Art and Culture

It's the start of a brand new week and we have all of the latest updates on current arts and culture events with our Michelle Kim. I'm eager to hear what she has in store for us today, so let's get right down to business.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So, what do you have for us this week ?

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[Reporter : ] To start things off, K-pop band JYJ is getting a jump on self-promotion with a week-long exhitibition for fans that has them performing on video, in photos and in person. With its focus on only one band, it's an uncommon event in the world of K-pop, but it could serve to transform the way entertainment agencies promote bands. Let's take a look to see more from the JYJ expo.

7-thousand Japanese K-pop fans headed to Korea last Friday to tour an exhibition highlighting the talents of JYJ, one of the hottest groups in K-pop today.

The week-long event was held at SETEC, the Seoul Trade Exhibition and Convention center and was packed with photos and videos of the group, as well as fan meetings and concerts by the musicians.

Sources say that 15,000 Japanese fans applied for a chance to meet their idols and tour this big event,.. but only half of them made the list. Also invited were 15,000 South Korean fans.
For those lucky enough to attend, it seemed to be like a dream come true.

[Interview : Miyo Kanefusa, JYJ fan] "I could feel the warm heart of the three JYJ members at the event, and I will keep supporting them. I love you, JYJ!"

[Interview : Yukari Katagi, JYJ Fan] "I don't often have a chance to see JYJ in Japan. But I will finally be able to see all three of them at the event tomorrow. It's like a dream. I am really happy".

During the big opening day, JYJ members held an opening ceremony and press conference and talked about how excited they were to be part of the event.


[Interview : Kim Junsu, JYJ Member] "This is an exhibition for our fans who always support and love us. And the fans can be heroes at the exhibition".

It's very common to see K-pop artists holding small events to connect with their fans and to have entertainment companies organize events for the top artists on their roster, but having a whole exhibition focused on just one group seems like something new.

[Reporter : ] It is. I mean, JYJ is a very famous group not just in Korea but all over the world so I think that is why they were able to make this kind of bold move and also the reason why they were able to make it so successful. But I honestly don't think many artists would be able to pull this kind of thing off.

From fan meetings, to concerts and now expositionsit seems like we can expect a lot more from our favorite musicians in the future.

[Reporter : ] Yes, I would definitely keep a look out for that, especially because JYJ has been reaching out to fans in many different ways aside from concerts, including their photo exhibition last summer. I think this is a great start and somthing that other bands can follow.

Definitely. And now moving on, what else do you have for us.

[Reporter : ] This bulletin features 3 events.

Four-member group Noel will be holding a concert on July 14th at the Lotte Hotel World Crystal Ballroom. Their hit songs include, "I Miss You, "Propose", "Fate", "Despite Holding On" and more.

The duo 180 will be performing at Rolling Hall in Hongdae on July 20th. The two band members are multi-talented entertainers -- one is a part-time comedian and the other is a reporter.

The eco-advocate Save the Air Green Concert kicks off with singer Casker at KT&G SangSang Madang on July 15th. Casker is an electronica duo with dreamy yet sophisticated sounds created by singer Yoong-jin and Dj Juno.

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure.

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr