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Oppa isn't really gay... How K-pop queer baiting leads to queer blindness

K-Pop, in general, has a problem with queerness.

This is a bit of a loaded statement, but let me explain; K-Pop’s issue with queerness is that it toes the line of what is and isn’t acceptably queer all the time without ever fully addressing it. I…

one comment

helen

08/10/2017

[Interview] Zandari Festa returns to Hongdae with another great lineup

Korea’s top indie showcase festival Zandari Festa is back once again in Hongdae next weekend. This year 140 acts will be playing across 10 music venues between Friday 29th September and Sunday 1st October.

Established names in Korean music including Galaxy Express, Idiotape, 3rd Line Butterfly and Neon Bunny…

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admin

24/09/2017

SM makes idols like Samsung makes phones: K-pop as culture technology

This is the second part in a series on the meaning of K-pop as a genre. Apologies to everyone for the huge delay.

Step 1: Casting

Step 2: Training

Step 3: Producing

Step 4: Marketing

This is the 4-step process founder Lee Soo-man laid out describing how…

2 comments

lizzie

13/09/2017

DEAN is so popular in London they've put on a second date

Turns out R&B singer DEAN (or is it DΞΔN?) is so popular in the UK, concert organisers have put on a second date in London after the first one sold out.

Tickets are on sale for the gig at KOKO in Camden on Saturday the 24th June…

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admin

07/06/2017

HIGHLIGHT and EXID to play London Korean Festival in July

UPDATE: There has been some confusion over the event because the KCCUK have deleted their initial Facebook post but according to event organisers Audience the event is still going ahead as announced.

Looks like this year’s London Korean Festival is back with a bigger K-pop lineup than ever…

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admin

07/06/2017

Is K-pop a genre? Yes. Yes it is.

Ask a Korean recently wrote a blog post called K-Pop is Not a Genre in which he argues that K-pop is not a musical genre (as you may have guessed). (He has since also written another.)

As much respect as I have for the author, I have reservations…

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lizzie

31/05/2017

Why do BTS fans care so much about that Billboard award? Of course they won.

Last night, the world shook on its axis as BTS won the Billboard Music Award for Best Social Artist. As the the first K-Pop group to ever even be nominated for the BBMAs, there was little to no chance that BTS would win.

Oh no, wait.

Last night BTS…

6 comments

helen

22/05/2017

[Interview] Say Sue Me bring the Busan sunshine to chilly Glasgow

It was a fairly sunny and warm evening in Glasgow (at least for a early May evening in Scotland) when I headed over from Edinburgh to see Say Sue Me play their sole Scottish date in their UK tour. The venue chosen, the CCA in the city centre, is known…

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lizzie

11/05/2017

Guest says:
Bye.
Campanelle says:
Goodbye.
Guest says:
She admitted to lying. That's why she was convicted of attempted fraud. Most of your comment has nothing to do with what I said. Facts are she lied and gave an interview knowing she was lying. That IS defamation so why was she cleared? Secondly, the edited pregnancy picture couldn't be verified if it was unedited or not, but it was mentioned it was suspicious. (An expert had said it looked she had taken the picture but the prosecutor was also able to replicate the same thing doing a screen shot using the exact same phone model.) As for the edited texts, 1) when submitting evidence you shouldn't be editing your evidence period. There's no justifiable reason to be spellchecking the texts. There's no reason for editing anything. She submits what she has end of story. As to thr irrelevant parts of your comment, why the hell would a criminal court suddenly take away custody in a country that's terrible at protecting children? There's literally a charity dedicated to kids whose parents get sent to prison and the kids end up forgotten and fending for themselves and unable to ask for help due to stigma.
Campanelle says:
I do not know if she admitted to lying or if because she had no proof it was considered a lie. And I do not know if she made a mistake on the forms with the dates. For me the pregnancy test pictures are all test results with one faint line and one dark line that are identical to women who have chemical pregnancies. It is not coincidence. The editing was found not to have altered the texts in her favor, so since it created no change of substance it was dismissed by the judge. If you write a post here, you can go back at a later date to edit it. I have done it many times, because I spot various mistakes typos, misspellings, missing words, comma faults. I correct them, which does not in any substantive way change the meaning of what I wrote. That is key in this. Did the editing change the texts to benefit her? The judge decided they did not. No mention is made in court that this woman has a history of illegal activity or shaking men down either. I read lots of comments that she was going down for evil ways. Yet, no history was presented. Finally, I read lots of comments about her being a “terrible mother” with no proof. I expected that to come out in the case as well. But it did not. In fact, it seems that the court thinks she is doing a great job and wants to help her stay with her child. Otherwise the court would have seized this as an opportunity to put her away.
Guest says:
I know this is a year old, but Lizzy is talking out of her ass about the court system in Korea and they don't really have a self defense law. You cause an injury, you're responsible for it.
Guest says:
Why is "lie" in quotations? She literally admitted to making false claims about a forced abortion after no medical reports about the pregnancy could be found and then there was a medical report where she put her period date BEFORE her supposed abortion. She was cleared of defamation charges despite being found guilty of fraud and the judge even admitted she edited the texts. The judge didn't think it made a difference. That is being lenient and it is likely due to her single mom status as Korea doesn't like to put them in jail.