[TRANS] Professor Lee Dong Yeon continues his discussion on current state of kpop with ‘Go, Music’s Frankenstein’

JYJ3′s note: The writer, Professor Lee Dong Yeon, teaches cultural theory at the Korean National University of the Arts. He has played a huge role in the creation of Korean Pop Music Awards and had written a book titled ‘Idols’. He is currently writing a 10-part series on the current state to Kpop: its creation and consumption, its industrialized nature, as well as its music and the ins and outs behind the scenes. The first part of his 10-part series was about JYJ and SM, which JYJ3 had translated into these 3 parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Go, Music’s Frankenstein

(Parts unrelated to JYJ omitted)

There were many suggested activities that JYJ can carry out since they left TVXQ. Professor Lee Dong Yeon called this “the recovery of one’s freedom to decide his or her activities.” Unlike the years when they had to carry out their activities according to SM’s one-sided schedule, they have the power to decide their own activities. They are making music and producing on their own now, hence they want to be called artistes.

The contract period with TVXQ is 13 years. Aren’t they the same as the industry’s “slaves”? JYJ survived as musicians, not avatars, artistes and not designed products. The fandom is one of the deciding factors for them. The industry is complicated and twisted; hence it is completely impossible to find a solution. The only way to change this frustrating situation is the active attitudes of JYJ’s fans and consumers. 

JYJ Waiting For Visible Changes

There is a possibility that the industrialization of the music industry is inevitable. Kpop’s international qualitative or quantitative growth phenomenon today is indebted to the thorough capitalism of music. Also, the harsh training likened to “child abuse” that Kpop stars went through since young gave them the music foundation. However, no matter how outstanding the foundation is, how accurately the music suits the public’s taste, there is still a limit to music that lacks soul right?

A musician is the music’s producer, instead of the product. It may be possible for the future of Kpop to be dependent on the change and transformation that JYJ is showing.

Source: Hani
Translation by: Shermin of JYJ3
Shared by: JYJ3
Please do not add to, alter, or remove the credits.

[TRANS] 120105 Professor of cultural theory writes about the current situation between JYJ and SM, Part 3

JYJ3 note: This is Part 3 of an article written by Professor Lee DongYeon, who teaches cultural theory at Korea National University of Arts. We decided to translate this piece due to its strength of insight and its relevance to understanding how the situation between JYJ and SM is perceived by intellectuals as well as by the general public. DNBN, among other Korean fansites, have posted the professor’s article and we believe it is our duty to share it with international fandom.  Read Part 1 and Part 2 by clicking on the links.

Source of happiness and free will

So are JYJ, the exiles of K-pop, happy? Of course they are, because JYJ fandom’s righteousness makes them happy. JYJ’s source of happiness can seemingly be viewed as a commercial success. Since their official debut in 2010 until now, JYJ have been as successful as they were in TVXQ days. Until now, combining 2 studio albums, members’ solos, OST albums, concert albums, etc., at least 1,200,000 albums were sold. They have appeared in more than 10 ads such as being models for Lotte Duty Free. Not only publishing photobooks, a music essay, and DVDs, the members have also participated in a movie, musicals, and dramas. They had 33 concerts and showcases in total (including Live Concert in Japan, Worldwide showcases in 2010, World Tour concerts in 2011), mobilizing audiences greater than 550,000. Economically, they have gained more benefits than TVXQ of the past and in comparison with TVXQ’s 2 members, they have gained greater fame. 

But the real reason for which JYJ can be happy is that they can decide for themselves their activities. No longer having to follow unilateral activities under company’s decision, the recovery of freedom is indeed JYJ’s source of happiness. Without a management company, JYJ made an agency contract with C-JeS Entertainment that takes care of everything they need in their activities. Contrary to TVXQ days in which their activities were all under SM’s unilateral schedule, they have now all the rights to their activities. Now that they create and produce their own music, they want to be called artists. When they perform, have united activities, release albums, or have to do public activities, they don’t need to read anyone’s countenance, but instead have the right to decide for themselves. Giving up the original name and vested interests, they got freedom of thought and action in return. Isn’t it the thing that many K-pop’s musicians must dream of?

Reunion again as TVXQ?

The TVXQ that was praised as the most perfect group in the genealogy of Korean idol groups has now been separated into TVXQ and JYJ. To fans, their fateful separation when they were running to the highest peak was unhappy and tragic. It would have been good if all 5 members of TVXQ had come out of SM and had had independent activities, like the example of Shinhwa. But unfortunately, getting entangled in these or other private interests, they have separated and broken off.

The past TVXQ fandom or the present JYJ fandom might once dream of their reunion. It means that 2 members cancel the exclusive contract and they reunite again under the name TVXQ, because there is almost no chance that the 3 JYJ members would join SM again because they miss the name TVXQ. In that case, could 2 TVXQ members come out of SM? And would they be able to exercise their rights as TVXQ and be active again?

Perhaps it would be impossible. If SM itself won’t give up right to the trademark TVXQ, it’s impossible to reunite under the name TVXQ in one form or another. The possibility that, the 2 TXQ members Uknow Yunho and Choikang Changmin who have already decided to stay at and continue their activities under SM until now, move on and liberate themselves out of SM, is not that high. Even if they could reunite, it would be impossible to use the name TVXQ again. In that case, there are only 2 ways left for the return (or reunion) of TVXQ. One way is for the 2 member TVXQ and the 3 member JYJ to acknowledge the reality of the situation [that JYJ are not TVXQ members], but I believe that JYJ are still seen in practical cases as being part of TVXQ. Of course they cannot claim the name TVXQ, because it clearly belongs to SM and is used solely for the activities of the 2 boys, however there are the 3 JYJ members who helped give true authority to the name TVXQ*. In other words, the members must accept the reality that there is a discrepancy between the name [TVXQ] and the content. In this case, instead of giving up their original presence in the ‘nation of TVXQ’, the members must be willing to be vested with the symbolic authority of the name by fans and live in exile forever. [T/N: the author is trying to say that both sides must give up the name TVXQ so that they can still remain as symbolic 'TVXQ members' in the minds of fans forever.]

Second way has bare possibility, it’s that 2 TVXQ members come out of SM and rejoin JYJ. In this case, they wouldn’t be able to use the name TVXQ either but they could practically acquire the nationality of TVXQ, because all the population of TVXQ nation would have applied for exile. The name doesn’t matter. Perhaps it would become JYJYC or YCJYJ. Although there were misunderstanding and hatred in the past, perhaps, fans would sincerely hope for this 2nd case. It means that they couldn’t call TVXQ ‘TVXQ’ but the name of a new exile, as long as they could be together.

___________

* The professor is mistaken here; SM does not own the trademark rights to 東方神起 or “Dong Bang Shin Ki”. The Korean Patent and Trademark Office rejected SM’s trademark application because “The requested trademark filed by SM Entertainment is inextricably and intrinsically connected to famous a cappella dance and singing group members U-know Yunho, Youngwoong Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, Xiah Junsu and Choikang Changmin and as such, under Trademark Act Article 7.1.6, this request cannot be accepted. End.” Source and English translation

 Source: PRESSian
Translation by: The_Little_Pear of JYJ3 | Edited by: DoctorJaee of JYJ3
Referral by: DNBN | Shared by: JYJ3
Please do not add to, alter, or remove the credits.

[TRANS] 120105 Professor of cultural theory writes about the current situation between JYJ and SM, Part 2

JYJ3 note: This is Part 2 of an article written by Professor Lee DongYeon, who teaches cultural theory at Korea National University of Arts. We decided to translate this piece due to its strength of insight and its relevance to understanding how the situation between JYJ and SM is perceived by intellectuals as well as by the general public. DNBN, among other Korean fansites, have posted the professor’s article and we believe it is our duty to share it with international fandom. Part 1 was posted yesterday and can be accessed HERE whilePart 3 will be posted tomorrow.

SM’s wrong judgments

There are 2 reasons that SM decided to put the brakes on JYJ’s activities and incapacitate them. First, they believed that SM, the production company of K-pop’s most powerful idol groups, could influence JYJ’s broadcasting activities. Due to the nature of Korean popular music, it’s impossible to succeed without broadcast. The idol groups who are in SM occupy important roles in terrestrial and cable broadcasting. Members of these groups have a greater proportion of appearances on music programs, entertainment programs, radio programs, etc. than any idol of other companies. Even if the broadcasters aren’t under direct pressure, they still have to read SM’s countenance. Without SM’s tacit consent, JYJ’s broadcast appearances can’t go through. In the closing ceremony of ‘IAAF World Championships Daegu’, JYJ were able to appear on KBS because that program was not under the jurisdiction of KBS’s Entertainment Department. The broadcasting stations said that JYJ couldn’t appear because of the lawsuit with SM but as the Court has already judged that the previous exclusive contract between SM and TVXQ was unfair, this claim is not persuasive. In addition, according to reports from media, the FTC (Fair Trade Commission), after receiving many complaints about SM interfering JYJ’s activities, has investigated and found out some clues and is preparing to impose hundreds of millions won of fines [to SM]. 

Second, SM thought that JYJ wouldn’t be able to ensure a proper management system like they had during TVXQ days. Although the ability of the group is important to gain popularity in Korea as well as abroad, a well-organized management system is more important than anything else. For an idol groups’ activities, from music and choreography to coordination and scheduling, many staff members are needed. SM expected that, in the situation that broadcasting activities don’t work out, even if they are TVXQ’s former members, without agency’s powerful support system, they have not much possibility of success.

But the strange thing is that JYJ are on the roll now. Instead, the two members of TVXQ who received full support from SM can’t be active vigorously like JYJ are. The fans of [5-membered] TVXQ in the past also support JYJ’s activities overwhelmingly. If we compare activities of the 3 JYJ members with that of the 2 TVXQ members (concerts, showcases, albums, CF, modeling, internet searching, etc.), we can judge that JYJ are far more successful. Why did this happen?

Fandom’s righteousness

After the dismissal of TVXQ’s unfair contracts, the most important thing is the power of the fandom. SM thought that after the 3 members withdrew from TVXQ, there wouldn’t be a problem to retain the same name. They believed that if they could keep the brand called TVXQ, fans would still acclaim and support that name. But such expectation failed and broke off. The majority of TVXQ fandom support JYJ’s 3 members’ actions. To the fandom, the important thing is not TVXQ’s name itself but what defined TVXQ. Moreover, the legitimate reason for which 3 people have filed the lawsuit was distorted into the greed for personal business by SM and also by statements released by the remaining 2 DBSK members which included expressions of blame [towards JYJ]. All this made TVXQ’s fandom move to JYJ’s side. JYJ is what helped define TVXQ and now they have also become the name of truth. Fans believe that, even though they can’t hold the name of TVXQ, they will continue the righteous way to become musicians under the name of JYJ.

If so, what is the righteousness of JYJ fandom? It’s that they protect their favorite musicians themselves. At this point, fandom is ‘selfish’. To protect their favorite stars, they behave in the most exclusive way possible. Therefore, fandom wants their favorite stars and the production company that raised those stars to separate willingly. It’s true that because the production company exists, the stars can maintain their activities, but fandom doesn’t believe that the stars can’t live without production companies. To fandom, production companies are a necessary evil, an inconvenient truth. For the success of their favorite stars, a powerful production company is needed but they don’t want the production company to earn big money from their financial investment and to place the stars under strong control. Moreover, the contract that their stars were involved in is unfair. They had to work under a murderous schedule yet couldn’t get a fair distribution of profits. Hence, to fans, the production company is a public enemy. The distrust of the fandom toward TVXQ’s production company, SM, has already started from long ago. When they looked into the precedents of HOT and Shinhwa– both of whom have left SM because of unfair exclusive contract issues, they feared that, at the peak of their popularity, TVXQ may run into big difficulties because of unfair contract issue.

That fear has become a reality. TVXQ’s fandom chose justice instead of the name. They immediately set up base camp to urgently support 3 members of TVXQ and declared war toward SM. After mobilizing and finding concrete data to answer key questions; Why is TVXQ’s exclusive contract unfair, why couldn’t the members get significant economic compensation, why didn’t SM disclose the profits from Japanese activities; [the fans] came to a positive conclusion [in JYJ's favor]. In addition, they submitted a petition regarding TVXQ’s unfair exclusive contract and brought forward the suspicion that SM was interfering with JYJ’s broadcasting activities to the FTC. They weren’t scared to change the TVXQ fandom into a JYJ fandom. By voluntary fundraising, they conducted an advertising campaign called “We support your youth” to support JYJ. To protest JYJ’s ban from TV, they even published satirical ads ‘You say that you’ll sing on TV? You?’ and ‘The 101 methods with which to drive out JYJ from broadcast’ on internet and in newspaper print. While the JYJ members are living in exile, their compatriots who support them are newly establishing a righteous republic.

Source: PRESSian
Translation by: The_Little_Pear of JYJ3 | Edited by: DoctorJaee of JYJ3
Referral by: DNBN | Shared by: JYJ3
Please do not add to, alter, or remove the credits.

[TRANS] 120104 Professor of cultural theory writes about the current situation between JYJ and SM, Part 1

JYJ3 note: This is Part 1 of an article written by Professor Lee DongYeon, who teaches cultural theory at Korea National University of Arts. We decided to translate this piece due to its strength of insight and its relevance to understanding how the situation between JYJ and SM is perceived by intellectuals as well as by the general public. DNBN, among other Korean fansites, have posted the professor’s article and we believe it is our duty to share it with international fandom. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

JYJ, K-pop’s exiles that refused to be ‘slaves’, what will be their destiny…?

K-pop is at the peak of its craze. In Tokyo, Beijing, Bangkok, and also Paris, London, New York, K-pop is emerging as the new global pop. Via TV and internet, K-pop is claimed to be global icon that lets the world know about South Korea’s cultural excellence. But how much do we actually know about K-pop? On what condition has K-pop come into the spotlight of global pop? How the music of K-pop is created and consumed? Is K-pop really substantial?

K-pop is not the K-pop that we know because K-pop covers only idol music. And K-pop’s exterior and interior are disconnected because the perspectives on K-pop of international K-pop fans and domestic music fans are different. K-pop is like Samsung that ascended the throne to become a global company with its ‘no labor union’ myth. Although idol groups have worked hard and became global stars, there is no way for them to speak properly about their worries and pains. Like global company Samsung that doesn’t have a labor union, K-pop is global pop formed through unlimited competition without freedom. 

It’s true that the global craze of K-pop exists but it has been exaggerated by the media. Why? Because there is a relationship of deceit between the media and entertainment companies. In 2010, in order to cover SM Town Live in LA, more than 20 media organizations in South Korea were involved. After enjoying a free ride, many praising articles came from the media the day after the concert. Thanks to this, SM’s largest shareholder Lee Sooman’s stock rose to almost more than 6 billion won in a flash. Lee Sooman’s stock price exceeded 200 billion won now. At the end of last year, market value of YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyunsuk publicly listed on KOSDAQ touched 140 billion won. In 2011, Korea Tourism Organization sent support in the form of 300 million won to SM Town Live in Paris. Receiving intensive support from media and government, K-pop has conquered domestic market and is entering into the world.

K-pop is a transnational phenomenon which has support from global fans from 10s to 20s that love pop idols. Rather than proving musical skills, actually, it has hit the jackpot by filling empty space of vanished pop idols in the world market of pop music. Since the music of K-pop now refers to American pop music’s trend, it creates unique music added with dance skills; and an ironic situation that takes place is that K-pop is copied in third world’s music market.

Professor Lee Dongyeon of Korea National University of Arts has started a series that gives an account of K-pop . Professor Lee Dongyeon played a great role in the birth of Korean Music Awards and has taken a serious approach to Korean popular music through his books such as ‘Idols’. In this series, the secret of K-pop’s exterior and interior, music and industry, production and consumption is dug up. This series which composed of 10 topics in total will come to readers every week. Its first topic is JYJ, who show us most clearly the current situation of K-pop.

Banished JYJ

JYJ are K-pop’s outcasts. They are K-pop’s Homo Sacer, i.e. cursed outcasts. In Roman law, Homo Sacer is a banished man who may be killed by anybody, and who is removed from society and deprived of all citizens’ rights. Of course, JYJ are neither political refugees nor a social pariah group. We can’t conclude that K-pop’s box-office stars JYJ who still possess a great fandom are unfortunate like those miserable and lonely political refugees. But the fact that they can’t do what they want to do in their own country carries the nature of exiles and outcasts itself.

For even now, JYJ still haven’t been able to have normal broadcasting activities in Korea. The congratulation performance at closing ceremony of IAAF World Championships Daegu at the beginning of September 2011 was the only broadcast activity of the year. Although their official album, released 2 years after coming out of TVXQ, sold well in Korea and abroad, they couldn’t win a single prize in domestic music awards. Considering the fact that, despite the poor environment of music market, their debut album [The Beginning] and 2nd studio album [In Heaven] each sold more than 350,000 copies, it’s hard to understand why they weren’t nominated in music awards. Being appointed as Goodwill Ambassador of ‘Jeju Island – New 7 Wonders of the World’ and then getting canceled with doubtful reason, being scheduled to appear on KBS television and getting canceled abruptly in one day, if we look back, we can guess who systematically interfered with their activities or can assume that there are interest groups that synchronize and connived with each other.

Many fans of JYJ believe that the obstructer is their former agency, SM Entertainment. They think this because it seems that the only group who can put the brakes on JYJ’s domestic activities is nobody else but SM Entertainment, who was displeased with the 3 people’s breakaway from the beginning. Publicly uncovering the unwarrantable unfair contract and the opaqueness in profit division, JYJ put SM Entertainment in trouble. JYJ’s fans think that SM is interfering JYJ’s activities as much as possible in order to show an example of what happens to people who betrayed them and tacitly warn its affiliated idol groups on the [important of] obedience. It’s the story that you can only find in the gangsters’ world. Even though SM says that they received a mortal wound because of the lack of activity of their best idol group, TVXQ, which stemmed from the contract issue; SM seem to believe that they, with their production power, can place any trainee group looking forward to debut into TVXQ’s position. To them, TVXQ is a devoted son who brought to them entertainment producing power and at the same time, a concubine’s child that they can throw away at any time.

Source: PRESSian
Translation by: The_Little_Pear of JYJ3 | Edited by: DoctorJaee of JYJ3
Referral by: DNBN | Shared by: JYJ3
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