They have become some of Korea’s greatest ‘Sports Idols’. One member is flying across the soccer pitch, throwing in the occasional hat trick, while another member is directing a rhythmic gymnastics gala show. These are active steps they are taking that surpass mere hobbies or deals made with friends. Idol group JYJ, originally from TVXQ, are garnering attention for their active crossover into sports.
▶JYJ’s Dabble in the Sports World
JYJ will be participating in Park Ji Sung’s charity soccer match, the Asian Dream Cup, on June 15th in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. After participating in the youth clinic as part of the coaching staff on the 14th, they will be performing at half-time on the day of the match on the 15th. JYJ, who are avid fans of soccer and Park Ji Sung, volunteered to participate in the event, moving around their schedule to accommodate to the match.
JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong has recently made a surprise transformation into the director of Sohn Yeon Jae’s rhythmic gymnastics gala show. Kim Jaejoong, who showcased his talents as a director in JYJ’s Asia tour, will be participating in the ‘LG Whisen Rhythmic All Stars 2011′ as the director on June 11th and 12th at the Hwajung Gymnastics Stadium in Korea University. It has been found that as the director, he will be in charge of all areas such as music selection, stage effects, costumes and choreography.
Studying off of rhythmic gymnastics videos online, he is showing a passion for his work as he thinks of ways to intertwine artistry with popular appeal. Sohn Yeon Jae recently returned to Korea on the 17th after her third consecutive performance at the World Cup Series but as Kim Jaejoong is in Canada for JYJ’s North American tour, the two have not met yet. Kim Jaejoong and Sohn Yeon Jae have been sharing ideas with each other to create the perfect performance through e-mail correspondences.
▶The reason why JYJ have become Sports-dols?
What is the reasoning behind JYJ’s active participation in the sports industry through soccer and rhythmic gymnastics? First of all, it’s because the members are all avid sports maniacs. JYJ’s Kim Junsu and Park Yoochun are members of FC MEN, Suwon Samsung Blue Wing’s fifth club. As the captain of FC MEN, Kim Junsu boasts skills that are good enough for him to play at a professional level; he even performed a hat trick on April 24th when his team went up against the Incheon Design All Girls School’s soccer team.
The reason why JYJ are eager to participate in Park Ji Sung’s charity soccer match is because of their endless love for soccer. Of course, the sponsor’s belief that JYJ’s explosive popularity all across Asia would help promote the event probably played a role in recruiting them as well.
On the other hand, Kim Jaejoong’s connection with Sohn Yeon Jae, in a field which none would have guessed Jaejoong would participate in, is a different story. Both JYJ and Sohn Yeon Jae have the same advertising agency. Kim Jaejoong naturally became a participant in the show when the staff began asking for advice on directing it. Kim Jaejoong, who had a great deal of interest for stage directing in general, was interested in the new project and his participation in the rhythmic gymnastics gala show, a genre that not many people are familiar with, created a giant ripple effect in the industry and beyond.
Recently, JYJ’s appearance in KBS’ ‘Music Bank’ was barred because of their legal dispute with TVXQ’s agency. Though KBS later stated, “When they release a new song, they will be allowed to appear on the show,” the group’s involvement in a legal dispute with one of Korea’s biggest agencies can’t help but put additional pressure on broadcasting companies. TV programs such as ‘Start! Dream Team’(KBS) and ‘Kidol Star Track and Field Competition’(MBC) have already proved that a ‘sports idol’ image helps boost one’s popularity.
The detour JYJ have chosen, amidst their silent fence-sitting battle with broadcasting companies, is to meet with fans directly through their world tour, to meet with fans in an interesting manner through dramas and musicals and to meet fans in a new way through sports.
Source: [sports chosun]
Translated by: dongbangdata.net
Translated by: dongbangdata.net
Shared by: ourJYJ
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