In Love with K-Pop

Posted South Korea

As soon as we stepped off the airport bus onto the busy Seoul median, we couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. Despite our jet lag and mid-afternoon arrival though, these past 12 hours have already given us a glimpse at Korea’s awesome culture, and the potential greatness of this trip.

Even though we have not even been here an entire day, my brother and I have already found a gem of modern Korean entertainment; K-pop. Our interest was first piqued by the nonstop K-pop assault on a small tv screen the whole way from Incheon to Seoul. After a disagreement with google maps and a 30 minute detour, we discovered that our hostile was nestled into a bustling food and entertainment street, which happens to be crowded with amateur K-pop dancers. Every 50 feet was a different group of 15-25 year olds dancing (really well most of the time). Although we were thoroughly impressed and excited to see our favorite K-pop hits (from artists such as Sistar, Big Bang, and Teen Top) performed on the streets, we were equally intrigued by the apparent infatuation with the street performers, who held an audience for hours on end.

I was later informed by a local that the K-pop mobs are nothing special in Korea, and are to be seen all around the city. We sure hope that is true.

– Alex Yeagle