Culture

20121102_seoulbeats_timez

The Latest Weapon in the Battle for China: TimeZ

The 19th century marked the period of the Opium Wars which opened the Chinese market to imperialist powers through sheer acts of brute force. The ...

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20121102_seoulbeats_exoairport

When Idols and Fans Clash

No, not in the literal “fighting” sense, but the frenzy that ensues when idols travel out of Korea and into the lands we inhabit. Barely ...

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Korean Idol Halloween with Sister Jo Kwon

Oh Halloween, a holiday where men dress up like women and women dress up in lingerie. But in all seriousness, the holiday has become less ...

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20121025_seoulbeats_gain_hyuna

MOGEF Double Standards: Why Hyuna Gets a Pass, But Ga-in Doesn’t

It’s been long enough. The coast is clear. At this point, it’s quite evident that MOGEF, otherwise known as Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and ...

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20121028_seoulbeats_infinite_l

The Good Sans the Bad and the Ugly: October

First things first: in October, Koreans celebrated Hangeul Day (the 566th, to be more precise) and from the bottom of my heart, thanks to King ...

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20121027_seoulbeats_secret

The K-pop Formula: Cute or Sexy, Pick Your Poison

It’s no secret that the Korean pop music industry is formulaic. It is a well known fact the training programs have been well established at ...

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20121026_seoulbeats_dbsk

K-pop and Escaping Real Life

CNN published via their Geek Out section an article on K-pop fans and what it means to go too far in terms of fan behavior. ...

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20121024_seoulbeats_predebut_gd

The Pre-debut Touch

Be they school photos, audition clips or casual selcas, every other day a new compilation post of our favourite idols’ pre-debut photos surfaces online, sparking ...

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20121014_seoulbeats_sujufanpower

Counterpoint: Reasons I’d Want to be a K-Idol

Over the last two years, the idol/starlet dream has gone into overdrive. From the reality shows that promise to turn the man on the street ...

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20121010_seoulbeats_kpopjapan

Perspectives: K-pop in Japan (And a Bit About the World)

While there is much to commend about K-pop in general — from the amazingly supportive fans, to the fact that so much can be done ...

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