Origin of K-pop

How Korea’s pop culture originated

In the past, Korean movies and television shows, looked like they had been illegally copied onto VHS tape by Korean video rental houses, and were of inferior quality. The music was worse. With instruments that sounded cheap, with warbling, fuzzy vocals, and beats that sounded suspiciously like polka, Korean pop music was considered embarrassing.

But then, the internet was created. Bernie Cho, the founder of K-pop creative agency DFSB Kollective, spoke of the incredible changes in music quality he saw in the mid-to-late 90s when he worked for music entertainment channels such as MTV Korea and the South Korean music network MNET:

“An interesting side effect of Korea's internet boom was the impact it had on raising the bar for K-Pop. With instant access to international music trends, Korean netizens became more aware of the nuances between inspiration, imitation, and innovation. If a hit K-Pop song smelled like a ripoff, fans slammed the artists hard and fast online -- website bulletin boards and chat rooms would light up with heated debates. Although artists may not be taken to court for plagiarism, fans would take them to the court of public opinion, becoming virtual judge and juries. Although verdicts varied, the message was loud and clear -- imitation was no longer a form of flattery but a surefire way to flatline a career. As a result, K-Pop singers, songwriters, and producers had no choice but to step up their game and deliver more distinctive, more dynamic music.”

Just a few decades later K-pop has not only taken Asia by storm, it has ridden the so-called “Korean wave”, Hallyu, all the way to the edge of the United States: the Wonder Girls’ demonstrated enough mainstream potential to warrant an opening spot on the Jonas Brothers’ tour.

The roots of Korean bubblegum or dance pop can be found in a single man: Seo Taiji. With his incredibly influential band, Seo Taiji and Boys, he released his first album, Vol. 1, Nan Arayo (I Know), in 1992. Its New Jack Swing-inspired beats, catchy rap lyrics and memorable choruses took Korean audiences by storm, and K-pop music would never be the same. Seo Taiji’s influence can still be heard in the songs produced by the big music companies, including SM, JYP, and YG Entertainment.

But Seo Taiji was more than just about dance music. Before the internet era came into existence, Seo Taiji was a great importer and adapter of popular Western music in Korea, and his subsequent albums covered a wide range of musical genres, including industrial, hardcore, and even gangster rap.

Most importantly, Seo Taiji struck a chord with young people: his lyrics reflected the social change of the time. As Russell writes in his extremely useful guide to Korean popular culture, Pop Goes to Korea, “Seo Taiji’s comments about the failings of the school system and society were exactly what many people believed but seldom heard anyone in popular entertainment mention.”

http://www.mtviggy.com/article/story-k-pop-uncovered