50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: Just Missed the Cut (Part 2)

[Series Index]

It's been a long interruption due to the Korean's wedding and such, but the 50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists series is back. This is Part 2 of the roundup of K-Pop artists who were considered, organized by their debut year. Part 2 consists of the artists who debuted after 1990. After getting these names out of the way, the series will move along with a full head of steam.

All of these singers are all pretty famous, and their songs are worth listening to if you want to get the full context of the prevalent music within the genre and the era. The Korean included Korean names of the singers/bands so that readers may copy/paste the names in Youtube search window.



Yoon Jong-Shin (윤종신), 1991

In 15 words or less:  Creator of ballad songs that are not cheap and banal.
Maybe he should have been ranked because…  Nah, he shouldn’t have been ranked.
He was not ranked because…  He shouldn’t have been. His influence was just not that great.

Um Jeong-Hwa (엄정화), 1993

In 15 words or less:  A huge multi-talent who can sing, dance, act AND age gracefully.
Maybe she should have been ranked because…  She has turned an actress who can single-handedly carry a movie – a rarity in Korea.

She was not ranked because…  This chart is about music.

배반의 장미 ("Rose of Betrayal") by Um Jeong-Hwa

Cool, 1994

In 15 words or less:  Fairly popular dance group in the mid-1990s.
Maybe they should have been ranked because…  Their song Woman of the Beach (해변의 여인) is still the unofficial anthem of summer in Korea.

They were not ranked because…  One hit wonders don’t well on this chart.

해변의 여인 ("Woman on the Beach") by Cool

Cho Gwan-Woo (조관우), 1994

In 15 words or less:  One of the rarest voices in Korea, climbing five octaves.
Maybe he should have been ranked because…  His second album created a boom of remake albums.

He was not ranked because…  What have you done for me lately? He somehow could not parlay his massive success of his second album into better and better music.

꽃밭에서 ("At the Flowerpatch") by Cho Gwan-Woo

DJ Doc, 1994

In 15 words or less:  Arguably the hardest partiers in K-pop history, with the music to match.
Maybe they should have been ranked because…  Sex. Drugs. Scandals. Name it, DJ Doc did it – and they wrote some pissed-off songs in response. It may have been the first instance in K-pop history where an artist/band gave the public the middle finger.
They were not ranked because…  Musically they were not particularly special except for one album, and they were not the last one to be mired in scandals and gave the middle finger.

Kim Jin-Pyo (김진표), 1995

In 15 words or less:  Pioneering Korean rapper.
Maybe he should have been ranked because...  He elevated the very nascent Korean rap to another level of maturity.
He was not ranked because...  Close call, but did not last long enough to gain cultural significance like other rappers did. Legacy is also exaggerated because he was associated with Lee Jeok (이적), who was the mastermind of their band, Panic.

Fly by Kim Jin-Pyo

Kim Gyeong-Ho (김경호), 1995

In 15 words or less:  The man who kept Korean rock alive in the mid- to late 1990s.
Maybe he should have been ranked because...  He really was the only person who kept rock relevant to Korean pop culture for about five or six years.
He was not ranked because...  He sustained the genre, but did not exactly advance it.

Clon, 1996

In 15 words or less:  The group that could really dance and just have fun.

Maybe they should have been ranked because...  A couple of their songs are iconic. (One of them below.) Also, Gang Won-Rae's tragic motorcycle accident, which rendered him paraplegic, provided a much-needed boost for disabled people's rights in Korea.
They were not ranked because...  At the end of the day, not special musically. (And they also misspelled what was meant to be "Clone" -- not that it matters.)

꿍따리샤바라 ("Koongdarishabara") by Clon

Juju Club, 1996

In 15 words or less:  One of the pioneers of the weird.

Maybe they should have been ranked because...  Also has an iconic song that still plays today.

They were not ranked because...  Ended up being a one-album wonder, and were not as weird as they could have been either.

열여섯스물 ("Sixteen/Twenty") by Juju Club

Jinusean, 1997

In 15 words or less:  Another rap group that could really have fun.

Maybe they should have been ranked because...  They were one of the pioneers of the Korean-Americans-in-Korean-entertainment trend.

They were not ranked because...  Close call, but hard to rank too many rappers when rap/hiphop as a stand-alone genre is not that huge in Korea.

Lee Gi-Chan (이기찬), 1997

In 15 words or less:  Significant ballad singer.

Maybe he should have been ranked because...  He owned the ballad scene for about two years (2001-02).

He was not ranked because... That's not enough to be ranked, considering he did not innovate at all.

춤추는 나무 ("Dancing Tree") by Lee Gi-Chan

Lee Jeong-Hyeon (이정현), 1999

In 15 words or less:  The woman who made techno mainstream in Korea.

Maybe she should have been ranked because...  Anyone who can carry a genre by herself deserves a consideration.

She was not ranked because...  At the end of the day, not musically special, and not much commitment to the genre. Also, much of her fame was based on having the right lyrics ("change") that resonated with the popular politics at the time.

CB Mass, 2000

In 15 words or less:  At one point, might have been the top 2 rap group in Korea.
Maybe they should have been ranked because...  May have been the best pissed-off rappers in Korea.
They were not ranked because...  Given the relatively small influence of rap compared to the overall k-pop landscape, they could not jump ahead of the better rappers.

The Movement II by CB Mass

No Brain, 2000

In 15 words or less:  Significant punk rockers, particularly in the live scene.
Maybe they should have been ranked because...  Probably had the most unique sound in Korean punk rock to go with fantastic pissed-off lyrics.
They were not ranked because...  Similarly to CB Mass with rap, there are only so many punk rockers who can crack the top 50 given the relative influence of the entire genre.

Cherry Filter, 2000

In 15 words or less:  One of the best female-lead rock bands in Korea.
Maybe they should have been ranked because...  At least one of their songs made it HUGE.
They were not ranked because...  Ten years after their debut, their legacy is still not clear, hanging above one-hit wonder but below perennial hit makers.

낭만고양이 ("Romance Cat") by Cherry Filter

Big Mama, 2003

In 15 words or less:  Female group that bucked the trend.
Maybe they should have been ranked because...  At least for a year or so, presented a real way in which female singers could succeed with the merits of their voice alone.
They were not ranked because...  At the end of the day, nothing changed; that's no influence.

체념 ("Letting Go") by Big Mama

Jang Yoon-Jeong (장윤정), 2004

In 15 words or less:  Woman who singlehandedly brought trot back to life.
Maybe she should have been ranked because...  In terms of the level of difficulty, getting the young people interested in trot again was an enormous feat.
She was not ranked because...  Very close call, but not enough to outrank those above her. However, that might change depending on how the current trot trend shakes out.

어머나 ("Oh My") by Jang Yoon-Jeong

Wonder Girls, 2007

In 15 words or less:  At one point, the hottest girl group in Korea.
Maybe they should have been ranked because...  See above.
They were not ranked because...  They sabotaged their own influence through an ill-advised U.S. venture.

Nobody by Wonder Girls

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Oh great. The Korean can only imagine what kind of stupid questions will come in after this mess airs...

Meet The Cast Of The Asian Jersey Shore: K-town [MTV Iggy] (via Marmot's Hole)

Pricking Fingers

Dear Korean,

I have been watching Korean dramas and there is something I noticed. When someone is not feeling well, they will use a needle to prick the fingers. How does that help? Is it a Korean thing?

Kat


Dear Kat,

Yes. To be more specific, it is a type of acupuncture.

The remedy is usually deployed for severe indigestion -- the type that feels like the food is stuck somewhere just above your stomach, happening mostly when you eat a little too fast. (Koreans have a word for this condition - che or geup-che - that is separate from normal indigestion. But the Korean cannot think of a single English word that is equivalent.)

The remedy itself is really easy. Sanitize a needle either by burning the tip or washing it with alcohol. Tie your thumb with a string or a rubber band to constrict the bloodflow. Then prick the little sliver of flesh on the corner of the thumb where it meets the fingernail. Press and let the blood out. The end result should look like the picture below.

 Example of a medicinally pricked finger.

(Source)

Based on personal experience and numerous, numerous first-person accounts, this remedy works like a charm; usually after about 15 minutes or so, you can feel the "stuck" feeling slowly going away. But how does this work? Chinese medicine practitioners have an explanation based on the body's qi flow and about how the bodily functions are replicated on a person's hand. But as far as the exact science is concerned, the mechanism by which pricking a finger helps indigestion is a mystery, like the way the exact mechanism by which acupuncture helps is still a mystery. Also, Korean doctors warn that this remedy only mitigates the symptoms without curing the underlying cause. Feel free to try out this remedy, but the safe thing to do is to visit the doctor.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: North Korean Soccer (Part I)

First of all, congratulations to the Taeguk Warriors for making the knockout round for the first time outside of Korea.

While this World Cup has produced plenty of compelling moments -- like Landon Donovan's beautiful 91st minute goal against Algeria (USA! USA!) -- the leading Korean Peninsula-related story of the World Cup is the Chollima (the "Thousand-Mile Horses") of North Korea, who fought well against the 2-1 defeat against Brazil in the course of being eliminated.

Personally, the Korean thinks that North Korea should never have been allowed to play in the 2010 World Cup. Eve Fairbanks of Newsweek described the Korean's sentiment well:

But I have to admit that the more goals the Portuguese scored, the worse I felt. I didn't dare to wear my fiery colors of labor too obviously inside the Troyeville, but I was rooting for North Korea. Partly because of the amusement factor—rock-paper-scissors!—but mainly because, when I looked at those hapless North Korean players giving up goal after goal, I wondered how safe their friends and families would be.

...

FIFA—and South Africa—missed an opportunity by failing to ban the North Koreans. Enlightened people love to pooh-pooh cultural boycotts, but a ban would have reflected this part of the continent’s unique ethos and history. South Africa is the single country where a sports boycott did the most to heighten outside awareness of the evils of a regime—and to foment internal restlessness for change.

Bring Back the Sports Boycott [Newsweek]

The Korean cannot help Ms. Fairbanks get the boycott she (and he) wanted. But he can help taking a guess at what North Korean soccer players might go through, thanks to Mr. Joo Seong-Ha of Nambuk Story. Below is a series by Mr. Joo providing analysis on North Korean soccer's history and the current state. Because the series is in three parts, the Korean will also give the translation in three parts.

North Korean Soccer Analysis: Part I - Defeat Makes a Sea of Tears

June 18, 2008, King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As soon as the game against Saudi Arabia ended -- the last game in the Asia preliminaries for 2010 World Cup -- the North Korean players shed tears of joy as they embraced one another. They had just advanced to the World Cup Finals for the first time in 44 years. This was also the first time in history when South and North Korea advanced together.

 North Koreans players cheer at King Fahd Stadium after qualifying for the World Cup.

The players received a massive welcome parade in Pyongyang. The regime also rewarded them with awards at the highest level. Sixteen received the name of "People's Athlete," and three received the name "Contributing Athlete." People's Athlete is the highest honor for an athlete in North Korea. North Korea usually reserves the People's Athlete honors for athletes who won in the Olympics or a world championship, and the Contributing Athlete honors for those who won an Asia-wide competition. The unprecedented number of those who received the People's Athlete honors at the same time reflects how much North Korea values advancing into the World Cup.

The families of the People's Athlete apparently moved to the best Athlete's Apartments in Pyongyang. In particular, the families who used to live in rural areas won a Pyongyang citizenship, which is extremely difficult to obtain, thanks to their sons. This also shows the soccer's popularity in North Korea, and the emphasis that the regime puts on the sport.

Then why did North Korea fail to distinguish itself in the international stage for over 40 years? To understand this, it is necessary to explain the glory days of North Korea soccer -- the legend of quarterfinals in the England World Cup of 1966, 44 years ago.

June 30, 1966. When 66 members of Team North Korea and staff landed in London, many locals came to see them. For Europeans of that era, Asian soccer players were a curiosity. They were astonished by the fact that the average height of Team North Korea was 165 cm [TK: 165 cm = 5' 5"].

The culture shock was the same for the North Koreans. The players who went to the airport restroom were surprised when a "woman" came out of what was clearly marked as a men's room. Only after the interpreter arrived did they learn that in England, men could grow long hair as well.

It was a clear day when Team North Korea arrived -- an unusual sight in London infamous for bad weather. The local newspapers reported, "The players of the Land of the Morning Calm brought sunshine."

The group stage for North Korea was at Middlesbrough, in northeastern England. Upon arriving Middlesbrough, Team North Korea rejected the hotels assigned by the hosts four times, electing instead to stay outside the city at St. George Hotel, which was still under construction. This was done to save foreign currency.

Team North Korea's every move grabbed local paper's attention. An article reported that Team North Korea consumed more than one kilogram of chili pepper a day; a hotel chef was quoted, "If Englishmen ate chili like this, they would explode." Team North Korea appeared to be a team of mystery for Middlesbroughers.

No one expected North Korea to advance to the quarterfinals, because the same group had the contemporary powerhouses -- Soviet Union, Chile and Italy. The strongest one among them was Soviet Union, led by the legendary goalkeeper Yashin. As expected, Soviet Union defeated North Korea and Italy, advancing as the top team of the group. Later, Soviet Union would lose to West Germany in the semifinal in an upset, as West Germany beat Soviet Union for the first time since World War II. Led by its soccer hero Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany prevailed 2-1 after two Soviet players were red-carded.

Soviet Union beat North Korea 3-0. The scoreline implies a complete defeat, but in fact North Korean defenders did an impressive job defending the Soviet attacks despite overwhelming height disadvantage. The Times of London reported, "Only the final goal was the first and the last time when Soviet Union completely penetrated North Korean defense."

Middlesbroughers were surprised by Team North Korea. In the next game against Chile, more fans visited the stadium to cheer for North Korea. Chile had a strong team, finishing third in the 1962 World Cup. The final score was 1-1, but with an advantage to North Korea who outshot Chile 16 to 9.

The game against Italy was the last game in the group stage. Although North Korea was missing starters due to injuries from the Soviet Union and Chile games, it defeated Italy 1-0 thanks to Park Du-Ik's goal. Team Italy had to face a shower of rotten eggs upon their return home.

North Korea-Italy game in the England World Cup of 1966.

North Korea's "ladder header" beating the Italian defense.

Kim Bong-Hwan, Park Seung-Jin, Park Du-Ik, Han Bong-Jon 

and Lim Seung-Hui are forming the ladder, beating out Giacinto Facchetti.

For its first World Cup, North Korea advanced to the quarterfinals as the second place of its group. (At the time, World Cup finals had 16 countries.) Three thousands fans from Middlesbrough, fascinated by Team North Korea's game, traveled with the North Korean team to Liverpool, where the quarterfinals were to be held.

In the group stage, Portugal -- North Korea's quarterfinals opponent -- beat Brazil, the champion of the 1962 World Cup, by the score of 3-1. North Korea at first was leading by 3-0, but eventually lost by the score of 5-3. Eusebio, the best striker of the era, scored four goals.

Because of the time difference, North Korean people listened to this game live via radio on 1 a.m. Lee Sang-Byeok, a North Korean broadcasting legend who passed away in 1997, announced the play-by-play. Lee's voice was full of energy when North Korea was ahead by three. But as the team gave up goal after goal, his voice began losing strength. "Ah, Eusebio again" -- hearing this four times, the name Eusebio was deeply engraved in North Koreans' memory. After the North Korean team allowed the fourth goal, Lee began crying. In the crack of dawn, the entire North Korea turned into a sea of tears. As Italy still cannot forget Park Du-Ik, North Korea still cannot forget Eusebio.

Regardless, North Korea left a strong impression in its first-ever World Cup. What was the method of their success? People generally remember the Netherlands as the origin of "Total Soccer". But nearly a decade earlier, North Korea already employed a strategy that was essentially "everyone defends, everyone attacks." They overcame the physical disadvantage by simply running like hell.

Stanley Raus, then-president of FIFA, had asked "What kind of team is North Korea?" before the England World Cup. Upon watching the North Korea - Chile game, Raus pointed out the team captain Shin Yeong-Gyu and praised him as a world-class player. After the World Cup, Raus is reported to have said, "The world's best team would have Eusebio to attack, Shin to defend, and Yashin as the goalkeeper."

The players who returned to North Korea received the best treatment while staying at a hot springs resort in Hamgyeongbuk-do Ju-Eul for several months. But this was the time the watershed event for Kim Jong-Il's consolidation of power -- the purging of Gapsan line.

Gapsan line is the group of communists who were active around Hamgyeongnam-do during the Japanese colonial era. Kim Il-Sung, in a secret Labor Party Central Committee Meeting held on March of 1968, decided to purge the Gapsan line, which hindered the establishment of his unitary rule.

(Continued in Part II)

[북한축구해부1] -패배는 북한을 눈물바다로도 만든다 [Nambuk Story]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

AAK! PSA -- New Vincent Chin Documentary

Below is a public service announcement by Mr. Tony Lam.

Dear Korean,

This week marks the 28th anniversary of the hate crime murder of Vincent Chin, a case that ignited the first Asian American civil rights movement and gave rise to a new "Asian American" identity and community.

In commemoration, we are releasing a Special Edition DVD of VINCENT WHO?, the 2009 documentary about Vincent Chin and the Asian American experience in political activism (see our new widescreen trailer). We are also launching a new website dedicated to Vincent Chin and his legacy to serve as an educational resource.

In doing so, we hope to contribute toward the day when the momentous, but mostly unknown story of Vincent Chin becomes a familiar one, not only among Asian Americans, but all Americans. Please join us in this effort by spreading the news. Thank you for your support!

Tony Lam

Director, Vincent Who?
 
Read more about Vincent Chin here.
 
Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com

Ask a Korean! Wiki: Cultural Classes in Korea?

Dear Korean,

Do you know of any place in Seoul where I can take classes to learn calligraphy, paper making, bookbinding, knitting, how to cook Korean food, etc.?

Gina

Dear Gina,

The Korean does know a number of such places, but he presumes that you are not looking for a Korean-speaking place. Readers, do you know any foreigner-friendly cultural craft classes?

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Culturalism at Work - Why Is China So Bad at Soccer?

Before anyone takes out his flamethrower, the Korean must note that he did not come up with the title; the good folks at New York Times did:

The Chinese are enthralled with World Cup soccer. Nearly 24 million viewers in China watched the match between Greece and South Korea, making it the single biggest audience in the first days of World Cup play. But the Chinese team failed again to qualify for the World Cup, when even North Korea has made it to South Africa. Corruption in the Chinese soccer organization, which is a state enterprise, and the arrests of several coaches and players have added to the humiliation.

Why does China lag far behind in soccer when it competes so aggressively in many Olympic sports?

Where Are China’s Soccer Stars? [New York Times]

The reason why the Korean notes this particular item is not to sneer at Korea's westerly neighbor's inability to qualify for the World Cup. The Korean noted this item because this is an excellent example of culturalism.

What is culturalism? The Korean wrote previously that culturalism is the impulse to explain away people's behavior with a "cultural difference," real or imagined. Although few people focus on culturalism at this point, the Korean is convinced that this issue will become more important in the future. The danger of culturalism is plain -- by relying on an easier, "cultural" answer, we rob ourselves of more penetrating analysis. Instead of getting to the root of an issue, we settle with a facile cultural answer that is often incorrect. New York Times asked four experts about why China did not qualify for the World Cup, and the answers from those "experts" is a ridiculous parade of culturalism.

At the heart, having a national team that is good enough to qualify for the World Cup is a relatively micro-level issue. Remember, the question is not about why China is not winning the World Cup; it is about why China is not among the top three or four teams in Asia and qualify for the World Cup. At most, the scope of this question only needs to deal with the top 50 players of a country (from which the 18-men squad will be formed,) the manager of the team, and the governing body for the national team that oversees the entire process.

But instead, each writer's response in the New York Times reads like the list of "Things I don't like about China." None of the four respondents to the New York Times' question mentioned anything about China's top players. Nor did they say anything about China's manager. Only one respondent bothered to discuss the governing body, and only tangentially. Rowan Simons, chairman of China ClubFootball FC, says that the Chinese Football Association is a top-down, government-controlled body that cannot advance Chinese soccer. Simons wrote: "The simple truth is that China needs a system of community-based clubs that are run by the people for the people."

Really? South Korea qualified for World Cup seven times in a row since 1986, but it doesn't really have any community-based club. (Although it does have elite academies for top-flight players, like China does.) And good luck finding a community-based club team in North Korea, Mr. Simons.

Susan Brownwell, professor of anthropology at University of Missouri - St. Louis, says more of the same. "Why is there no Chinese soccer team at the World Cup? To answer that question, one has to ask why China has this state-supported system narrowly focused on Olympic medals rather than grassroots sports."

Like hell. Again, South Korea had no grassroots sports in 1986; in fact, South Korean sports apparatus of the time was not much different from the Chinese sports apparatus of today. Both were elite-oriented and government-driven. But South Koreans in 1986 cranked out seven consecutive World Cups over the next 24 years. And again, North Korea has no grassroots sports. This should be obvious to anyone who cares even a little bit about soccer in Asia.

Ray Tsuchiyama (a contributor to The China Tracker blog with no apparent expertise in soccer) says maybe the Chinese government does not want local clubs:

Perhaps the Chinese government feared that small soccer clubs proliferating throughout China would become a “bottom-up” societal movement that would challenge the Communist Party. Allowing thousands of small grassroots soccer clubs in semi-rural areas, provincial towns and cities would bring families, neighborhoods together and potentially create loyalties to the club over the state and its sports bureaucracy.

The Korean might admit that a local soccer club might be a more attractive draw than a local chapter of Falun Gong, but Tsuchiyama's point is laughable. English Premier League soccer and NBA basketball are exceedingly popular in China already. If the Chinese government is worried about sports stealing the loyalties of the people, wouldn't it prefer the loyalty-thieves to be stars of the local soccer clubs instead of Wayne Rooney and Kobe Bryant?

But wait, there's less -- Tsuchiyama conjectures that the "high-fat diet and sedentary lifestyle of children in many Chinese cities" might have something to do with the Chinese' soccer aptitude. Um, no. The fattest country in the world -- the mighty United States of America -- has no problem qualifying for the World Cup. Tsuchiyama also thinks that Chineses education system might be relevant, but South Korea's education system is no less grueling and sedentary.
 
Xu Guoqi, history professor at the University of Hong Kong, throws out everything but the right answer:

Too many factors contribute to China’s poor performance in soccer, including its political system, lack of a decent pool of soccer players, and Chinese parents’ overemphasis on book learning and academic examinations over everything else, soccer included.

Again, South Korea is a complete disproof to everything at which Xu guesses. South Korea's political system -- economy-focused authoritarianism -- was about the same as China until mid-1990s. South Korea did not even have a pro soccer league until 1983. And Korean parents take no backseat to anyone in whipping their children into scoring high in exams.

The most basic comparison involving the most successful national soccer team in Asia (South Korea) or the most headline-generating national soccer team in Asia (North Korea) would have shown that the success of a national soccer team (as long as "success" is defined as "qualifying for the World Cup") is not about having club teams or a particular political culture or educational system. The Korean does not doubt that all four respondents to the New York Times' query are intelligent people. And this goes to show the virulent strength of culturalism -- the intelligent is not free from its grip.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.