Reuters Life!) – Choi Si-won recalls that even on a rainy day, the Paris venue was bedlam, with thousands of screaming fans packing the street outside a concert hall.
They were all hoping to catch a glimpse of Choi, one of the most popular members of Super Junior, currently South Korea’s hottest boy-band, in the band’s first concert venture in Europe.
While the “Korean Wave” has swamped Asia, winning fans from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur and beyond, it has had little impact in Europe so far — but that is about to change, the 25-year-old Choi told Reuters in an interview.
“It wasn’t just a concert in Europe. It was beyond the border, which gives me so much confidence and pride,” Choi said after his return to Seoul.
He has a right to his feelings.
The band’s June 10 and 11 Paris concerts attracted 14,000 fans each night in the first European event put on by SM Entertainment, South Korea’s leading band production house. Tickets sold out within minutes.
Although that’s still small change by the standards of divas such as Lady Gaga, Choi believes that Super Junior, whose 13 young male members perform highly choreographed songs and dances, can break onto the broader global stage.
“We do have lots of songs composed by Europeans. And our fashionable and powerful performances are appealing,” Choi said.
In one sign of the band’s broad popularity, the dance song “Mi In Ah,” or “Beautiful Person,”
a single from its fourth album, has spent a record 54 weeks at the top of the Taiwan charts.
While Korean pop, known as “K-Pop,” projects a wholesome image to its fans, it has also been criticized for an unsavory side, including controversies over the way it treats young talent such as excessively long hours and low pay until they prove themselves and make it big.
Choi, who was scouted in his first year of high school, has some experience himself of the harsh training methods the industry uses to produce its stars.
“Dancing all night and then vocal lessons right after was hard and not unusual — but I enjoyed it. The whole process to raise stars is very systematic,” he said.
Typical of this was the decision by his management firm to send him to Beijing in 2004 so he could learn Chinese — and broaden his appeal. Two years later, he landed a role in a film called A Battle of Wits with Hong Kong actor Andy Lau.
Like many other K-Pop stars, Choi is now making the transition to television and South Korean dramas, another format that has swept Asia.
He will star as the main character in a Taiwanese soap opera, “Extravagant Challenge,” a love and revenge story based on a Japanese comic called Skip Beat, which will start in November. Another band member will also take part.
A devout Christian who wants to be a missionary later in his life, Choi appears to be relishing his band’s leap to global fame, including interacting with fans.
“I’m not a native English speaker but do post tweets in English. But, interestingly, our fans are now learning Korean,” he said, smiling.
“Paris was a new road for us. I hope the entire Korean culture like films can be enjoyed by many others.”
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“I saw the French newspaper. Even I would get jealous.”
Super Junior, f(x) and SHINee returned to Korea through Incheon international airport on the 13th at 3pm after finishing SM Town live World tour in Paris. SM Town is a brand of collaborative tour of the singers from SM Entertainment. For the first time ever, a collaborative tour by a Korean management company was held in Europe for 2 days gathering over 14,000 audiences.
When we met Super Junior at the airport, even though they were tired, they didn’t lose their smile saying it’s going to be difficult to adjust to time difference. They felt pride in themselves for starting the fever. They did not hide their confident determination that they want to hold an European tour with their brand of concert called Super Show 4.
Below is the members’ answers.
▲ It was a k-pop concert first to be held in Europe. Is there really Hallyu?
Before leaving for the concert, even we were doubtful. When the concert started and we looked at the audience, there were people from all races that we couldn’t believe that it was our concert. What was unique was that there was a special feeling from European fans. It was only European people that followed our choreography from the start to finish. They were carefree that we felt like we went to a club and they were enthusiastic in expressing themselves. (Leeteuk)
▲What did they find charming about k-pop?
They said it was freshness that they haven’t felt from other music. I heard that they are passionate about singing and dancing and that they approach things emotionally. I met some fans who said that they heard k-pop incidentally, but they were drawn to it that they came to enjoy it with people around them. (Donghae)
▲ We want to hear your feelings on holding a concert in Europe.
It was different from the last year’s L.A. concert. L.A. has a Korea town and it felt close to us emotionally. But Europe was like a new world. It felt amazing and new to us who were performing and the fans who enjoyed it. I felt touched when the fans who only saw us through Youtube thanked us for coming. (Siwon)
▲ You must have had a busy schedule. How did you spend your time?
We saw the Louvre museum, Montmartre hill and Eiffel tower. Kyuhyun likes wine so he woke up early to look at wines. (Siwon)
▲Some French medias were critical of the concert.
I saw the reaction through a news article. If I was the French media, even I would felt the same. Isn’t it a country that has pride in their culture? I’m sure they did not expect so many people to go wild over it that it would have been a shock to them. They could not have directly expressed it so I think they reacted like that. (Leeteuk)
▲Is there a memorable moment?
People from the embassy and Korean people living in France visited us and said thank you. They said it was the first time that Korea received attention like this in Europe. It felt good when I thought we gave them encouragement. (Donghae)
▲It seems that you could do concerts in other countries.
Among the members, we talked about how we want to do Super Show 4 in Europe as part of our tour. I really hope that happens. (Leeteuk)
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CREDITS
Source: Sportshankook
Translated by Minnie @ SUJUISM.BLOGSPOT.COM
TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS WITHOUT EDITING.
DO NOT CREDIT YOURSELF!!!
SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS Engraves Korea in European Fans’ Minds!
The Audience of 14,000 from Whole of Europe Got Excited!
It Proved SM’s Global Power!
Last 10th and 11th, ‘VISIT KOREA YEAR 2010-2012’ SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS performed at ‘Le Zenith de Paris’ in Paris, France. The whole concert hall was filled with European fans and the concert ended very successfully.
This concert consisted of SM artists, such as TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x), who sang not only many hit songs, such as ‘Why (Keep Your Head Down),’ ‘Sorry Sorry,’ ‘Hoot,’ ‘Lucifer,’ ‘Pinocchio’ etc.’ but special stages that could only be seen at SMTOWN LIVE concerts. Also, there were solo stages that received great responses, such as Super Junior members Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Shindong and Heechul’s Beyonce, Lady Gaga parody stages, and a song from SHINee Onew’s opera, ‘Turandot,’ ‘Princess cannot sleep’. The concert was 3 hours long, and overall, very completed. This concert perfectly charmed the audience of 14,000.
The audience cheered excitedly when they saw the stars that they only saw through the screens, and enjoyed the performances. They also said ‘Thank you,’ ‘I love you’ and ‘Give us Super Junior, not pizza’ etc, with their not-perfect but witty Korean. The fans held up Korean flags and posters with pictures and names of members in all different colors. Not only this, but they also sang the lyrics and memorized the cheers that are spread throughout Asia, making it seem as though it wasn’t Paris, France, but more like Korea or other Asian concert places.
Especially, 98% of the audiences were Europeans from, of course, France, and England, Spain, Finland, Italy, Poland and many other countries. They held up the flags of their own nations, letting the stars know that the audiences were from many other countries. The audience sang the songs, also danced to it perfectly, uniting the stage and the audience into one.
To report this exciting atmosphere, there were many media masses such as the national broadcast of France 2TV, Arte TV, which is a French-Germany collaborated broadcast reporting culture, French weekly economy magazine l’espress etc. There were 20 mass media of Europe, but also Korea’s 3 broadcasting systems, renowned weekly magazines of Paris, Sankei Sports, Nitkan Sports, Fuji TV of Japan etc. There were mass media from all over the world, and once again SM and SM artists were able to prove their global powers.
Also, the highlights of these concerts will be uploaded to SM’s official YouTube channel, and through Facebook, several pictures were uploaded. This created a global issue, where fans from all over the world could enjoy the Paris performances. Also, just like Seoul concerts, there were family seating, where the whole family could enjoy the show, which received positive feedback from European families.
In addition, on this day, TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x) prepared greetings and comments in French, receiving great response, and after the concert, the members of all teams have said, “We were surprised of the energy and heat of European fans. We were very happy and amazed to see the fans singing the Korean lyrics, dancing to it, and even chanting to the songs perfectly. The Korean flags all around the concert hall were very impressive and touching. We hope that through us Korean culture and Korea can be known”.
After the concert, the audiences were unable to leave due to their impression and excitement for the concert and one of the audience, David(22 year-old, French) said “ It was so great that I could not speak. I love all the 5teams who showed the performances and they are the best.” Caroline (21 year-old, Belgian) gave a heartwarming feeling with tears in her eyes and said “I’m so glad that I get to see the concert with my own eyes. Even though I was up all night after I arrived in Paris yesterday, I didn’t think that I was tired. It was such a fantastic performance. I hope they come to Europe more often and have concert.”
Meanwhile, this concert will be aired on July 2nd, as MBC 50 year anniversary special with the title of “SMTWON LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS.’ SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR will be held in Tokyo Dome in Japan, on 4th and 5th of September with 100,000 people.
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SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS which is the first single brand concert in Europe by Korean entertainment company has been attracting an intense attention from local medias in France.
The popular French newspaper ‘Le Monde’ and ‘Le Figaro’ reported on June 10th and June 9th about ‘VISIT KOREA YEAR 2010-2012’ SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS concert, sellout of tickets, flash mob protest for an extra concert by French fans and K-pop targeting Europe.
‘Le Monde’ and ‘Le Figaro’ published articles entitled “Korean Wave Strikes Europe” and “The Korean Wave Hits Zénith.” Especially, ‘Le Monde’ reported in detail about S.M.Entertainmet which is leading the Korean Wave and its artists as well as the producer, Soo Man Lee.
In the interview with the CEO of S.M.Entertainment, Young Min Kim, he mentioned that the trainees who passed the audition involve intensive trainings in singing, dancing and acting as well as foreign languages for 3~5 years. He also added that all the processes are elaborately structured and S.M.Entertainment seeks appropriate strategy to create a group.
Furthermore, he mentioned that S.M.Entertainment which is aiming for globalization also tries to discover talented foreigners like VICTORIA (f(x)) who is a girl majored in classical dance in Ching tao, China.
Especially, he stated that K-pop fever began to spread in Europe through social networks and this allowed people there to listen to K-pop music which came from far country despite the nonexistence of advertisement about K-pop in Europe. So, he highlighted the influence of social networks and mentioned that K-pop is the best way to let the world know about Korea so Korea’s export of cultural products will grow larger.
Besides these popular news papers ‘Le Monde’ and ‘Le Figaro,’ on June 9th, French radio station RTL also introduced the concert by stating that TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x) will feature performances and tickets for the concert were all sold out. It proved the attention of local media in France and European fans who showed enthusiastic responses by gathering over 1,500 fans at the airport when the artists arrived in France.
Meanwhile, ‘VISIT KOREA YEAR 2010-2012’ SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS will be held for two days at the ‘Le Zenith de Paris’ in France, Paris on June 10th and 11th and the concert will be broadcasted entitled ‘SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in PARIS’ on MBC on July 2nd.
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Due to the fact that they grew up in Korea, a world leader in internet, there are people in the entertainment industry whose gaming skills are above average. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun and NRG’s Noh Yoomin are such examples. There are many celebrities who relieve stress from their busy schedule by playing online games which have no time or space restrictions.
Kyuhyun, who is great at playing Starcraft is estimated to be in the same level as that of a professional gamer. His skills have been recognized by professional gamer Seo Kyungjong. Kyuhyun was called “the son of mom’s friend” for having being ranked number one in his high school class as well as having superb gaming skills.
*The son of mom’s friend refers to males who are good at everything.
Parts of the article were omitted.
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Super Junior is a South Korean boy band under SM Entertainment. Following their debut in 2005 with 12 members, one additional member was introduced a year later to complete the group and have since formed 4 sub-groups. Each of the members are known for their unique talents and charms in entertaining the audiences, be it as singer, actor, MC, radio host, rapper, comedian, songwriter, model or dancer.
To date, SUJU has officially released five studio albums, with numerous singles, digital, singles, original soundtracks and live concert albums. Their third album, Sorry Sorry, released in 2009, is arguably the most critically and commercially successful album to date, selling 30,000 copies on its release day in Korea only, nabbing the #1 chart position in Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and Thailand. With only 9 active members since 2011, the group continues to defend their title as Asia's superstar.
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Type: World Tour Description: SUPER SHOW 4 - SUPER JUNIOR, THE WORLD TOUR is the group's first world tour following the first three rounds of their Asia Tour. The boys kicked off the tour in Seoul, South Korea, entertaining the audiences with spectacular performances for 2 nights. The concert is scheduled to hit various countries until the year 2012 with Osaka, Taipei and Singapore as the next stops. Purchase Tickets | News | Pictures | Videos
⇢ Nov 19, 2011 | Seoul, South Korea
⇢ Nov 20, 2011 | Seoul, South Korea
⇢ Nov 10, 2011 | Osaka, Japan
⇢ Nov 11, 2011 | Osaka, Japan
⇢ Feb 3, 2012 • Taipei, Taiwan
⇢ Feb 4, 2012 • Taipei, Taiwan
⇢ Feb 5, 2012 • Taipei, Taiwan
⇢ Feb 17, 2012 • Singapore
5th Album Repackage Member: Super Junior Type: Album Release Date: September 19, 2011 Purchase on:iTunes or YesAsia
떴다 오빠 (Oppa, Oppa) Member: Donghae and Eunhyuk Type: Single Release Date: December 16, 2011 Listen on:Mnet or Melon or Daum
2011 SMTOWN 'Winter' - The Warmest Gift Member: Super Junior ft. Henry & Zhoumi Type: SMTOWN Compilation Album Release Date: December 13, 2011 Purchase on:iTunes or YesAsia
Mr. Simple - Japan Version Member: Super Junior Type: Japanese Single Release Date: December 7, 2011 Purchase on:iTunes or YesAsia (+DVD) / YesAsia (Normal)
The 3rd Asia Tour - Super Show 3 DVD + Photobook Member: Super Junior Type: Live Concert DVD + Photobook Release Date: December 21, 2011 Purchase on:YesAsia or iTunes (songs)
SMTOWN LIVE in Tokyo DVD Member: Super Junior Type: Live Concert DVD Release Date: February 22, 2012 Purchase on:YesAsia
My Kingdom DVD (English Subtitled) - Hong Kong Version Member: Han Geng Type: Chinese Movie Role: Meng Er Kui Release Date: November 29, 2011 Purchase on:YesAsia More:Facebook • Posts
Deep Rooted Tree (2011) Member: Kibum Type: Television Series (24 episodes) Role: Park Paeng-nyeon Air time: Wed & Thurs at 21:55 on SBS More:Official • Twitter • Posts
We Got Married (2011) Member: Leeteuk Type: Variety Show Air time: Sat at PM 05:15 on MBC More:Official • Posts
Super Junior's Kiss The Radio (2006-present) Member: DJ Leeteuk and Eunhyuk Type: Radio Program Broadcast: PM 10:00 on KBS Cool FM More:Official • Twitter • Posts
ShimShim Tapa (2008-present) Member: DJ Shindong Type: Radio Program Broadcast: AM 00:00 on MBC 표준FM More:Official • Twitter • Posts
Star King (2011) Member: MC Leeteuk Type: Variety Show Air time: Sat at PM 06:30 on SBS More:Official • Posts
Radio Star (2011) Member: MC Kyuhyun Type: Variety Show Air time: Wed at PM 11:05 on MBC More:Official • Posts
The Three Musketeers - The Musical (2010-2011) Member: Kyuhyun as d'Artagnan Type: Musical Venue: Seongnam Arts Center Purchase Tickets:Interpark (English) More:Schedule • Official • Twitter • Posts
Fame - The Musical (2011-2012) Member: Eunhyuk as Tyrone Jackson Type: Musical Venue: Woori Art Hall, Olympic Park Purchase Tickets:Interpark (English) More:Schedule • Twitter • Posts
LG Optimus Glare Member: Super Junior Type: Endorsement Release Date: December 19, 2011 More:Official • Posts
2012 Official Diary Member: Super Junior Type: Merchandise Release Date: January 3, 2012 Purchase on:YesAsia
2012 Desk Calendar Member: Super Junior Type: Merchandise Release Date: December 19, 2011 Purchase on:YesAsia
2012 Wall Calendar Member: Super Junior Type: Merchandise Release Date: December 19, 2011 Purchase on:YesAsia
jjajangmyeon Age: 29 Favorite members: Donghae, Heechul, Kyuhyun, Henry Favorite songs: Sorry Sorry, It’s You, Happy Together, A Short Journey, Blue Tomorrow, Destiny
Why I love Super Junior? I wasn’t into K-Pop when Super Junior debuted, I started noticing them only after they released Sorry Sorry (in my opinion, THE song that shot them to superstardom and got them where they are right now). My first impression of them was “Why so many members?” and “What’s with the haircut?” While watching EHB, it was then when I realized that these boys began to grow on me. They have a nonchalant approach to fame and they don’t take themselves too seriously, that’s a quality I rarely find in other K-Pop groups. I realize in Korean entertainment world, idol images are shaped and they have to maintain that, but every so often, with SJ members, their real personalities appear in interviews, variety shows, radio broadcasts and especially Super Show. They way they interact with each other make me feel like I’m watching the boys-next-door, approachable, funny, dorky and humble. I guess that imperfection shows that they are real and relatable.
Why I love TwELFs and SPL? When I first started collecting information about Super Junior, I stumbled upon several fanbases, but TwELFs stood out to my attention immediately for several reasons: quality content, good English, pleasing to the eyes & easy to navigate.Like any other new converts, I joined in the fandom bandwagon and participated with gusto especially on Trending Topic projects. I was surprised to know that TwELFs founders were still in college, because they ran a tight ship with the blog and Twitter account. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I communicated via Twitter with the founders, because they were so friendly and unpretentious.
TwELFs blog has meaty content without sacrificing entertainment value. It is informational without sounding too serious and at the same time, provides all the fun tidbits for fans –newly minted or veteran.
SPL is oozing with creativity (e.g. forum members referred to as Students and Super Junior members as Professors!) and over a short period of time has gained the reputation of being one of the most acclaimed international forums for ELFs. SPL keeps making changes for the better and continues to carry out credible projects for Super Junior and ELFs. SPL is a labor of love, and I salute the people behind it, who are such dedicated hard-workers.
