Culture

20121201_seoulbeats_psy

Authenticity, K-pop and the West: Part 1

Fake! It’s a word inundating the comment section of English articles on K-pop, if not heavily insinuated by the authors themselves. To most Western fans, ...

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20121129_seoulbeats_wondergirls_sunye

Here Comes the (Idol) Bride: Sunye, Marriage, and Fan Reactions

Wedding bells are ringing in the K-popiverse! As many of our readers will have heard, Wonder Girls‘ leader Sunye will be tying the knot with one James Park, ...

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20121125_seoulbeats_exom_tao

Confessions of a Fangirl: Let’s Talk About Smut

Dear Seoulmates, Let’s not pretend like K-pop, beneath all the powdery white precious innocence, isn’t a complex commodification of sex. We can sit here and ...

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20121128_seoulbeats_sistar_boyfriend

Brothers and Sisters: Sibling Pairs as a Marker of Success

During the course of the year we’ve witnessed female groups do their thing, an expansion in the numbers and popularity of male groups, an unexpected ...

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20121122_seoulbeats_yunho_go ara

Dating in K-pop? No, I (Am Brainwashed To) Believe Oppa Is Mine

Dating in mainstream K-pop is, to say the least, complicated. It seems as though we are to expect our favorite oppars and unnies to sing ...

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20121123_seoulbeats_mchammer_psy.jpg

Psy and the Faceless Asian

Where are all the white tears flowing this time of the year? At the American Music Awards, apparently. On the 18th of November, the ceremony ...

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20120518_seoulbeats_boa

Korea’s Idol Prep Schools and the Parents Who Fund Them

Note: This post is a summary and analysis of ethnographic work primarily done by Swee-Lin Ho, in “Fuel for South Korea’s ‘”Global Dreams Factory”‘: The ...

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20121122_seoulbeats_seoul

Korean Culture Through K-pop 102: Dynamic Korea

Thanks to Psy, you’d be hard-pressed to find a K-pop fan (or really, any human being with a pulse) who hasn’t heard the word “Gangnam” — ...

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20121121_seoulbeats_B12-4

B12: A Spoof That Hits Too Close to Home

B12 has it all: twelve boys with distinct personalities, hip fashion, flashy dance moves, and a catchy song. They could be the next big thing ...

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