KOREAN POP

       Not many know that all of South Korea’s history relates to the development of Korean pop music. The Korean peninsula was torn apart by a war between the North and South- which led to a communist North and a democratic South. Although the South was released from the grasps of communism, they still faced obstacles that any developing nation would- a student revolution, a military coup, and terrible debt. Through these challenges, a new genre of music rose to the spotlight with the development of SM Entertainment by Lee Soo Man.

      Lee Soo Man - a man named the “President of Culture.” Soo Man was a singer himself, and formed the first heavy metal band in Korean Music. In Korea, there wasn’t really a backbone to the music industry- so Soo Man founded the SM Entertainment company in 1989, when he discovered his real talent was in business. Korean pop music started as a folk culture, where it originatied in a specific location and was only special to the southern Korean peninsula, which could also be called the origin- where it developed. When applicants came rushing into SM Entertainment, those selected would go through “boot-camp” to see their real talent in singing, dancing, or acting. SM Entertainment started to push out their star talents such as H.O.T., Shinhwa, and S.E.S. These groups really connected with the younger generations, and have now paved the way for current K-Pop groups. 

      As Korean music started to gain popularity, other entertainment companies started to appear over the country within the late 20th and early 21st century- such as JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and BigHit Entertainment. Nowadays, you can’t go anywhere in Korea without hearing about the latest stars, and the media outlets that follows their every move. Korean pop music isn't that old; and will continue to develop in the near future.