Kpop Idols' Quotes

"Even if my throat bleeds from singing and my body breaks from dancing, I will never give up the stage. Under the circumstances where you cannot enjoy yourself wholeheartedly, just scream and shout until your throat hurts." - TVXQ, Jaw Joong.

"There is no shortcut in life." - Super Junior, Kyuttyun-

"Those who think they will lose, end up in that direction." - Dalmatian, Dari

"I only wear clothes because I can't walk around with nothing on, but they started calling me a fashionista." - G Dragon

"Everything will be good as long as you do your best. Because if you do, there will be no regrets." - Tiffany

"Effort does not betray you. If it ever does, that just means you didn't put enough effort into it." - Nicole

"They laugh at us because we're different but we laugh at them because they are all the same." - C.L.

"I can pretend to be less tired despite being tired. If one of the members shows signs of tiredness among the six, then everyone becomes tired. So that's why when everyone's tired, I smile brightly and create a fun atmosphere. If you look at it from that perspective, not only did I mature but my dongsengs did as well" - B.A.P., Young Tae

"In Korea's music to the public, especially the idol market, singing skills are a given but other factors and talents are focused altogether, so I have to emphasize on facial expressions, being able to dance well, having to sing, and looking at the camera. In having to focus on various things and not forget any of the factors in showing a stage where we have to perfect all areas is the hardest homework I think". - B.A.P., Him Chan

The Influence of the Korean Wave

The term Korean wave is used to describe the increase in the popularity of South Korean entertainment and culture starting in the 199s, in Asia, which has more recently spread to the rest of the world. This trend represents a rise in the international perceptibility of Korean culture. The origin of the term dates back to 1999 and it was created by Beijing journalists who noticed the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China.

The wave has had considerable economic impact in the country, as well as on the political and cultural influence on South Korea. Namely, in 2001, based on international activity the Korean wave added approximately USD$3.8bn of revenue to the South Korean economy. The impact was such that an American journalist described the wave as a "pop culture tsunami" flowing from South Korea to the United States and to the rest of the world.

Indeed, the Korean wave has reached every corner of the planet as it has spread to Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and even Eastern Europe. A popular Korean soap opera produced in 2003 called "Stairway to Heaven" was watched in countries like Venezuela and people there could relate to human emotions which are universal.

The Korean wave, also known as Hallyu, is made up by many different aspects of South Korean culture, such as: popular music or K-pop (songs are usually released on YouTube onto the global audience), dramas or k-dramas (translated into English by fans usually within 24 hours of release), language (there has been a rising interest in Korean language classes in the past few years, and it is believed this trend is due to the popularity of K-pop songs and K-dramas), animated comics and films, and cuisine.

In recent years, K-pop has become the predominant Korean export. While it has helped to maximize the influence of the wave, it has also opened the doors of the Korean culture to the world.

South Korean Cuisine

Korean traditional, early cuisine evolved through time in its complex interaction with environmental, political and cultural trends. This contemporary amalgam is largely based upon rice, vegetables and meats, at the time it is known for the number of side dishes (banchan) that comes with steam-cooked short-grain rice. Koreans are madly obsessed with food to the point that in Seoul each popular dish has its own "town" –a street filled with restaurants all serving their versions of that particular food.

The signature dish of the national cuisine is Kimchi, which is made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings and is quintessential to every meal. There is a large range of varieties made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, scallion or cucumber. The most common version is the one made with napa cabbage which is preserved and lightly fermented in bright red chili flakes. This chili pickled cabbage come free in almost every restaurant, but a huge sack of homemade kimchi to eat with rice can cost 5,000 Won ($4.39).

Along with Kimchi, Korean food is largely based on barbecue. Like some say, Koreans are crazy about their barbecue or gogigui. A barbecue feast comes in a myriad of plates of meat and a large assortment of side dishes and the all-important pieces of lettuce, garlic, peppers, and chili pastes to fashion little meat wraps. Interestingly enough, you must order 2 or more plates while are eating Korean barbecue; it is not viable to order just one plate. For instance, if you go to with a couple of people, you will need to order two plates of pork belly and two plates of beef, instead of one of each. The cost is around 8,000 Won ($7.00) per person.

The ideal fuel for non-stopping Korean lifestyle is a dish called tteokbokki or rice cakes in sauce. These are glutinous tubular rice cakes, generally submerged in gochujang, a red chili pepper sauce. Sindang neighborhood is the place to go to try these rice cakes, where numerous restaurants liven up the dish with cabbage, onions, noodles and fishcakes.

There is a season for every activity and a dish for every season. In this case, gamjatang –pork and potato soup- is the perfect dish to warm the cold days of winter. Gamjatang is a rich and spicy broth flavoured with garlic, onion and ground perilla seeds, plentiful chunks of potato, and a hunk of pork with the meat falling off the bone.

There are also dishes ideal for the hot, crazy, lazy, hazy days of summer, and South Korea, after all is an Asian country, which means that noodles are an intrinsic component of its cuisine. Naengmyun or cold noodles are a North Korean export, sometimes called Pyongyang naengmyun. These buckwheat noodles are served chilled, covered in diced vegetables and topped with substantial dollop of gochujang. Everything is mixed together.

The Phenomenon of K-Pop Dance

In the past decade, South Korean pop music has taken the world by storm. Audiences across continents have been enchanted by Wonder Girls' sensual voices and dance moves, while PSY has created a massive troop of followers hooked to his catchy "Gangnam style" and his horsey hip wiggle dance routine.

It is not only these idols' songs, but also their mesmerizing, fascinating choreographies which attract masses in Asia and, more recently, in the West. These celebrities reflect the country's exciting dance scenery. For instance, Korean B-boys are known as the best in the world. There are 3,000 B-boys and 1,000 bands in South Korea.

This trend is known as K-pop –a musical genre consisting of pop, bubblegum pop, dance, electronic, electropop, hip hop, rock and R& B music originating in South Korea- which has also become a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults around the world.

Dance is a vital component of K-pop. When the show includes multiple singers, the artists frequently switch their positions while performing by making prompt synchronized movements. The turning point for the establishment of K-pop choreography was the introduction of a strategy called "formation changing", which consists of multiple singers switching their positions while singing and dancing. This strategy was first presented by Seo Taiji & Boys.

For those who want to follow the path of their Korean pop idols, there are specialized dance schools in South Korea that teach to dance K-Pop, Hip Hop, Rap Music , and R&B. These choreography schools train their students for a year or two and then send them to agencies' auditions to try their luck.

Some of the academies have uploaded instructional videos on YouTube, which teaches a worldwide audience some K-Pop Dance moves that include "Bo-beep", Rainbow's "A", Secret's "Madonna", "Sherlock", and Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra".

The tendency seems to indicate a growing K-Pop influence in the world. Korean pop idols keep amassing success while the world dances to the beat of their catchy tunes mimicking their eye-catching choreographies.