Exclusive! - K-Soul Magazine

Autumn 2012
Exclusive
English
Interview
with
e
e
IN
SH
d
l
r
Wo
Exclusive!
Dance Issue
Check out information
about the dance scene
in Korea and
multi-lingual studios
R-16 World
Breakdancing
SHINee World II
Finals
U-Kiss Interview
JYP Nation
R-16 World Finals
Letter
From the editor
Dear K-Soul Readers,
Editor
Rebecca Bredin
Contributing Writers
Rebecca Bredin
Alice Auriol
Translation
Alyssa Beyer
Eda Tseinyev
HyeonJeong Lee
Design Editor
Kevin Yee
www.ksoulmag.com
Happy autumn! I hope that, for those of
you in the northern hemisphere, you’re
enjoying the cooling weather after what was
quite a hot summer, and those in the southern
hemisphere are looking forward to a glorious
summer ahead.
Normally, K-Soul magazine plans on
releasing on the first day of the season, which
means we were due in September. However,
since this is just a new magazine, we had
timing problems on our end. We hope that
we’re making up for this issue though with our
exclusive interview with U-Kiss!
When we went about trying to pick who
to approach for interviews, U-Kiss seemed the
natural choice for our first featured artist. Well
known among international K-Pop fans,
travelling around the world to perform as much
as they can, U-Kiss have really been making a
solid name for Korean pop music
internationally, so of course we wanted them
on the cover of our magazine!
We’ve made some great successes in
the past few months! With your continued
support, we’re hoping to be able to provide
more articles and interviews for our winter
issue. As we continue to grow as a magazine,
we’re hoping our readership will also continue
to grow. If you enjoy what we’re doing here at
K-Soul magazine, we encourage you to check
out our donate page. The magazine is currently
being funded out of staff pocket, and this
current issue will cost us about 350,000 won.
If everyone who downloaded the magazine
last time donated only $2, the magazine would
be able to grow at the amazing rate it is now!
Please consider it.
Thanks for downloading and reading!
~Rebecca Bredin
ThisIssue
Feature Article
Dancing In Seoul
Dance Studios In Seoul
K-Soul’s first interview is with the
ever international group, U-KISS! We
speak to Soohyun, Kiseop, Eli, Hoon,
Kevin and Dongho in this 8 page
special about the past, present and
future.
Page 11
K-Pop and
Concert Reviews
How to get into a Music
Show Taping: Before You Go
Quick tips about one of the biggest holidays on the Korean caleandar!
Page 18
SHINee World II
SHINee brought down in one of the
biggest concerts of the summer.
Page 20
JYP Nation
The JYP Entertainment family got together for a great concert this summer!
Page 24
Three dance studios that offer English
language services in Seoul are profiled,
and we speak to Thomax Chee, a
choreographer in Seoul.
Page 5
R-16 Breakdancing Finals
The world’s break dancing communitiy
comes together in July for a weekend of
intense competition.
Page 7
Seoul
Essentials
Seoul’s Soul:
Cheonggyecheon
This issue, we look at the Cheonggye
stream that runs through the core of
Seoul, and the lantern festival that
happens every November!
Page 4
Chuseok: Quick tips
Quick tips about one of the biggest
holidays on the Korean caleandar!
Page 2
1
Holiday Facts
In the fall, there is one holiday that dominates all others:
Chuseok. Chuseok is the Korean thanksgiving, and usually gets three
days of holidays around the end of September. These three days off
are public holidays, so if you are employed in South Korea, you should
be getting three days off for this holiday. Unfortunately, Chuseok falls
on September 30th this year, a Sunday, which means that depending
on your employer, the dates are not set in stone, except for Monday
October 1st. In some cases for public holidays, if you they land on a
weekend in Korea, that’s tough, and you won’t get the day off. Chuseok,
however, is one of the most important holidays in Korea, so even the
strictest hagwon will require a few days off, because there will be few
students. Seoul’s population has only boomed over the past couple of
decades, so many of them trace their roots back to more rural areas
in Korea. Traditionally, families return to their hometowns, visiting
parents and grandparents, honouring their ancestors and preparing for
the autumn. Since the art of making kimchi is passed down through
families, many families take advantage of this visit home to make
kimchi with their grandparents.
2
Things to do
Chuseok is a fantastic opportunity for people in Korea to get their tourist on. Seoul
experiences a bit of an exodus out of the city, so things are a little quieter than normal. It is a
fantastic time to get to experience South Korean temples, castles, and other traditional areas.
Buildings such as Gyeongbokgung Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung (the
major palaces in Seoul) will be open and hosting traditional games and performances. As well,
the Korean Folk Village, which hosts permanent events throughout the year, will be offering
more seasonal activities for Chuseok. If you’re on a tight budget, there are many gorgeous,
free places to visit. With the weather finally cooling down, it’s a fantastic time to consider
challenging one of South Korea’s many mountains. Or, for the history fan, Suwon’s Hwaseong
Fortress provides a beautiful walk, over 5km in length. While in Suwon, be sure to try their beef
galbi, a city specialty.
Services Available
Some foreigners in Seoul are lucky enough to be invited to celebrate chuseok with
Korean friends or co-workers. However, for many in the major cities, Chuseok becomes a
fantastic five-day weekend. Generally, services are uninterrupted through chuseok. On the
main day of the holiday, most shops will be closed, including many supermarkets and grocery
stores. Subways and busses will be running on their Sunday/Holiday schedules throughout
the three days, and many national monuments will be open to the public. Services like banking
can be hit or miss, so do not depend on your bank being open. Just to be safe, take out enough
money to last you the three days. If you do run out of cash, it will still be fine to use your card
at cashiers.
3
Seoul’s Soul
Cheonggyecheon
As the hot, humid heat of summer fades away
into the crisp, cool days of fall, the idea of venturing
outside and away from the air conditioner may begin
to sound more tempting. If you’re in Seoul, Cheonggyecheon is a must-see in the autumn.
Cheonggyecheon, which literally means
“clear water stream”, has a long history in Seoul. It
dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, where it was then
named the Gaecheon and used as a drainage system.
Over time, as the population of Seoul exploded and
people began to live along the stream in makeshift
houses, the quality of the stream deteriorated rapidly and was an eyesore. Seoul decided to cover the
stream with concrete and created an elevated highway over the stream. At the time, it was considered
an example of successful modernization of South
Korea.
However, in 2003, Lee Myungbak, who was
then the mayor of Seoul, created a project to restore
the stream. Despite the fact the project was met with
much opposition, the project was considered important, as it brought back nature and eco-friendly
urban design, which had been ignored for the decades before as South Korea rushed towards modernization. The project would also help to restore
the history and culture of ancient Seoul to the centre
of the modern city, and would hopefully bring new
business and economy to the districts along it.
In 2005, the stream was finally opened to the
public. The highway that had originally been built
over the stream was removed, reducing traffic in the
area and dramatically changing the atmosphere of
the entire area.
Today, the stream is a popular place to meet
and walk along throughout the year, however, it
takes on even more character and charm in late fall,
as the Seoul Lantern Festival takes over a kilometre of the 8.4km stream. Separate from the Lotus
Lantern Festival that takes place in the spring, this
festival was started in 2009 as part of the VisitKorea
2010-2012 initiative. In 2012, over 30,000 lanterns
are expected to be on display from artists both from
South Korea and around the world. The theme for
2012 is “The Living History Of Seoul” (official translation not available), so there will be lanterns showing both modern and historic Seoul living together.
The festival will take place from November 2nd to
the 18th, with the lanterns being lit from 5 p.m. to
11 p.m.
A walk along Cheonggyecheon is a perfect
way to spend a crisp fall evening, or even a nice way
to spend a warm, late summer evening with some
friends or a loved one. Make sure you set aside an
evening during your time in Seoul to visit this beautiful reintegration of nature in the concrete jungle of
Seoul.
4
Dance Studios In Korea
Studio Name: Hong Young Joo Dance Studios
Address: 657-12 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Website: www.hongyoungjoo.com,
https://www.facebook.com/hdcdancecenter
Styles of dance: Jazz, urban, hip hop, k-pop, ballet, locking,
popping, house, whacking, girl’s hip hop, k-pop idol, k-pop
girls, Hard training class
Languages available: Classes are available in Korean and English,
with most foreigners not having a problem in classes
Description of studio: Hong Young Yoo Dance Centre is
Interview
not far from Apugujeong station, with reasonable prices.
with
The studio often runs promotions and coupons for
Thomaz Chee
classes, so it’s worth researching.
“Seoul is still underground.”
Hong Young Joo is not only the dance studio, but is also
Thomaz Cree explains right
a dancer and one of the main instructors at the school.
away. “You don’t see many
She has been a dancer and choreographer since 1991,
dancers in advertisements, in
and works in television, teaching dance
billboards. You don’t see them
dancing for any companies. But,
the underground scene is really strong.”
Thomaz would know this well. A Malaysian dancer of 12 years, resident of Seoul for 2 years,
and choreographer, dance is his life and his passion, working for three studios around Seoul.
“Seoul’s style b-boy. They’re the strongest in the world. But other styles are growing.” Most of
the studios now in Korea can offer lessons in different kinds of urban dance, such as b-boying,
popping, locking, and hip pop.
Seoul is really well equipped for new students, even if the person has never danced in their
life. “There’s a lot of studios that teach beginners classes, to help you grow,” Cree explains.
The beginner classes cover all sorts of genres, depending on the studio. For those who have
developed a passion for dance through seeing their favourite idols and groups, there are
even classes that cater to your interests. K-Pop dance classes, or Bangsong Dance, can teach
beginners the routines to their favourite songs.
Many foreigners in Korea may feel too shy or nervous to join a dance class, worried about the
language barrier. But people shouldn’t let themselves be nervous. Even if the teachers don’t
speak much, or any English, with the right teacher and a good use of body language, you should
be fine in a basic dance class. However, if you’re too nervous to jump into a Korean dance class,
there are some studios in Seoul that do teach in foreign languages. “When I teach, it’s all in
English,” Cree notes. “Even when everyone behind me is speaking Korean.”
Even if you’re in Korea for just a short while, students would be able to take a lesson. “All
studios in Korea run on open classes,” Thomaz explains. This means that
at the beginning of the lesson, everyone is starting on the same page, not
knowing the dance they will be learning that week. This is ideal for students
and tourists who might only be in Korea for a few days or a few weeks.
Passes can be bought as individual tickets, or save some money and buy
the passes in monthly packages.
For those who are into Korean pop culture, the beat and flow of the music
is unavoidable, and the dances are unforgettable. If you do have the
opportunity, do try out a dance class in South Korea.
5
Dance Studios In Korea
Studio Name: Hong Young Joo Dance Studios
Address: 657-12 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Website: www.hongyoungjoo.com,
https://www.facebook.com/hdcdancecenter
Styles of dance: Jazz, urban, hip hop, k-pop, ballet, locking,
popping, house, whacking, girl’s hip hop, k-pop idol, k-pop
girls, Hard training class
Languages available: Classes are available in Korean and English,
with most foreigners not having a problem in classes
Description of studio: Hong Young Yoo Dance Centre is
Interview
not far from Apugujeong station, with reasonable prices.
with
The studio often runs promotions and coupons for
Thomaz Chee
classes, so it’s worth researching.
“Seoul is still underground.”
Hong Young Joo is not only the dance studio, but is also
Thomaz Cree explains right
a dancer and one of the main instructors at the school.
away. “You don’t see many
She has been a dancer and choreographer since 1991,
dancers in advertisements, in
and works in television, teaching dance
billboards. You don’t see them
dancing for any companies. But,
the underground scene is really strong.”
Thomaz would know this well. A Malaysian dancer of 12 years, resident of Seoul for 2 years,
and choreographer, dance is his life and his passion, working for three studios around Seoul.
“Seoul’s style b-boy. They’re the strongest in the world. But other styles are growing.” Most of
the studios now in Korea can offer lessons in different kinds of urban dance, such as b-boying,
popping, locking, and hip pop.
Seoul is really well equipped for new students, even if the person has never danced in their
life. “There’s a lot of studios that teach beginners classes, to help you grow,” Cree explains.
The beginner classes cover all sorts of genres, depending on the studio. For those who have
developed a passion for dance through seeing their favourite idols and groups, there are
even classes that cater to your interests. K-Pop dance classes, or Bangsong Dance, can teach
beginners the routines to their favourite songs.
Many foreigners in Korea may feel too shy or nervous to join a dance class, worried about the
language barrier. But people shouldn’t let themselves be nervous. Even if the teachers don’t
speak much, or any English, with the right teacher and a good use of body language, you should
be fine in a basic dance class. However, if you’re too nervous to jump into a Korean dance class,
there are some studios in Seoul that do teach in foreign languages. “When I teach, it’s all in
English,” Cree notes. “Even when everyone behind me is speaking Korean.”
Even if you’re in Korea for just a short while, students would be able to take a lesson. “All
studios in Korea run on open classes,” Thomaz explains. This means that
at the beginning of the lesson, everyone is starting on the same page, not
knowing the dance they will be learning that week. This is ideal for students
and tourists who might only be in Korea for a few days or a few weeks.
Passes can be bought as individual tickets, or save some money and buy
the passes in monthly packages.
6
For those who are into Korean pop culture, the beat and flow of the music
is unavoidable, and the dances are unforgettable. If you do have the
opportunity, do try out a dance class in South Korea.
W
World Breakdancing Finals
Every year at the beginning of July, the world’s best in breakdancing and the culture
surrounding descends on Seoul for a festival of music, art, and most of all, dancing in Olympic
Park. The R-16 World Breakdancing finals is a culmination of a year of intense competitions
around the globe. Sponsored by the Korean Tourism Organization, the competition finals have
turned into a full weekend festival, with the combined effort to bring this thriving culture into
the spotlight.
While the main competition took place inside the
Olympic Hall, the area around the hall outside was
surrounded by displays from shops relating to all
things B-Boy, such as clothing and goods. As well,
Red Bull had a strong presence throughout the
competition weekend, keeping the crowd energized
by any means. Across the street from the hall, a
graffiti art exhibit and competition was taking place
under the shade of the thick trees lining the path.
The heat made many people take refuge down this
path, bringing lots of exposure to these artists.
Inside the Olympic Hall, events were split into two days. On the Saturday, the solo artists
performed and compete. There
are three different categories
that dancers can compete in: solo
b-boy, popping, and locking. The
competitors are judged on five
different areas:
Fundamentals: Marked on flavour,
footwork, top rock, and musicality
Creativity: Marked on their original
styles, moves, and unique concepts
and ideas
continued on page 8
77
continued from page 7
Difficulty: Marked on their power, freezes, tricks, complexity and physical risk
Execution: Marked on the synchronicity, perfection of their moves, the cleanliness of form,
and smooth transitions
Show: Marked on their stage presence, choreography, theme and music
In the solo competitions, the dancers go head to head in a dance battle, being scored on the
five categories. The winner advances to the next round, until there is only one left. In the end,
Benson from Taipei, Taiwan won in the locking, Boogaloo Kim from Korea won for popping, and
Issei from Japan won for the b-boy solo battles.
The R-16 draws judges and DJ’s from all over the world. The judges included dancers from the
USA, including Ken Swift, Abstract, ORB and Suga Pop. Cico from Italy and Iron Mike and Toni
Basil from France visit from Europe, while Born and Popping J from Korea, and Takeshi from
Japan round out Asian judges. DJs from the US, Japan, Korea and Poland provide the music for
the weekend, including DJ Lean Rock, DJ Light, DJ Ricky, DJ Wreckx, and the Warsaw Band.
Entertainment is also provided through the showcase that takes place during the intermission
of each competition. On the Saturday, the audience was treated to a dance performance by
all of the judges. AS well, Blue Whale Bros, KRNFX, The Quiett, and Dok2 performed. Jay Park,
the popular Korean idol and honorary ambassador for the R-16 competition, also performed.
On the Sunday, Cube Sound and Ulala Session brought the crowds to their feet during the
intermission.
On the Sunday, the crews took to the stage to compete. There were representatives from
all across the globe. The final eight teams were Massive Monkees (USA), Team Shmetta
(Belgium), JinJo Crew (Korea), Flow Mo (Finland), Simple System (Kazakhstan), Mental Fusion
(China) KGB (Taiwan) and Found Nation (Japan).
8
The judging system for the crew battles is different to the solo performances. R-16 uses the
O.U.R. system, which stands for Objective, Unified, Real-time judging. What happens with this
system is that there is one judge per category, and each judge determines the quality level
from each throw down, round for round. The throw downs are given a score between 1 and 5.
The team that wins the majority of the categories moves on to the next round.
The five categories for judging were:
Foundation: This judge marked the team’s confidence and musicality. Born, from Korea,
judged this.
Originality: This judge considered the creativity and artistry used. Orb, from the USA, judged
this.
Dynamics: This judge considered the difficulty of each move. Cico, from Italy, judged this.
Execution: This judge marked on both the confidence going into a move and the cleanliness
of each move. Abstract, from the USA, judged this.
Battle: This judge looked at the counter response to their opponents by using a similar style
or technique. Ken Swift, from the USA, judged this.
There are two parts to the crew competition. The crews first had a showcase performance,
where they could perform a rehearsed routine. The five judges would mark each section, and
then give the groups their marks.
After the showcase, there ended up being a tie between JinJo Crew, the defending world
champions, and the very talented Team Shmetta from Belgium. The judges had to then vote on
the crews over all, and JinJo crew won 3-2 in votes.
There were three rounds to get to the finals. In the quarterfinals, each battle lasted ten
minutes. Simple System defeated Shmetta in the first round, while Flow Mo defeated KGB. The
Massive Monkees defeated Found Nation, while the home team favourite, JinJo crew, defeated
Mental Fusion to advance to the semi finals.
Country
Crew
Kazakhstan Simple System
Mental Fusion
China
Flo Mo
Finland
JinJo Crew
Korea
KGB
Taiwan
Shmetta
Belgium
Foundation Originality Dynamics Execution Showcase Total
5
6
8
7
5
5
3
4
6
9
8
9
6
4
5
7
9
9
6
5
7
9
8
8
7
7
6
9
10
10
27
26
32
41
40
41
Place
Order
7
8
6
1
3
2
USA
Massive
Monkees
7
5
5
8
8
33
5
Japan
Found Nation
6
7
8
7
9
37
4
In the semi-finals, the battle lasted for 12 minutes. Simple System faced off against Flow
Mo. Flow Mo had developed a quick following from the female audience, impressed at the
only female break dancer in the entire competition being the closing dancer for both battles.
Despite impressing the audience, Simple System won the semi-final round and moved onto the
finals.
9
The second match in the semi-finals was the USA versus Korea. The audience was electric,
since the vast majority of the crowd were hard-core JinJo fans. Despite the fact that the
audience was cheering them on, Jinjo could not keep up with the incredibly strong Massive
Monkees, and were defeated, ending Jinjo Crew’s two year winning streak.
This left the Massive Monkees from the USA competing against Simple System from
Kazakhstan. Despite the fact that the crowd favourite had been defeated, the energy was still
buzzing throughout the audience
as the 15-minute battle went
underway. While Simple System
put up a fantastic performance,
it seemed that the Massive
Monkees were unstoppable
that Sunday, and easily won the
finals, becoming the R-16 world
champions for the first time.
It was the first time that a US
team won the finals in the R-16
finals since the competition’s
beginning in 2008, so it was a
very emotional moment for all of
the members of the crew.
The R-16 festival is a fantastic
weekend to kick off the summer
in Seoul. Filled with people from all over the world, it’s a great way to spend a weekend,
watching some of the best break dancing on earth. If you happen to be in Seoul in 2013, make
a point of checking out the competition next year!
10
Over the past year, U-Kiss have watched their
global success soar to new heights as they’ve taken on the new international challenges in the
k-pop industry. In a year where Korean music has made major steps to become more mainstream
around the globe, U-Kiss have been at the forefront of this movement, bringing the infectious sounds
of Korean music to new countries. Their debut in Japan has been one of the most successful in
2012 in Japan. Japanese fans have flocked to the international group, impressed by the members
determination to communicate in Japanese with their fans. Within a year, U-Kiss have been able to
hold two sold out national concert tours, MCing the concerts with remarkable comfort in Japanese. As
well, U-Kiss has brought K-pop into the often untouched continent of South America. They were the
first k-pop group to perform in Colombia, invited to perform at “Evento 40”, a large weekend festival
hosting other major international artists such as Shakira,. Later this year, U-Kiss will be revisiting
South America for their first South American tour, visiting Peru and Chile in November. On top of that,
their fifth Japanese single, “Distance…” will be released in December.
On top of their professional successes, the members of U-Kiss have been celebrating their own
personal successes as well. The group is currently promoting with six members due to the fact that
AJ, one of the rappers in the group, is starting his first year of psychology in the prestigious Columbia
University in New York. With the group clearly on the rise in the global k-pop scene, we thought it
would be a good time to reflect on the past, present, and the future goals of the members.
11
As the leader of U-Kiss, one would think that Shin Soohyun
would have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Instead,
Soohyun has reveled in the position, his love for his group
and compassion towards his fans clear with every note sung
and every word spoken.
K-Soul Magazine: You’ve recently just marked your
Soohyun
Soohyun
Soohyun
four-year anniversary, and have just released your 7th mini
album. If you could go back and re-record any song from U-Kiss’ discography, which would you pick
and why?
Soohyun: The more I practice and the more I’m on stage, the more I want to re-record every
song. It would be great if people could hear and enjoy all of our songs since we’ve improved so
much. What I really want to do is re-record the 5th mini album (0330). As it's the first song we
recorded after the member change, I'd like to try recording it once again with a more relaxed
mindset.
When it comes to U-Kiss’ successes overseas, Soohyun notes their performance in Paris, France
as one of their most memorable, when they took part in Music Bank – Paris. “I was really surprised
when we went to Paris. Everybody was
singing along to our songs in Korean!!” he laughed. Even
with their own attempts at being true to their name of
being ubiquitous and international, hearing the
international fans singing along in Korean is clearly
something that the members of U-Kiss love.
For many fans, getting to communicate with the
members of U-Kiss seems an impossible feat, so many
use letters and gifts as a way of letting their admiration
be shown.Soohyun finds that he is easy to please. “I really
like fan letters, or anything that fans want to give!” Fan letters
let the fans speak to the members of U-Kiss with more detail
and thought than Twitter or any brief moment at a fan event can
allow, so it’s no wonder why Soohyun enjoys them.
With all the members having their own side projects
along with their promotions, Soohyun stated,
“Besides promoting with U-KISS, I would also like
to try doing solo promotions. My digital single
"Snow Man" was released in the winter as my first
solo single, but there were no promotions for it.
If there's an opportunity to do so, I'd like to try
promoting as a solo artist.”
For a bit of fun, we asked the members what would
be their reaction of the world ended with a zombie
apocalypse. “Zombies can still sing right?” Soohyun
asked, laughing. “Then I’ll be the first singing
zombie!”The sign of a true singer – Not even the
living dead could stop him.
12
Kiseop
Kiseop
Kiseop
Of all the members of U-Kiss, Lee Kiseop could easily be considered
the member who is most vocal with his love for their fans. On the
official fan club website, messages from Kiseop can be found taking
over their message boards, and he’s always quick to talk about how
much he loves his fans. After travelling around the world to perform
over the past year, Kiseop noted the differences between the Kiss
Me’s around the world. “One point is that the Filipino fans are really
active and passionate at
performances, whereas Japanese fans are really quiet. Something
that's the same with all our fans though is that everybody sings along with our songs in Korean!
I'm thankful every time for this. Whenever I'm on stage, I feel so touched.”
As someone who is so clear about his love for their fans,
Kiseop’s choice for favourite gifts from their fans is
clear. “Sincere fan letters.” He answers without second
thought. “Whenever I have time, I read them one at a time
and when I do, the strength I was lacking seems to
well up in me.”
Even when asked about taking on personal
projects outside of U-Kiss, Kiseop’s focus on the
group never falters. “Many people around me have
recommended that I try acting. If I have a chance,
I'd like to do so, but for now I want to focus on
promoting with U-KISS first.”
When asked about what his reaction would be if
the world did end with a zombie apocalypse,Kiseop’s
reaction is the same to any other question. “If humans
become zombies, then it really is the end isn’t it?”
Kiseop asks, clearly notliking the thought.
“Then I can’t meet Kiss Mes anymore!” Now
that’s devotion to your fans.
13
One of two American born members, Eli Kim helps bring the international flavour needed
in a group who’s name means Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Stars. Able to
speak English and Chinese as well as Korean, Eli is able to communicate with his fans from
around the world comfortably. On top of that, he continues to study Japanese with the rest
of his group.
Eli
Eli
Eli
His entertainment career began with aspiring to be an actor in China, but he eventually
became a member of U-Kiss a few years later. Continuing to work sometimes in television
through Arirang TV, as well as acting in a drama in Thailand, Eli’s love for acting has never faded,
though his devotion to U-Kiss is most important. “U-KISS has been able to grow and over come a lot
of obstacles, and I want to continue to see us grow,” Eli explains, looking back on the group’s past. “So
please watch us as we continue to walk along this road.” With U-Kiss’ success globally, Eli sees the
group’s potential to grow even further.
Though it seems Eli can see U-Kiss’ potential in the future,
when asked where they might be in ten years,
“Expanding?! Growing?! I’d have to say that the best
answer is that we’re growing, step-by-step, and I want
to see that growth continuing,” Eli explained. “So you
shouldn't take your eyes off us~”
As for the distant future ending in a potential zombie
apocalypse? “I’d like it if a zombie apocalypse didn’t
come at all!!”
14
With a voice sweet as honey and the definition of “chocolate abs”, it’s
quite easy to see how the U-Kiss fan base has developed a taste for
Yeo Hoonmin. Having joined the group in early 2011, Hoon has been an
active part of the Japanese promotions since the very start of their official
Japanese debut. His bright and charming personality shone through as
Hoon’s Japanese improved, winning over fans both at home and abroad.
Hoon
Hoon
Hoon
As the members of U-Kiss continue to receive love, letters and gifts from
around the world, Hoon appreciates the time and thought spent more than anything else. “We're
thankful and appreciative of everything which we receive because somebody is thinking of us.” If
made to pick one thing though, Hoon answered, “If I were to choose one gift that I simply like the
best, rather than expensive presents, it's things like snacks that we can share with the staff members
who are working hard and sweating right alongside us!”The reason is their busy schedules, Hoon
explained.“Because of what we're doing, we often can't eat a full meal, so snacks and drinks that we
can just grab on the go make everybody happy.”
When thinking about the future, Hoon has his eyes on
acting. “I want to try more with acting. Earlier
this year I was in “Holyland” and had the
chance to be a part of an action drama, which
was a lot of fun,” Hoon said, referring to the
mini-series he was in with U-Kiss group mate
Dongho. “I want to be able to do more of the
same thing.”
One thing is certain with Hoon, however – he is
completely devoted to the group. “Even if we
become zombies, U-KISS will be U-KISS!” If ever the
world did become plagued with zombies, U-Kiss
fans can rest assure, knowing there will still be U-Kiss
to support.
15
Kevin
Kevin
Kevin
Kevin Woo has always known that he was going to be a performer. “Since
both of my parents worked in the industry, I was always naturally around
music since I was a kid.” Kevin explains when asked about his childhood.
“Because of that, I'd never thought about doing something which wasn't
music.” Knowing that his future was in music, Kevin made the jump from
living in the United States to Korea when he was finished middle school,
and has been singing ever since. “Whenever I can, as a singer, I want to
receive love from the fans. From the beginning till now, I also want to thank
and show love to my fans for all the love and support
they’ve given me.”
Being one of two native English speakers in
U-Kiss, Kevin is often able to communicate
with fans from other countries. When they
perform internationally, Kevin is often seen as the
one that seems most comfortable in attempting new
languages, be it French, Spanish or Japanese.
Because of this, Kevin is able to get to know the
differences, and similarities, between their fans.
“Japanese fans are really quiet. The Koreans cheer
really loud, but Japanese fans just want to listen to
the songs, right? However, the passion and love we
get from the fans is the same no matter where we go.”
As the group continues to grow and evolve, each of the
members get opportunities to tackle projects outside of
their U-Kiss promotions. Taking on musical theatre at the
beginning of 2011, and also taking part in musical
collaborations in Japan and Korea, Kevin thinks he would like
to try his hand at solo promotions one day. “I like promoting
with U-KISS but there is a limit to the kind of music we can
do as a group, so I'd like to give solo activities a try too.”
When asked to describe how he'd like to see U-Kiss in
ten years, Kevin is hoping they can be considered mature.
"I hope we'll all have worked as best we can, and end up
becoming successful adults in the process." However, if
U-Kiss weren’t able to make it to ten years due to a zombie
apocalypse, don’t expect him to be enjoying it.
“That sounds scary.”
16
Dongho
Dongho
Dongho
Being the youngest of the group, Shin Dongho is also the member
who has spent the most of his life out of all of the members as
an idol. Debuting with U-Kiss when he was only 14, most of his
teen years have been spent in the spotlight in one way or another.
When asked about how he might describe U-Kiss in another ten
years from now, it’s natural that Dongho would think about it with
his own age. “If it's 10 years from now... I'd be 29 years old... still
"young"??”
Despite Dongho’s young age, he is one of the more recognized
members of the group by the general public because of his
frequent guest spots on various television programs. Taking
part in these shows, Dongho has often been seen as the
unofficial promoter for the group through television
programs, bringing attention to the group outside of
their promotions.
Over the past few years, Dongho has begun moving from
being on variety programs to also working as an actor.
In 2011, Dongho could be seen as the lead role in shows
like the teen sitcom “Real School” and the action miniseries “Holyland”, both co-starring with other U-Kiss
members as well. Dongho was also a regular character in the
full length drama “Royal Family.” Currently, Dongho is
promoting “Don’t Cry, Mommy”, a movie that will have a
national theatrical release in November. When asked about
projects in the future, Dongho would like to continue
down this path on screen. “I'm continuing to
do acting as a solo activity, but I think it
would be good for me to learn more about
it and try taking slightly more mature
roles.”
As for our zombie question that is not
nearly as mature as Dongho? “You're
going to lose even if you battle them,
right?” Dongho asks before rationally
answering, “I’d like it best if that day
never comes.”
17
How To Get Into A
Music -Show Taping
before you go tips
When fans of Korean music come to visit Korea, one of the first things that they want to try and do
is get into a taping of one of the four major music shows in South Korea. Those are M Countdown on
MNet, Music Bank on KBS, Music Core on MBS, and Inkigayo on SBS. The procedures to get into these
shows can change depending on countless factors, such as weather, location, other television events,
and the groups taking part in the filming. However, there are a few things that any savvy fan should
know before heading out to the studio.
1. Know your location.
This means more than simply knowing the station and where to go
to get to the studio. Knowing what you will be surrounded by while
you wait makes a huge difference.
M Countdown: There is a small cafe and a Coldstone Creamery
inside the building. Across the street is a convenience store.
However, this location has very little in terms of getting proper food
without straying down the road a little.
Music Bank: Located in Yeouido, Music Bank is in the centre of one of the main business
districts in Seoul. Across the road from Yeouido park and the National Assembly buildings,
there is no shortage of restaurants and cafes to go to while waiting.
Music Core: Located in Ilsan, Music Core is very well located in terms of keeping well fed and
sheltered. There are countless restaurants and cafes around the studio, and even a Daiso so
people can pick up anything they might need while waiting.
Inkigayo: Inkigayo's strongest asset is the Homeplus across the street. Housing a Dunkin
Donuts and Baskin Robbins on the first floor, a few restaurants on the first level of the
basement, and an entire grocery store as well as
a food court in the second level of the basement,
the Homeplus is an easy place to get food, drinks,
and last minute gifts. However, recent laws have
forced Homeplus to close every second and
fourth Sunday in the month.
On the weekends when
Homeplus is closed, Inkigayo
is a very difficult show to go
to, since the closest reliable
bathroom is a couple hundred
metres down the road, in the
far end of the sybway station.
18
2.Make your
claim
There are many ways fan clubs
ask fans to prove they were
there. It used to be a list system.
However, these are proving to be
difficult to be fair with larger fan
clubs, so depending on photos
with a time stamp is key. Be sure
to check with your group's fan
cafe before heading out for the
specific rules. However, if your
group has no requirements other
than to just be there, the first thing you should do is take a photo of yourself with a timestamp
attached. The iPhone camera does not have a timestamp, so you will either need an application
that can read the Exif information, or an alternative camera application that can time stamp.
This way, you have proof that you were in line at 6am, even if you can't speak Korean and
accidently end up at the back of the line.
3. Always be prepared
None of the studios offer much in terms of shelter while waiting to line
up. You will be outside for hours, so knowing what is in store is very
important. Check the weather, and know what you're up against. While
going in the rain might be off-putting, the lines can be shorter so there's
a better chance of getting in, depending on the group. The sun can
be incredibly dangerous during these long hours, so keeping in shade
and keeping hydrated is important. Through the winter, the cold can
be intense while standing around, so keeping hot packs and dressing
warmly can help ward off any problems.
19
beginning again. Finally, the
video started and continued
without problem.
When I first moved here,
and was just starting to get to
know about concerts in South
Korea, I had missed SHINee
World by two days. It had been
sold out for ages anyways, but I
was always a bit depressed over
the fact I missed their show,
since I was quite a big SHINee
fan at the time.
Thousands of people were desperate to get out of the heat, so
a queue started early for those
wanting to get into the hall as
soon as the doors opened. Normally, there is a long wait before
the doors open to the main
seats, but the staff took pity on
us and began letting people in
early.
Fast forward to 2012. Once
again, I found out about SHINee
World II by chance, but this
time, it was a week before the
show, instead of a week after.
Despite the fact it was still sold
out, for the most part, a ticket
showed up on G-Market a week
before the show.
The wait, once inside, was short
seeming. Olympic Park Stadium
was slowly transforming into a
teal blue sea, the fan club colour
for SHINee. The lights began
to dim, causing a huge scream
from the audience. A video
started, as most concerts have,
with the members of SHINee
having some kind of astronomical space power. This has
become a theme in 2012 concerts, strangely. However, half
way through the introduction,
the video froze while the audio
continued. Not many seemed
to notice until everything was
stopped. We sat in a confused
pitch black hall, waiting as the
video was started from the
I’ve been to Olympic Park
Stadium many times, for many
huge artists. But the crowd for
SHINee was one of the largest
I’ve seen, hands down. As well,
the heat that day was incredible.
Normally, the line up for the
standing section is the one that
goes on forever, however at this
show, it was the opposite.
20
The concert opened on an extended edition of Lucifer, which
had the audience up on their
feet screaming immediately. The
effects being used even in the
first song really established what
we would be seeing throughout
the show. The stage had multiple
lifts and rotations, and the hall
was wired for fly ins. Lucifer
has become one of those k-pop
songs that stick with people no
matter how long they’ve been
interested in the music, so it was
a great way to open the show.
Without a break, SHINee
continued with a rock version
of Amigo. Yet another classic favourite of SHINee fans,
the energy continue to throb
through Olympic Park Stadium
as the fans chanted along loudly.
Songs back to back to back,
Shinee continued to play their
most popular songs one after
another, singing Juliette next.
This song was great because it
ended up with Jonghyun coming out from the stage rigged
on wires with massive angel
wings on, flying over the audience, much to his fans delight.
Following right after was another rock version of one of
their most well known songs,
“SHINee World”. This was a
personal favourite part of the
show, because hearing a massive
crowd of thousands of people
chanting “My name is Minho!”
along with the singers was fantastic and hilarious.
After four songs, the boys finally
stopped to have a short MC moment, greeting the audience and
introducing themselves. The
break wasn’t too long, because
there was apparently a lot of
show to get through. The stage
quickly changed to some strange
jungle set, complete with mildly
offensive dancing natives as
SHINee broke into the Korean
version of “Always Love”. The
song was incredibly cute, so it
wasn’t too difficult to ignore the
strangeness of the set. However,
I would not have made the same
decisions for the song.
Breaking into something a bit
more comfortable, SHINee
began performing Hello, a
painfully cute song. The technical difficulties from the beginning of the show reared their
head once again, with Taemin
and Key’s microphones faltering during their parts. Luckily, it was able to be fixed soon
enough and Onew and Jonghyun were able to help cover
quickly.
While the microphone problems were being solved, a video
started that involved knights,
and then eventually came out
onto the stage. There was a very
cute scene where the boys were
princes and there was magic involved. The scene dissolved into
the incredibly popular “Noona
neomu Yeoppeo” which translates roughly to “Girl, You’re So
Pretty”. Since noona is the title
given by guys to girls who are
older than them, many of the
women I know have a secret (or
not so secret) love for this song.
The reasons are obvious. Once
the song was over, another video
started, this time with the boys
playing high school students.
This marked the end of the first
set, and the stage prepared for
set two: the solos.
Minho opened the solo acts
with a great performance of
“Turn Up The Music” by Chris
Brown. His songs seem to be a
popular choice for solo songs
at k-pop concerts, because his
music has also been used by
other artists such as 2AM’s Seulong. Next up was Onew, who
started a very cute set with “I
Won’t Give Up” by Jason Miraz.
As an English speaker, these
solo songs are especially interesting because the artists often
pick English songs, so we get to
see their English skills as well.
Onew finished off his set with
“Passionate Goodbye”, a Korean
song by Toy, featuring Lee Jee
Hyeong.
While some artists just want
to have fun with their solos,
and sing something outside of
the genre, others sing a song
to show a side they rarely get
to show. The next three songs
certainly did that. Taemin had
the next solo, and he performed
“Get Up!!” by Korn featuring
Skrillex. Despite the fact I have
been in Korea long enough to
not even know who Skrillex is, I
did recognize the classic sounds
of Korn, who have been around
since I was a child. The screaming of swear words certainly was
easy to identify. Taemin had
come out completely decked out
in rock gear, his eyes lined with
heavy liner, and he generally
looked incredible.
Key was the next one to perform. He had chosen to perform
two different songs by Lady
Gaga, “Hair” and “Judas”. Key
has an incredible voice that really lends itself to these songs,
so he brought a lot of emotion
and feeling to the lyrics, which
he clearly had done his best to
understand fully. Read into his
song choices as you like, but
they were fantastic choices for
his performance style and voice,
and he brought a lot of power to
them.
21
first and second set had people
up dancing on their feet. The
next song choice, “Amazing
Grace”, also felt like an incredibly strange choice, but the guys
sang it beautifully as a motorized globe flew around the
arena.
Easily one of the most discussed
moments of the concert came
during Jonghyun’s solo piece.
Apparently, during the Japanese
leg of the tour, Jonghyun had
sung a different song, which
came later in the Korean tour
line up. For Seoul though, Jonghyun took the opportunity to
collaborate with Taemin, singing “Internet Wars” by Seo Taiji.
Starting the song by himself,
Jonghyun was incredible and
powerful. Shirtless, with fake
tattoos covering his body, he
was incredible to watch. Taemin
showing up in the centre of the
second stage caught many off
guard on the first night. However, the singing is not what
people are remembering. This
was the song with the well discussed almost kiss between the
two while the instrumental part
was playing. It clearly was no
where near a kiss, however from
most camera angles, and even
the angle of my own seat, it was
very easy to think that something else was happening. The
audience exploded, and
22
they were a buzz the entire
time the set changed into the
third set as an older video from
their Lucifer days played on the
screen.
Set three opened up with another Japanese song, “Seesaw”,
except with Korean lyrics. This
then led directly into SHINee’s
latest single, “Sherlock (Clue +
Note)”. This performance was
incredible, with the stage using
all of its lifts and effects, including water fountains shooting
jets of water way into the air.
Then using the water from the
fountains, they sang “Love Like
Oxygen”, splashing the water
around as part of their choreography.
After another video, SHINee began to sing “The Reason”, from
their most recent Korean album.
It was a jarring choice, after the
solid hour or so of up-tempo
dance music, it brought the
audience down, letting people
relax for the first time in what
felt like ages, since almost all of
Finally, Jonghyun sang his original solo piece from the Japanese
leg of the tour, “Hyeya (Y Si
Fuera Ella)”, which was gorgeous and went along with the
calmed down tone of the show.
The song, which can be found
on “The SHINee World” album,
was the only solo piece to actually be a SHINee song, which
was a nice touch, since all of the
fans were already familiar with
the song.
An adorable video followed up,
showing the story of an angel,
played by Onew, being tormented by an evil Key. The video was
really cute, and led into the next
song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” perfectly. This song continued with
the theme of completely obscure
and strange songs that seems to
suit SHINee perfectly that had
been happening throughout set
three.
Once the mood had been lifted
from low key, relaxing music to
the adorable upbeat tone from
“Tie a Yellow Ribbon”, SHINee
began “A-Yo”, their very popular
and encouraging anthem. The
audience was back on their feet
once again, singing along as the
pace picked up once more. The
song choice was beginning to
switch between a fast song followed by a slower paced song,
showing the third set beginning
to wind down. “JoJo” played
next, then followed by another
video as the stage changed for
the final set.
The final set began with
“Stranger”, from the most recent
album. Key was fantastic in this
song, and sounded brilliant. If
Stranger hadn’t gotten everyone
up on their feet, the next song,
“Ready Or Not” had everyone
up immediately. The catchy
dance track from the Lucifer
album had the entire hall dancing along with the guys, singing
along as well.
The popular songs kept coming, with a remix of “Ring Ding
Dong” coming up next. The
energy coming from the audience at this point was electric,
and you could see SHINee were
really enjoying themselves,
despite they’d been performing with nearly no break for
over two hours at this point.
“To Your Heart”, one of their
Japanese songs that has not
gotten a Korean version yet,
was performed, and most of
the fans knew the song, though
the sound of the fans singing
along quieted a little as many
were unfamiliar with Japanese.
Closing the final act was Lucifer, once again, but remixed as
a rock version. Despite the fact
that Lucifer had also opened the
show, nobody minded, because
they could have easily played
Lucifer as every other song
and people would have been
pleased.
Naturally, the guys came back
on stage, and started their
encore with “Stand By Me”
from the Boys Over Flowers
soundtrack. The guys were really cute and energetic, as Onew
seemed to insist on invading
Jonghyun’s personal space, and
Jonghyun dealt with this by
drenching himself with water.
It was also a great song for the
members to show their thanks
to the SHINee fans who continue to support them. Finally, they
sung “One”, another great song
to try and wrap things up. Once
the song was over, the members
finally spoke to the audience,
after what seemed like hours of
constant singing, saying their
thanks. As the instrumental
version of Sherlock played in
the background, the audience
began singing Sherlock back to
SHINee. For a crowd of over
10,000, they were surprisingly
on pitch and sounded good,
and SHINee joined in as they
went around the stage, waving
to as many people as they could
before they finally had to leave
the stage for good.
The next song was then Life,
from the Lucifer album. A very
calm song, it was a nice way to
try and bring the energy down
so that the audience could actually leave without demanding
encores throughout the night.
SHINee World was definitely a
great show, with the fans bringing as much as the group in
terms of energy. With future
tour dates throughout Asia, it’s
certainly worth trying to get
tickets.
all cracked open glow sticks
they had been given according
to their seats, and managed to
spell “SHINEE” across the third
floor seats. Obviously, most of
the members lost it and were
crying as they attempted to sing
“The Name I Loved”. The guys
said their thanks, and then left
the stage, leaving a thunderous
audience demanding an encore.
A video then played, with clips
showing their past as a group
through training, debut, and
their successes since. At this
time, fans on the third floor
23
By Alice Auriol
After two years, JYP Nation show successfully returned on August 4th, 2012 at the Olympic
Gymnastics Gymnasium in Seoul.
The overall impression given before entering the
venue was that JYP Nation was to be considered as
a family, thus, only JYP Nation goods were sold at
the booth without individual group or artist goods.
Fans were there with their penlights from other
concerts, so there were lots of different lights on
display in the hall.
Miss A got people in the mood with their latest
single ‘Touch’, then went on with ‘Goodbye Baby’
and made the audience sing along with their hit
song ‘Bad Girl, Good Girl’. The artists all performed
successively, including Wonder Girls, JJ Project,
San E, 2AM, JOO, and last but not least, 2PM. The
bands sang their singles and then came the special
stages. Miss A performed along with Wonder Girls
on ‘Like This’, 2AM with 2PM on ‘Heartbeat’, etc.
JYP came along with his backup dancers and performed a few of his own songs accompanied at the
end by his artists who sang other JYP groups’ songs
and danced together. Boys of the agency parodied
Miss A’s ‘Bad Girl, Good Girl’ on ‘Bad Boy, Good
Boy’ whereas girls performed their own version of
2PM’s hit song ‘Again and Again’ and so on.
One of the most anticipated moments was the
showdown between 2AM’s Jokwon’s and 2PM’s
Wooyoung’s solo singles respectively named ‘Animal’ and ‘Sexy Lady’. Jokwon made a big impression
as he climbed down the stairs of the stage on 4-inch
heels with six leashed female dancers around him.
Wooyoung added a few degrees to the hall temperature by dancing sexy moves and taking off his tux
jacket on his own solo. No need to say that the duel
ended up as a draw, as both Jokwon and Wooyoung
are both incredibly talented.
2PM, 2AM and Wonder Girls went on with many
of their older singles, sometimes revisited by other
artists from JYP. The newest member of the JYP Nation, JJ Project, and solo artists JOO and San E
24
were often featured in special stages, so they had a
substantial part of the spotlight. Even though they
only had one title song. JJ Project’s JB and Jr were
especially keen on stage since it was the first major
show they were in. 2PM and Wonder Girls were obviously the most popular bands, and we could hear
some fanchants on their most famous singles.
2PM’s Nichkhun and 2AM’s Jinwoon did not show
up, the first being involved in a drink-driving accident and the second having activities for a TV
show filmed in Africa. Taecyeon’s mood seemed a
bit down at the beginning, and 2PM expressed their
regrets about Nichkhun not being there. However,
Taecyeon’s mood got brighter as the show went on.
Before the encore, the stage went dark and a rehearsal movie was broadcast featuring the artists
performing at the show. In the end, all the artists
from JYP went on stage together and performed
2PM’s ‘10 out of 10’ and ‘Hands Up’ as the whole
audience stood up and danced along. The last song
was JYP’s ‘Don’t Leave Me’, during when the singers
ran down the alleys and the catwalk and took the
occasion to touch the fans’ hands and wave at them
from a closer distance.
As for the performances in themselves, they were
settled, well accomplished, nearly flawless. Almost
the whole show was live, except for very few songs
that needed playback because of intense choreos.
But what was very fresh was the fact that the artists
seemed to really enjoy themselves, giving us awesome performances.
The impression I got was that artists from JYP
seem very friendly, motivated and passionate with
their jobs. They looked like they got along with
one another and had a good time mixing up with
other groups to make exclusive versions of the
songs we already know. I really enjoyed the show,
and thought that the audience could have been
even louder at times to show just how much we all
were enjoying the concert. If I was asked whether I
would go to another JYP Nation show, I would say
“yes” right away!
CD GIVEAWAY
K-Soul Magazine has 4 copies of U-Kiss’ latest mini album,
Stop Girl to give away! Check out the details below!
Through Twitter
Through Facebook
1.Follow us on Twitter at @KSoulMag
1.Follow K-Soul Magazine on Facebook.
2.Tweet the following before November 14th 5PM Korean time: “I want to
win a UKiss CD from @KSoulMag!”
3.One random follower will be drawn
the evening of November 14th via
tweet and Direct Message.
Through Google+
1.Follow K-Soul Magazine on Google
Plus
2.Answer the question on the thread
asking “What concept would you like
to see U-Kiss use in their promotions
in 2013?” before November 14th,
5pm Korean time.
3.One person will be chosen for
the most creative or thought out
response the evening of November
14th, and will be contacted via a post
on Google+. Please provide your
email address to ensure we can
contact you.
2.Answer the question on the thread
asking, “It’s a Zombie Apocalypse,
what do you do?” before November
14th, 5pm Korean time.
3.One person will be chosen for the
most creative or humourous answer
the evening of November 14th and
will be contacted via a post on Facebook and a message.
Through Donations
Every person who goes to our donate page and donates a minimum
amount of $2USD towards the continued production of K-Soul Magazine
(which costs us about $300USD an
issue to produce at the moment, not
including concert review tickets) will
automatically be entered into a draw
for a copy of Stop Girl. The entry will
be drawn on November 14th, so all
qualifying donations must be before
November 14th at 5pm Korean time.
25
A
Autumn/Fall 2012