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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…

4 comments

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…

13 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

sharonsgames says:
I am an example of someone who opened my eyes to BTS after seeing them on an American TV show. Seeing how they were even mentioned by the American mainstream media broke a wall, a barrier, and many stereotypes, for me.
sharonsgames says:
And now, they have won Top Duo/Group at the BBMAs as well as Top Social Artist for three years in a row, as well as performed multiple times on the BBMAs. Rather than having a hit song like Gangnam Style, growing steadily seems like it's paying off!
sharonsgames says:
That sentence was so satisfying to read. We now know that the BBMA award was the first one in a long string of awards. I had no idea about BTS, and I had no idea they won that award back then. Now, however, three years later, millions more people are fans of BTS and are very well aware that they won that award.
sharonsgames says:
True. I didn't even know that they won the award when they did. Now, three years later, I am a fan of BTS and I know about that award very well.
Raven says:
I think the problem really lies with what people consider queer. In most Western countries, the though of two adult men holding hands while walking down the street is homosexual. That's not necessarily true in South Korea, especially if they're under 25. We have to remember that many South Koreans still see people 24 and under as basically teenagers. They're cute. They're expected to still be innocent. As well as the fact that most South Koreans don't get married until they're closer to 30 and most haven't had their first sexual intercourse until they are well into their 20's (it's actually illegal to have sex if you're under 20 unless you're married...age of consent is 20). In some Western countries (not America), it's normal for straight men to lip kiss as a greeting. Although that's not a custom in South Korea, we can't impose our own ideas of what it means to be queer in a country that values skinship among youth. Ideas of manliness vary as well.
animetorr says:
i don't care what your opinions are or whose side you're on. the fact remains she sung about a little 5 year old boy knowingly and found his character sexy in some way. I liked IU but hearing about this song kinda raises eyebrows and basically broke the spell of being mesmerized by this woman. Seriously, the only reason she's getting a break is because of her fame. If you sung about this to your family or friends, they'd probably think you're crazy