Is just about anyone allowed to debut in kpop these days?

News has just recently been released that Seo Jisoo from Woollim’s new girl group, LOVELYZ, has done illegal activity when she was pre-debut. These activities include dating women and secretly filming them making love, then spreading the videos online and to her lover’s work company; roleplaying as Korean idol group members and saying she wants to rape others; abusing animals; taking pictures of her lovers naked, and much more.

Although Woollim has currently denied all rumours, the individual who was uploading and sharing this information continued to show more evidence supporting the claim. The individual, who attempted to commit suicide after these occurrences with the LOVELYZ member, uploaded photos of Seo Jisoo that cannot be found anywhere else on the internet.

Seeing as many rumours are spread after idols debut in the current era of kpop, is just about anyone allowed to debut, regardless of their background? Can we forgive the idols for what they have done, just because they are supposedly ‘famous’ now? Or do we not back down, and try and make their life a living hell for what they’ve done in the past?

Orange Caramel’s Nana is known for being an iljin in the past – someone who drinks, does drugs, bullies and physically abuses others – but she has said that what’s in the past is in the past. DMTN was caught dealing marijuana, which could’ve been something he has been doing before debut, but he was sent back to America, rather than being sentenced to the previously intended jail time in Korea.

People change, but that doesn’t change their actions.

What are your thoughts?

Goodbye, 2014: A Kpop Year In Review

Many of us (or the majority of us) may say that 2014 was a horrible year. I know it also irks the majority of us when people say things like, "that event has made this year in kpop so bad!" when not everything is about kpop, my friends! Major events happened this last year and it seemed like something new was coming afloat every single day. 

Some events acted as if they were attracted to repetition, but couldn't settle on just one person. Leaving groups and filing lawsuits looked to be a trend in 2014: EXO's Kris and Luhan, f(x)'s Sulli, SNSD's Jessica, B.A.P, and the list goes on. Does this mean that idols have finally stood their ground and decided that enough is enough, or have companies become weaker since the olden days? You know, I've been thinking that the world of kpop is different to when I first joined. 

When I first became interested in kpop, idols were not allowed anywhere near SNS except for places where it seemed like everything was being controlled, like me2day, which doesn't even exist anymore. These days, it seems like they are doing whatever they feel like - Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. I've currently got f(x)'s Amber, miss A's Min, and BTOB's Peniel on Snapchat right now, too. Isn't that crazy? Not that I'm complaining - I much prefer idols seeming like humans rather than robots, and it's nice to see their interactions and gather information on friendship groups and cliques.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, filing lawsuits and all that jazz. That brings me to my next point: dating scandals! The world became much freer regarding dating in 2014. Or, more tolerant. See: Yoona and Lee Seung Gi, Nichkhun and Tiffany, Sulli and Choiza, Baekhyun and Taeyeon. Although netizens are always bound to leave their hateful comments on provocative articles, the buzz only appeared when the articles were posted and nobody really cared after that. So, there's something good.

2NE1's Bom's drug scandal comes next... This event has not been forgotten even in the new year. After disappearing from broadcasts of Roommate to reflect and then going to concerts overseas, acting like Korea doesn't exist, netizens were fuming at this. I must say I didn't care that much about it overall because it was so far in the past, but I am sad that Roommate Season 1 went downhill after she left. They weren't very far from the bottom of the hill while she was there either, but she was basically the life of the party in that mansion and started a domino effect of people realising how boring it was there after she left.

Now, of course, that brings me to the next thing: A.KOR Kemy's diss track! I must say, this was a pretty clever, strategic marketing tactic. If not for this rapping diss track, I would have no idea who Kemy nor A.KOR is - I may just think they are typos of Kent and Acorn. I still think dissing your seniors is a bit harsh but poor lil Kemy probably thought nobody would see it because A.KOR were nugus...

The scandal about miss A's Suzy being sexually harassed was quite big, and it showed how largely netizens can react even after having no steady evidence. Although, I guess it's a good thing that they reacted harshly, giving strong criticism, towards something that was associated with sexual harassment. 

Two of the biggest things in kpop that have to do with the legal system of Korea and the differences between cases are Kim Hyun Joong's abuse case and the case of Lee Byung Hun and his two blackmailers, GLAM's Dahee and the model nobody really knows. Of course, Kim Hyun Joong's case is much worse as he was physically abusing his girlfriend(?) for a long period of time, while the Dahee and LBH thing was merely blackmail of a video. But, of course, who got a worse sentence? Dahee. Yep. Thanks Korea.

So, about WINNER's Taehyun being an iljin. That news seemed to fall as fast as it rose. Is it because he's from YG? Do people not care about other people being iljins anymore? From what I've seen, being an iljin is a huge deal in Korea because you're a horrible person. I know that people change and your past doesn't, but he does seem to be a little bit of a different person now, even if he does seem weird still.

The Sewol Ferry is something that didn't exactly have anything to do with kpop, but it was a horrible event all on its own. I reflect back on that period of time and it is eerie - it's as if the whole of Korea went silent for a month. Thinking about the event makes me shiver and feel uneasy, as I don't understand how someone could allow that to happen to so many people. The poor children who had their whole lives in front of them, and were so excited for their relaxing trip away from all the stress and troubles that they usually had to face. I just cannot think about it. 

There is another thing that I, and a lot of the world, will not forget.

The tragic car accident of Ladies' Code, which resulted in the death of Eunbi and Rise and the critical condition of Ashley, Zuny, and Sojung. I think about the joyful, energetic, happy Eunbi and Rise every day and wish that they are doing well wherever they are now. I hope they know that there are so many people who will never forget them, and that they made an impact on many people's lives. I remember watching the stages for So Wonderful promotions every time they were on, and admiring how great their performance was. Their performances weren't the only thing that shined, though - the beauty that they held inside and out was also radiant. It still hasn't sunk into my mind that they are truly gone, and I believe they are out there somewhere wishing that everyone would celebrate their lives.

Rest in peace to those who couldn't make it to 2015 with us. You deserved so much more than what you received, and I wish I could give that to you.


Straying away from the things that make me cry, I cannot remember much else on account of the fact that I inherited the memory of a goldfish from my mother. There were many great debuts and comebacks, and there were many that weren't so great. There were variety shows, reality shows, dramas, and all the rest of it.

2014 wasn't the best year, but I think we can definitely make 2015 better.

Goodbye, 2014.

[Album Review] RISE - TAEYANG; the sun has risen!

THE SUN HAS RISEN! Taeyang has brought a great start to the middle of the year with this album. It is flawless, and my favourite of 2014 so far. Thank you Taeyang, thank you.


  A wonderful start to the album. I love this song because it sets the atmosphere for the rest of the album. It's not too simple and not too complex. I like the lyrics, especially 'We're gonna be reachin' for the sky tonight / And we're gonna light it up / Rise tonight', because it feels like it's a subtle reference to Taeyang. I also like the lyrics, "Every time that people say it's the end / I will show I'm forever" and the way this part is sung. The beginning of this track is a sort of beating of a drum, which feels like, to me, it's Taeyang taking his holy steps to the highest stage where we will be able to worship him for everything that's about to come, because it's so good and he knows that.


The title track! The first time I listened to this song, I was watching the MV and was pretty distracted by Taeyang's spiky nipples, so I couldn't get the full feel for the song straight away. However, after I downloaded the album and listened to it a few times, I realised it is one of the best songs Taeyang has ever had. The emotion in this song is strong, and I can see that's why it was chosen as the title track. I really wish it had a better MV, but there's still two others to come out, so I guess it's okay. This track is one of the saddest I've ever heard; the line "it hurts so much, but now I’ll call you a memory." hurts me so much ㅠ_ㅠ. Don't hurt, Taeyang! Overall, this song is amazing and I'm going to listen to it a lot.

 새벽한시 (1AM) is a track that I had seen hyped up because of it's high quality, but I actually hadn't heard it until I listened to the album. The things I heard about how good this song was were not wrong &__&. I like the story that is told in this song about what happens when you're trying to forget someone: "That’s a lie, that’s the truth / I get confused thousands of times a day" and then "As if it’s nothing, I talk about you / But I just want you by my side right now". True feelings right there. Who broke your heart, Taeyang?! I will fix it for you! The random 'robotic' voice that appears in this song is a plus for me, it's awesome. I'll be listening to this song at 1AM every night as I do with U-KISS's 0330 at 3:30AM.

"Why I Hate 2NE1" - Some Things You Should Know About KPOP

Okay. Yesterday, I saw a post on some website titled 'Why I Hate 2NE1'. The post has since been deleted, so I didn't actually get to read what was inside, but I know there was a comment with something along the lines of 'Oh, SNSD are plastic aswell. You're just ignorant and I can't believe there are people like you around here.' Obviously, there was some type of argument going on -- and maybe people are ignorant, but sometimes they have nowhere to get their information from, so it's not really their fault. Because of this, I will post some of my thoughts. You may agree with them, you may not, but it's my opinion, and that's what this website is for, right?
    

1. Plastic Surgery

I don't know how to explain, but I guess you could call this a 'sensitive' topic... to international fans. Plastic surgery is extremely common in Korea; it has some of the best plastic surgeons. There are ads for plastic surgery in subways, on TV, the internet. I think what some people fail to understand is that plastic surgery is not necessarily bad. If someone has an extreme self-conscious point, or they're unhappy with the way they look to the point of depression, or if they just want to get something done because they want it, or if they're getting a medical issue fixed, well? Are you going to tell  them to not do what they're doing and stay depressed for longer? Are you going to tell them to shut up about their medical issue and suffer in silence? I've seen k-netizens criticise one person for getting plastic surgery and saying it didn't do anything beneficial, then praise another who did the same thing because they 'became prettier' -- the beauty standards in Korea are extremely high, if you couldn't tell. Of course, when people familiar with the kpop world think about plastic surgery, they might think of Park Bom. I love Bom, but it seems like she really does/did have an addiction to plastic surgery. Nobody knows if it's because of society's standards or because she just wanted to get it done -- nobody knows, but why are they so mean? Because everyone is hypocritical. Everyone. Maybe your least favourite idol did have plastic surgery. Maybe your most favourite idol had plastic surgery, too. Why does it matter? Does it really change who they are as a person? I don't think so.    

Get to know 15&!

Do you know Baek Yerin and Park Jimin (no, not the cutie from BTS! Still a cutie, though)? No? Well, you need to get to know them right now! Brighten up your life! 

Park Jimin and Baek Yerin were both born in 1997, hence the group name 15&, as they were both 15 when they debuted officially. 

Park Jimin, born on the 5th of July, is an outgoing, energetic, happy and sometimes crazy girl who likes to spread love and has a passion for singing. She won the first season of the Korean talent show, KPOP STAR, in 2012. 

 Baek Yerin, born on the 26th of June, is a shy, quiet, reserved girl who is kind and also has a passion for singing. She performed on Star King, becoming known as an 'R&B genius', and later auditioned for JYP in 2007.