눕지 마 (Don't lay down), 만지지 마 (Don't touch), 열지 마 (Don't open): Sexy concept part 2

Just thought I would post a brief snippet about this video (posted below).

As I discussed in a previous post, there appears to be increasing restrictions on sexy concepts. The video calls this "걸그룹 3대 금기 몸짓" essentially 3 types of gestures girls groups are not permitted to do, which is listed in the title of this blog post.

1. Don't lay down
2. Don't touch
3. Don't open

Indie Music Exposure or Mainstream Meddling?

Initially when I started this blog post yesterday, I thought perhaps the word "meddling" is too strong, but it seems perhaps appropriate to shed light on people's concerns on this issue.

Summary: SM entertainment is investing in indie label Baljunso in hopes of spreading indie music. Most likely you have come across this blog because you were searching for something on Hallyu, Kpop, or Kdramas - although there is a strong prevalent indie scene in Korea (as the word might suggest) it is more underground. It doesn't cater to the constant variety TV shows, music programs, ect. and that's fine - it's also for another audience. But unfortunately this also leads to a lack of advertisements (CF's in Korea), where the main revenue stream is for the entertainment industry, and a lack of (opportunity for) greater exposure.

Wehmoh (Physical appearance) culture

A couple notes:

1. Korean celebrities (both female and male) reveal their weight in their profiles. Whether they reveal their true weight or not, it is very common to see (and for people to talk about) how many kilograms they weigh. 

2. Kpop Girl groups often reveal their diet plans, ect, on what they eat. A recent example: 

3. Physical appearance is considered a reflection of how you take care of yourself for your fans. 

4. Variety programs also often talk about weight. Including some programs that do competitions involving carrying female guests (think current shows like Running Man or older shows like XMan) Is this cultural insensitivity or just openness about these kind of topics? 

How does this compare to other cultures? 

Freedom of Expression or Necessary Censorship

Censorship, in particular with provocative sexy concepts seem to be increasing in South Korea. Is this a freedom of expression limitation or a necessary censorship? As the provocative concepts for Korean popular music seems to increase, perhaps it's time to have some limitations on the outfits appropriate for stage. The three major television networks (who also host the weekly music program shows) have all agreed to increased restrictions. I am curious to see what kind of restrictions are in order, and if it will affect the music videos as well (although music videos aren't shown on the music programs, provocative music videos are also on the rise. Will music videos become more provocative to counter the on-stage choreography restrictions?)

A couple things to think about:

Women in the Sochi Olympics

Post by 리플레이.

Today I am going to deviate from the world of K-pop and talk about the Olympics. If you watched Yuna Kim's performance this morning, it reminded you of 4 years ago as it did for me. 4 years ago, I was in my apartment holding my breath as I watched with my brother. This time around, I was watching with a mix of Korean, Japanese, and American friends. 

There are a lot of things you can write about this recent Olympics, but I'm going to just going to relay a couple of thoughts: 

English in Korean songs

I've been meaning to post this, but as you might already be aware, many Korean pop songs use English in their songs. Whether it be song titles, portions of the chorus.

I noticed in 2NE1's single 그리워해요 (Missing you) a lack of English words, which I actually appreciated. Not that there is anything wrong with using English words, but I found it to be refreshing not to have an English title. There are still some English words in this song, but wanted to mention this topic for food for thought. What makes the significance of English words in a K-pop song? Is it to relate to the world fans? Is it to add a 'cool or hip' factor to the songs? I remember also this was an interesting phenom with Korean dramas, in particular with the titles of the dramas. In the past, many of the K-dramas were Konglish or just straight English (i.e. Full House, My Girl, ect) but some criticized this because it wasn't "Korean". In particular, as K-dramas and K-pop got increasingly popular in the world, that the English names weren't representing and spreading Korean culture by using the Korean language.

The music video for 2NE1 is below: