Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hagwonnewbie]

Koreans tend to be reserved socially. However, I have noticed attractive young women are given the green light to shake it publically IF they are dancing to Pop music. That seems to be the extent of it.

Just curious if other ex pats noticed this, too.

[Bloopity Bloop]

[Koreadays]

actually I find it sad and pathetic really. I mean these girls are forced by their management to dress slutty and sexy and show off all their bodies, shake their asses and act like all sexual. a lot of these girls are under 18 years old!

sure fun to look at first, but after a while it becomes pathetic that they need to do that to sell albums! and its not just a couple of the girl bands doing it. Its all of them.

[conrad2]

I have an alternative "venue" for Korean women to express their sexuality.

[jvalmer]

Girls in all countries, in the entertainment industry, usually strut around in skimpy outfits. What I find criminal is that these girls don't see much of the money they make for their managers. The Korean entertainment industry needs reform and the more horror stories of abusive management that go public, the financially better for these young entertainers.

[Underwaterbob]

Ever see an interview with a Korean pop star? Their personalities certainly aren't going to sell music.

There can't be all that much money in it to begin with. Who buys music in Korea when you can easily download or just watch the video posted in a million different blogs? And concert revenue has to be split between the ten different performers featured, each singing a song or two.

The big players in the Korean music industry are all about manufacturing hit singles, having them performed on the live (debatable) TV shows, whoring them out to every ad campaign that'll have them, releasing them individually on CDs with five different remixes and finally simply moving on to the next fresh face when their performers reach their mid-twenties.

Bah.

[Fox]

[Fox]

[jvalmer]

[interestedinhanguk]

As far as the money's concerned, they seem that they make most of their money off of product promotion, tv appearances etc. Record sales are not high in Korea, and then the money has to be split nine ways for a huge girl-group.

[Steelrails]

The big 9 girl group is each members' gateway into acting/solo performance/fashion/endorsements/dramas/rich husband/TV personality/whatever.

I remember back in the day when mp3 first came on the scene I was thinking K-pop had a pretty good business model for the digital age. For one, CDs were priced at a pretty reasonable 8 bucks (in the U.S. with shipping!). The CDs came loaded with goodies that made it worthwhile to purchase the album. Some had some pretty unique packaging. I remember one had an 'aquatic' theme and came in this bubbly package that had blue liquid surrounding the case so the album cover looked like it was underwater. The low price tag + goodies actually made a purchase feasible. Since then costs have meant it makes as much sense to buy an album as it does for me to persist in drinking beer over the soj.

I wondered how they managed to make a dime between the sleazy execs, managers, manufacturers, etc.- then I figured that the money probably came not from the CD itself, but from the associated celebrity that goes with the CD. Performances, TV appearances, Auctioning off Kangta's old sweaty sock, movies, endorsements, etc.

In the digital age, anyone who tries to make money off of CD sales is a dinosauric moron. They should take that philosophy right over to Blockbuster Video and Kodak film.

I really do miss the glory days of K-Pop from about 1994-2001 there really was an energy to the whole scene. Was it artistically great? Not really. Was it absolutely wonderful entertainment, you bet. There was some meaning to the songs, they had a natural vibe to them. There was an innocence to everything. I think it was really great to find pop music that hadn't been overly 'sexed'. There was a sorta, "woah, we can make pop music now, what do we do?" mish-mash haphazard random enjoyable naturalism to it.

And I agree that music snobbery holds back music enjoyment. Being unable to enjoy pop music, standards, and catchy songs is just denying oneself the pleasures of life and ultimately the people who do so are lying to themselves. Really they do like it, they are just so wrapped up in 'image' (ironic huh?) that they refuse to 'stoop to the level' of enjoying pop/catchy songs.

[liveinkorea316]

[rollo]

IN the old days in Hollywood , Jack Warner would interview an actress, the first thing he would say was take off your clothes and go lay down on that couch. those that didnt, didnt make movies at Warner Brothers.

Women ahave always been taken advantage of sexually in the entertainment busines. But has been written no one is forcing these women. The payoff can make it worth while.

[Louis VI]

Many Korean women express their sexuality in love motels. The places are boomin'.

[Steelrails]