[article] Blind to the fact: Recent criticism of KPop.
— Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^
Dear KPop fans: I shared this well-written and thought provoking editorial on our Facebook page the other day. It should certainly be here on the media blog as well, in my opinion, so please enjoy the read and feel free to share your thoughts on the true state of Hallyu…
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HelloKPop 6/16/2011 — by Ceefu
Blind To The Fact: Recent Criticism of Kpop
I would love nothing more than for all of us to hold hands and sing songs around the campfire. But that’s hard to do when some of us don’t tell the whole story. About three weeks ago, Esther Oh threw down the gauntlet, declaring Kpop’s “global domination” to be a myth in her online article, K-pop Taking Over the World? Don’t Make Me Laugh. In its wake, other writers have weighed in on the state of Kpop. Some know what they are talking about, and others, well, not so much. What bothers me about those who don’t is that they dismiss the heart of Kpop: the fans. I just think if you are going to talk about Kpop and its global reach, you have to talk about the fans.
This does not apply to everyone. There are a lot of people who know about the Kpop scene. Writing for soompi.com, melkimx calls out Oh for choosing only Kpop artists who “failed” to make it in the United States, and takes her to task for ignoring the success of BoA and other Kpop groups in international locations other than the United States. Also writing for soompi.com, TheNextHokage does not directly take Oh on, but acknowledges that Hallyu is real, has a following outside of Asia, and cites examples beyond BoA, such as artists from SM Entertainment.
While the posts by melkimx and TheNextHokage reflect basic knowledge, Oh’s article is fairly superficial in its treatment of Kpop. It drips with condescension as it does a drive-by on a small sliver of Kpop. The article questions all the positive press Hallyu has received, calling the Korean press coverage of Kpop “feel-gooderies” (is that even a word?) and “ridiculous and one-sided.” Now, my only contact with Korean media is through the translations of diligent fans and newssites like hellokpop.com, but I wonder: Is the coverage of Hallyu really any more cheerleader-like that coverage of any other country’s music scene? The article proceeds to tell the reader how BoA and Se7en produced “disastrous results” in the U.S. market….
» You can see Ceefu’s editorial in its entirety on the HelloKPop site HERE.
Cloud USA 
a report by Bloomberg you tube dated 2/20/2011 on what else? Hallyu Kpop-English report. really nice.
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i could go on and on about this topic, but let me just add this. in 2005 i had just started learning about Hallyu (which is kpop music, movies and dramas). at the time Soompi was nothing more than a on line news site about Korean entertainment/entertainers. for music the leaders were 1. Bi..2. Boa…3. Se7en. the leading dramas were 1. Full House…2. Winter Sonata (maybe another, but these were the 2 i bought)…according to Soompi, at that time reporters were in LA, doing a survey among the Asian population asking questions about what they thought was needed by Korean artiste to become successful in the US. later, the YG Family (which includes Se7en), put on a concert in LA (it wasn’t that successful)..Rain performed at Madison Square Garden and some of the reviews were not that good calling his music style reminiscent of the 70s and 80s style. so Se7en and Boa’s peoples sent them to the US for 1 to 2 years to learn english and more about the music industry. Rain chose to go the film route (good choice)…according to JYP (who during that time was visiting Diddy’s office and meeting with Tyrese and playing Rain’s music for them), Rain performing in the US as a singer was never meant to bring him into the US music industry, it was to inform the US that kpop was on it’s way to become apart of the US music scene. according to a dvd i have JYP has already lived in LA for a time…he shows where he lived and says he didn’t like it here. on an interview with CNN Asia. Rain says to the reporter “i’d like to be the first Korean to make it here but if not, then let my younger ones do it. just let me be able to open the closed door for them” (that’s not verbatim), but in essence that is what he said. while all this was happening there was an Asian tv station (AZN)…running on US tv. programs from Bangkok, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan etc. showing Chinese dramas, Japanese dramas, Korean dramas etc., night life , fashion, anything you wanted to know about. this channel also had music hosted by an MC out of LA. that’s where i first learned about the group “Far East Movement”. they seem to be getting popular now, but then they were still performing in clubs to small groups. Rain, Boa and Seven, Super Junior’s mvs were shown on this program as well as music from the other countries. people knew about the korean wave even then in Seattle, WA, Chicago, Penna. Atlanta, LA . that was almost 6 years ago. i think fans are going to have to continue speaking out against these types of articles that seem to want to imply that this music is not as big or well known as it is. and just like there are relatively new fans here, there are always fans joining fansite, commenting on blogs, joining facebook groups for the first time because their interest in this type of entertainment has been tapped.
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as for me what i learn is alot K-pop but as my own reveal see and experince SORY baby all to me i am FRIS K-POP of Rain <—
i am walking into Asia as everbody dose see watch and listing but honestly i have to spreak for BOA_ i admit she is good singer for Asia whiches come Korean yet open her new door to USA but so what?? i not hate her anything but for some reason why can they took advantage of rain as well i learn
alot about him he brough alot ENTERTINMENT in to Gobe and i can present anything better then him after i learn and see and enventully so devote to K-POP rain i am truly addict to him niot just he a good looking amn but he have such Hedonitic person inside__out !! he trun the Korean Music Sensation around he bring alot ALIVE and acomplish everything one he step into it. the man prof and show what are his Artis and introduction is then afterall i am into MBlaq whiches his boy who alway care and ask us to please love him and supporting him as well.. i am talking the true sensation of rain and it true for me to goes after a different Arits and Idol if i am stick with whi i truly adimre and achivement they bare to it.
Rain have change me alot afterall i became his try fan & Cloud coz he know how the wrold work around and who such a hardworking person their thousand new Idol nowaday i can listing and hear and watch them one one thing all am going to say none of these can be like him yes that my topic all about rain that botom line.
and matter fact they should give more head-up about him too sorry but i am not liking BAO as they so gaga about YES!! she have herr own move and talen of side of that but let be striaght.
and also i belive K-pop have grow they have bring alot different enviment and stylies and contrbute to they perfrom and lyric like Maris say!! i agreed with and K-pop is one the most ENGERY perfroms that u well alway continue to inspire it i am talking to all of the Artis & Idol here .
i am not the only rain fan i have serent Idol to adimre them too Mblaq Rain, KimHyung, BigBang, Ect…..!! they K-pop are working they ass of their perfrom promo and stylis so their popluation are to stay up and continue to raise it… i am loving with their perfrom , Drama & show ect… u named it..
they should not Judge this period… BAO is their somthing wrong with her… btw… an INDUSTRY make their so many beauitful to explore and u should see first before u state this kind article ..
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It’s never too late to learn. I agree with Cecilia185, the intro for Kpop for me was Rain too. Then I started listening to BoA in my Iphone and all of the Kpop music they offer in Pandora’s KPop Radio and I love it. We just need more exposure here in the US, it’s not enough with the K-dramas. As we had Michael Jackson as the King of Pop, and will always be, we need to have Rain as the Korean King of Pop that he is and get him more exposure in the US. That way, whenever he comes to the US, he can have other Korean pop artists opening for his shows to give them also their exposure and so on. Bring sexy Rain back!!!!!!!!!!!
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i also want to comment on the “Kpop taking over” comment made by the first writer.
here in the US there’s a 24 hour music channel. it offers blocked time slots for different artists. the blocked times are called thus: “Little Wayne’s Take Over”; “Lady GaGa’s Take Over:” “Beyonce’s Take Over,” Jazy’s Take Over”;” Briney Spear’s Take Over”…..well you get my point, right?
so watching the promo ads for the upcoming “Kpop Take Over” which is scheduled to take place in CA, in a hotel venue, later this month appears to me that Kpop is establishing a place for itself and for it’s audience. i say hoorah!!! the promo ad uses Se7en a few Korean artists but also includes Korea American artiste. do you think there might be some fright being generated because kpop dares to assert itself??? my feeling is that for far to long kpop has been ignored….fans know about it, even promoters, record companies, writers and the powers that be know about it. after all Rain has performed in the US since 2004…first in Chicago at a University, then at the Super Bowl, then in NY’s Madison Square Garden then in Vegas for a total of 8 different times. so folks DO know about kpop. as for Rain being a “World Star”….no question about it. if your documentary shows in 130 countries; you dramas show in over 30 different countries; you perform more than 60 concerts in (i didn’t count the countries, kekeke) and even left out some concerts; you cf’s are shown throughout Asia; the film you starred in is shown in over 38 different countries….you are selected by fans from all across the globe on the Time 100 poll not one, not two, not three times, not four times but 5 straight years in a row and get selected twice THAT’S GLOBAL RECOGNIZTION BABY!!!! THAT IS GLOBAL STARPOWER!!! so i hope the first writer sticks to her profession as a translator…and i hope she’s better at it than trying to write about kpop. that’s my little 2 cents worth about these articles.
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wow! what a topic….and the first writer seems to have opened up a can of worms with her opinion of kpop, kdramas, kmedia and everything associated with Korea’s entertainment industry. so me, being me, i went on another hunt to see what else is being said about Hallyu. what did i find??? youtube vids like this….Kpop Flashmobs in Romania; Tijuana, Mexico Rallies for Kpop; Belgium Flashmob Party; Kpop Festival in Canada; Kpop Fan meeting in Milan, Italy; Kpop grows in India and many others. and i also found someone in Korea who is tracking these vids and expressing their thanks to these countries. on the negative side i found a vid out of Japan which denounces Kpop’s popularity there even calling it’s fans insane, brutal and capable of harm!!!!!! wow!
that vid goes on to accuse Korea of being crazy because it chooses to promote what this Japan vid calls Nationalistic promoting, what’s that??? other’s call kpopers copy-dogs and nasty names like that, really cruel stuff to me. but, here’s just my opinion.
1) Copying- i like the word (influence better) and what’s wrong with that? it’s not just in Korea, hip hop started in the inner cities of New York and on the West coast in inner cities by African/America… and spread across the globe with each country using it according to it’s own culture. this includes “rapping” which started with the likes of “The Last Poets”, Gil Scott-Heron and others (telling a story through their whole record in words and rhyme). so saying that, i’d like to disagree with the comment by the second writer about African America using from others. quite the opposite has been documented, written about (in historical content), and witnessed by varying performers other than African Americans. don’t take my word for it though, just goggle WDAS radio on line (titled the Game Changers), and get a real dose of Hip Hop and R&B. especially a vid of Prince & Stevy Wonder performance in Paris. AWESOME STUFF that disputes the writers comment.
2) historical kdramas- for me there is none better because when watching, the drama is infused with documented historical records, letting the viewer know that yes it has some dramatized scenes, but it is based on fact. (and if you’ve read Korea’s history, you’ll be able to see that in the dramas)
3) kmedia- what country do you know that does not heighten it’s own through the media? USA does it; Japan does it; India does it; China does it; Africa does it; Taiwan does it and so on. and they should. how the heck can the public know if the country doesn’t toot it’s own horn? i’m probably excluding a lot from the article, but i’m sure others will do better. but overall, i’ve been watching Asian entertainment for over 5 years now and i love every bit of it. it has moved throughout the globe, even in Israel, Sweden and places i can’t even pronounce, and as of yesterday KBS’s news page shows a kpop movement in Russia, so for this first writer’s article, i just got the feeling that she’s angry about something….or everything…hell, i don’t know what her issues are…but she does have some. the main one to me though is as the second writer says “ignorance”.
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I am just learning about Kpop and besides Rain, Mblaq and a bit of FX, Lee Hyori and Big Bang I haven’t explore any other Korean performers. Having said that, I believe Kpop is growing slowly but surely. I don’t think is a passing music movement cuz it’s too good. Kpop is bringing a whole new style of doing music. I am in love with kpop not only for the beat but also for those romantic lyrics. Is an explosive combination and I am fascinated by it. I believe Kpop is here to stay.
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K-pop is rather broad, but once you get into it you’d understand the hallyu phenomenon, I started with BI but have gone on to many many other artists and they should not be judged on how big they made it in the US, since it is the toughest market to break in for any one, but by how many fans they have thruout the world, they will be amazed on how truly k-pop is, it’s popularaty is not laughable at all, I’d sugest they research more before writng those kind of scathing articles 😉
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These are some very interesting points. For me Rain was an introduction to Kpop because once I learned about him, I was curious about the whole thing. However I do admit that aside from Big Bang, Shinee I don’t really know much about it still. There are so many groups out there kinda hard for me to keep track on all of them….lol.
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