigBang, 2NE1, G-Dragon, and Psy.

61 Index Bae In-sook, 7. See also Pearl Sisters, the H.O.T. (High Five of Teenagers), 18–20; Bae In-soon, 7. See also Pearl Sisters, the , 29; movies, 20; songs, 19–20 ballads, 8, 12, 19, 24, 56 Hyun Jin-young, 17 Bi, 33. See also Rain BigBang, 46, 47–50; albums, 55; Best jazz, 24 Worldwide Act award, 49; songwriting, 48; -Pop (Japanese Pop), 31; pop chart, 39 world tour, 49–50 Jung Ji-hoon. See Rain “Big Three” Labels (Korea), 46. See also JYP JYP Entertainment, 32, 46; star training Entertainment; SM Entertainment; YG system, 32–33. See also Park Jin-young Entertainment BoA, 26–28; achievements, 27; albums, Kangta, 18–19, 22. See also H.O.T. (High Five 27, 29; Asia Song Festival, 28; in , of Teenagers) 27–28; songwriting, 27 KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), 24 Braun, Scooter, 44 KCON, 54 bubblegum pop, 8–9, 56. See also K-Pop kimchi, 54 Korean War, 5 Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2013, 5 Korean Wave (Hallyu), 38; beginnings of, DSP Media, 25 30–31; in , 30, 33; in , 30; in Israel, 33; in Japan, 31, 33–34; K-dramas, : beats, 4; dance sounds, 31, 33, 54; in Morocco, 33; second- 17, 19; fuzz tone, 6; keyboards, 45; generation artists, 41; in Southeast Asia, , 11, 16, 56; wah-wah pedal, 6 30, 33–34; in Turkey, 30, 33; in the United Ellen DeGeneres Show, The, 5, 43 States, 30, 33 K-Pop, 4–5; dance, 11; electronic influences, fandom: Blackjacks, 52; protests, 22; 34, 40, 45; endorsements, 20, 50; relationship to stars, 12, 21; spazz, 21, 28, experiments, 12–13; Facebook, 30; fans, 50 11, 12, 14, 20–22, 24–25, 28, 34–35, Fin.K.L, 25–26; albums, 29 37, 50, 54; fashion, 19; heavy metal influences, 12; hip-hop influences, 34, 45, “Gangnam Style,” 4–5, 43. See also Psy 48; history of, 5–8; house influences, G-Dragon, 48–49; songs, 55. See 48; industry, 53–54; iTunes, 30, 47; also BigBang languages, 38; modern, 14; new records, “Gee,” 39. See also Girls’ Generation 39; R&B influences, 34, 48; training of Gibson, Laurieann, 50 stars, 18, 22, 27, 32–33; urban sounds, 48 Girls’ Generation, 38–41; albums, 40, 42; Kwon Boa, 26. See also BoA Red Hot Chili Peppers, 40; , 40 Late Show with David Letterman, The, 41 government censorship (Korean): in the arts, , 25–26. See also Fin.K.L 6–8, 12; in media, 10, 20, 24, 45–46 Lee Soo-man, 8–10 Lee Soo Man and 365 days, 8 Hallyu. See Korean Wave (Hallyu) Han Geng, 37. See also Super Junior manga, 36 , 8–9, 10, 14 , 51. See also 2NE1 hip-hop influences on K-Pop, 27; beats, MTV, 9; Asia Awards, 27, 34; Best 10–11; fashion, 17; music, 10–11, 45; rap, International Video, 20; European Music 10–11, 19 Awards, 49; Korea, 31

62 new jack swing, 11, 41 Shin, Jackie, 6. See also Shin Joong-hyun Shin Joong-hyun, 6–9; songs, 15; Western Olympics, Summer 1988, 10 inspirations, 6. , 10 Park Jae-sang, 4–5. See also Psy SM Entertainment, 9–10; business practices, Park Jin-young, 32, 46. See also JYP 20, 22–23; history of, 46; marketing Entertainment strategy, 26; recruitment, 18–19, 22–23, Pearl Sisters, the, 6–8; songs, 7, 15 36; setback, 16–17; star training system, playlists, 15, 29, 42, 55, 57 18, 22–23, 28, 41; success, 17 Psy, 4–5, 43–47; albums, 45–47, 55; Berklee South Korean economy, 7 College of Music, 44; controversies, 45; Super Junior, 31, 36–38; albums, 36, 38, 42; dance moves, 47; early life, 44–45; Game subgroups, 37–38 Changer of the Year, 44; Guinness World Records, 43. See also Park Jae-sang Today Show, The, 5 punk: attitude, 10; hard-core, 14 2NE1, 46, 50–53; aggressive look, 52–53; albums, 55; fans, 52; songs, 50–52 Queen, 44 US Army: Korean bases, 5–6; singing Rain, 31–36; as an actor, 33–35; albums, competitions in Korea, 7 33–34, 42; fans, 34–35; Most Beautiful People, 35; MTV Movie Awards, 35; Star will.i.am, 53 of the Year, 34; success, 34; Time 100 , the, 46. See also JYP Most Influential People, 35; tours, 31 Entertainment rhythm and blues (R&B), 11, 24, 25, 56 Woodstock bar, 8, 10. See also Shin Joong- rock and roll, 5, 19; alternative, 14; hyun experimental, 8 Yang Hyun-suk, 10, 46. See also Seo Taiji & Saturday Night Live, 5 Boys; YG Entertainment school system: in Japan, 11; in Korea, 10–11 YG Entertainment, 46–48, 51; Family Seo Taiji, 10–13; solo career, 14; songs, 15 Concert, 46 Seo Taiji & Boys, 10–11; breakup, 13–14; YouTube, 4–5, 30, 39, 49; K-Pop hits, 51; innovation, 12–13; songs, 10–11 Most Viewed Video, 47 Seoul, 16 S.E.S., 23–24; albums, 24–25, 29; controversy, 24; songs, 23–24

63 About the Author Stuart A. Kallen has written more than 250 nonfiction books for children and young adults over the past twenty years. His books have covered a wide arc of human history, culture, and science from the building of the pyramids to the music of the twenty-first century. Some of his recent titles include Che Guevara: You Win or You Die , The History of Latin Music , and The History of R&B. Kallen, who lives in San Diego, California, is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Photo Acknowledgments The images in this book are used with the permission of: © Emily Harris/Independent Picture Service (geometric pattern design); © Login/Shutterstock.com, p. 1; REUTERS/ Brendan McDermid, p. 4; © Charles Trainor/Time & life Pictures/Getty Images, p. 5; © Yohhap/epa/CORBIS, p. 6; © Independent Picture Service, p. 7, 11, 17, 24; PRPP_Pacific Rim Photo Press/Newscom, p. 9; Yonhap News/YNA/Newscom, pp. 13, 14; © Lain Masterton/Alamy, p. 16; © Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images, pp. 19 (top), 23 (all); JS4/ZCH Wenn Photos/Newscom, p. 19 (bottom); © Ted Aljibe/ AFP/Getty Images, p. 21; © Starnews/AFP/Stringer/Getty Images, p. 26; © Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images, p. 28; Kimm Hee-Chul/EPA/Newscom, p. 30; © Juliana Malucelli/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection, p. 35; © Sam Yeh/AFP/ Getty Images, p. 37; © Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images, p. 40; AP Photo/ Michael Rozman/Warner Bros, p. 43; © Reuters/CORBIS, p. 44; © ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images, p. 48; © The Chosunilbo JNS/Multi-Bits via Getty Images, p. 52; Peter Kaminski/Wikimedia Commons, p. 54. Front cover: © Login/Shutterstock.com, (mosaic pattern); © iStockphoto.com/ dwphotos (crowd); © Emily Harris/Independent Picture Service (geometric pattern design).

Main body text set in Adrianna 12/16. Typeface provied by Chank.

64 STUART A. KALLEN has written more than 250 nonfiction books for children and young adults over the past twenty years. His books have covered countless aspects of human history, culture, and science from the building of the pyramids to the history of R&B and other musical genres. For Twenty-First Century Books, he has written a number of titles including Che Guevara: You Win or You Die; We Are Not Beasts of Burden: Cesar Chavez and the Delano Grape Strike, California, 1965-1970; and The Race to Discover the AIDS Virus: Luc Montagnier vs Robert Gallo. Kallen, who lives in San Diego, California, is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist.

FRONT COVER: © Login/Shutterstock.com, (mosaic pattern); © iStockphoto.com/dwphotos (crowd); © Emily Harris/Independent Picture Service (geometric pattern design).

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOOKS A DIVISION OF LERNER PUBLISHING GROUP 241 FIRST AVENUE NORTH • MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55401 WWW.LERNERBOOKS.COM PRINTED AND BOUND IN U.S.A. south Korean pop music, or K-Pop, made history when the “Gangnam style” video reached one billion hits on youTube in 2012. since then fans in the united states and around the globe have caught hallyu (the Korean Wave) fever. Packing arenas for the fun dance moves, irresistible electronic beats, and amazing stage shows of bands such as Girls’ Generation and BigBang, K-Pop fans can’t get enough of these sensational acts!