K-POP: MY LOVE

Hallyu or the Korean wave, is a term that refers to the growing popularity of Korean entertainment, culture, food and language in many countries.  The Korean wave can be traced back to the 1990s when audiences in China, Japan and Taiwan were first exposed to South Korean dramas. Korean dramas are essentially soap operas that last for about three months with around twenty episodes or so.  Korean dramas are known to contain highly addicting plotlines. 

With the export of Korean dramas, Korean pop music followed in popularity.  Boy bands with flashy dances and upbeat rhythms soon captured female audiences.  The most well-known of these boy bands is TVXQ, a five-member group consisting of songs that range from hip hop to more pop songs.  Additionally, solo artists like Rain and BoA would rise to top the music charts and perform concerts in countries like Japan.

But what makes K-Pop so good that even people who don’t even speak the language get so into it?

K-Pop in the Philippines

Since the rise of K-Pop in 2005, more and more Filipinos are fast becoming devoted fans of these Korean cultural sector. Recent K-Pop artists who have debuted in our country include Super Junior and 2NE1. In mid-2009, the Philippine nation found itself dancing to the Wonder Girls’ dance hit, Nobody, which was the first Korean single to make it to the US Billboard Top 100.

In addition, Philippine fan groups/fan forums are rapidly increasing in number. Among the Philippine chapters of K-Pop artists’ fan clubs are WONDERFUL PH, GIRLS’ GENERATION PH, VIP PH and CASSIOPEIA PH and Super Junior United PH. In the social networking site Multiply, on the other hand, there is a growing population of online shops which sell Korean clothes. And even Korean fashion and hair-styling are seen anywhere.  

My Top 10 Favorite KPop Idols

My Top 10 Favorite KPop Songs

My Top 10 Favorite KRap Songs

My Top 10 Favorite KRnB/KHip-Hop Songs

My Top 10 Favorite KDrama Songs

My Top 10 Favorite KPop Music Videos