Complex Blog » Korean girl groups

Wake N’ Watch: SNSD “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)”

donniek — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:07 +0000

Our favorite South Korean nine-girl pop super-group (that’s SNSD, suckas!) just dropped a video for the debut single from its second “mini”-album, which comes out this week. The new song, though not quite as catchy as “Gee,” is still pretty damn good, even if “genie” imagery in pop music feels a little Xtina circa ‘99. We’re not really feeling the new looks of Yoona or Sooyoung, but Taeyeon and Tiffany are looking better than ever and Yuri is forever a dimepiece. We probably shouldn’t print what we’d really wish to do with these girls if we had the chance…

BONUS VIDEO: After the jump, check out the video for The Wonder Girls‘ just-released English version of “Nobody”…and if you haven’t yet, vote on the hottest WG member!

Worldwide Wednesday: The 9 Hottest Korean Women

donniek — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:08:45 +0000

We consider ourselves somewhat of experts on Korea over here, so it was only a matter of time before we hit up the ol’ Hanguk for an edition of Worldwide Wednesday. With Kim Jong-Il testing nukes and kidnapping journalists, we figured the time was right for a little Korean love. South Korean, that is. Hey, close enough, right?

Given that plastic surgery is like a national pastime in Korea, we were sure to include at least some women who are (at least we think) all-natural. Whatever the case, we’re quite sure we’ve put together an unassailable list of the the 9 hottest women of (South) Korea. Daehan Minguk!

#9. (TIE) KIM HYE-SOO (top) and KIM SHI-HYANG
CLAIMS TO FAME: Hye-Soo is an acting O.G. and Shi-Hyang is a former racing model, but both women prove that “two-rrific Korean” is not an oxymoron.

CLICK NEXT TO SEE MORE SEXY KOREAN WOMEN!

Who’s the Hottest Member of Korea’s Wonder Girls?

donniek — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:20:10 +0000

(Left to right): Yoo-Bin, So-Hee, Sun-Ye, Sun-Mi, Ye-Eun

Our recent feature on SNSD, Korea’s nine-girl pop group, drew a lot of attention from closet K-pop devotees and perplexed Korean news sites. But it wasn’t long before the streets started asking: How are we gonna cover SNSD and leave out the Wonder Girls? That’s like covering Nas but ignoring Jay-Z. Well, a message to the streets'we’ve heard your call.

And the timing couldn’t be better. The Wonder Girls are currently on an American tour, with a concert tomorrow night in L.A. and another on Sunday in NYC. Rumor has it that the group’s mini-tour is the prelude to a stronger push into the U.S. market. To prepare yourself for the WG invasion, here’s your chance to meet each member of the Wonder Girls and vote on your favorite…

SUN-YE

D.O.B.: 7/11/89
WHY SHE’S HOT: As the leader of the Wonder Girls, she’s the most conventionally pretty girl in the group, and probably its best overall performer.
WHY SHE’S NOT: She seems the least likely one to engage in a drunken hook-up, for what it’s worth.

PERFORMANCE:

RED CARPET:

SINGING:

Click NEXT to see the rest of the Wonder Girls!

Meet Korea’s 9-Girl Pop Supergroup

donniek — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:16:08 +0000

The hottest pop song in Korea right now is from the girl-group version of Wu-Tang. Yep, there are nine'count ‘em'nine members of Girls’ Generation (a.k.a. SNSD), whose just-released single and video “Gee” (click through to watch it) is about as stupidly addictive as Asian pop can get. Which means to say: stupidly, stupidly addictive.

Though SNSD may appear to consist of faceless Korean fembots, there really are nine distinct people in the group. We previously featured SNSD in our round-up of Korean girl groups, but this time we’re taking a close-up look at each member.

Click here to meet each member of Korea’s hottest girl group!

Korean Pop’s 5 Hottest Girl Groups

donniek — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:09:21 +0000

Long live the Korean pop scene, where nobody really cares that much about authenticity'or even singing talent for that matter'as long as the girls look cute and the songs are catchy.

American girl groups like Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls have to throw on their sluttiest getup to grab anybody's attention, but in Korea, girl pop stars can find success by just singing mindless ditties in sugary voices while executing the simplest of non-sexual dance steps. See, that's the thing'the more you sell a product as overtly sexy, the less sexy it becomes. But push a product as “cute” and “innocent” and “pure”'well now you've piqued our predatory instincts! Our fam in Seoul hipped us to the hottest K-pop girl groups of the moment. Watch all their videos below.

Group: Wonder Girls
Debut: 2007
The most popular girl group out today, the Wonder Girls are the brainchild of K-pop Svengali Park Jin-Young, who also discovered heartthrob (and Stephen Colbert nemesis) Rain. The Girls' much-anticipated second album is coming soon, complete with a “sexier” look. Since two of the five are under 18, hopefully it won’t be too soon.
Watch “So Hot”:

Group: Jewelry
Debut: 2001
Call 'em the Korean Destiny's Child'Jewelry is known for replacing (and re-replacing) members for various reasons. Still, O.G. member Seo In-Young remains the BeyoncÃ© of the bunch. Jewelry is responsible for the “ET Dance” craze that swept the nation earlier this year.
Watch “One More Time”:

Group: Brown Eyed Girls
Debut: 2006
The BEGs are another four-girl group with a recent hit record (”L.O.V.E.”) and a cringe-inducing rapper (Miryo). The video below is for their new single. But wait, don't all girls in Korea have (naturally) brown eyes? What's next, Black Haired Boys?
Watch “Love Action”:

Group: Girls Generation
Debut: 2007
Formed by famed talent agency SM Entertainment, this nine-member group was put together somewhat like one of Diddy's Making The Band experiments. Likewise, the group has faced some skepticism from fans, but fuck it, they're still cute.
Watch “SNSD”:

Group: The Grace
Debut: 2005
Also created by SM Entertainment, this quartet is actually bigger in Japan than Korea. Unlike some of their peers, they can actually sing. The video below is of their first hit single, which was flagged by the government for having suggestive lyrics. Word?
Watch “One More Time, OK?”: