It has been a long way before Hallyu, and Korean culture dominates the international market, and thanks to the music genre, which is popularly known as Korean pop, it has become an excellent gateway to enter the mainstream throughout the globe.
In this regard, it is best to acknowledge the people behind the success of K-pop, who became the pioneer of the things that several K-pop fans were experiencing right now.
1. First K-pop Group and First K-pop Male Group SEO TAIJI AND BOYS
Seo Taiji and Boys have become the first group that molds South Korean pop music through the use of rap. The group debut in 1992, building a massive fandom that made their three albums to accumulate almost 2 million sold copies, three of the best-selling albums in South Korea. The group consists of Seo Taiji, Lee Juno, and Yang Hyunsuk, who is now one of the CEO of the Kpop Big 3 Agencies, YG Entertainment. The group lasts until 1996, but their legacy and influence still continue up until now.
2. First K-pop Girl Group S.E.S
Referred to as the "Fairies of K-pop," Sea, Eugene, and Shoo became the first-ever girl group of k-pop, which debuted under Sm Entertainment in 1997. Their success brought them a best-selling album in 2000, and the first group to do MV concepts, starting from a cutesy image to edgy performers.
3. First Lightstick in K-pop BigBang bangbong
After k-pop's success in South Korea, several agencies were built, and some of these were the most successful ones, including the Big 3: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. Fandoms were also created, and fans use to have a specific color of a balloon to cheer for their idols.
BigBang leader G-Dragon then thinks of something that will differentiate their fans, and at that moment, the first lightstick was created. Bangbong, which has the design of a crown, was designed by the "Kings of Kpop" GD himself, and YG was the first-ever company that makes mass production of K-pop lightsticks.
4. First Photocards in K-pop SNSD, and TVXQ
When buying an album, it always brings excitement to a fan to know what kind of photo card she will be going to have and who. However, did you know that photocards were not really a thing for the past years? Not until SM Entertainment created their first K-pop group photocard set for TVXQ, which was released in 2007, though it was released in Japan.
Meanwhile, Girls' Generation, who was the Nation's girl group, became the first group to release a photocard in Korea for their album "Oh!" revealed in 2010.
5. First K-pop Artist to Gain 1 Billion Views on Youtube PSY
One of the first solo artists who introduced K-pop in the mainstream with his song "Gangnam Style," the song becoming a worldwide sensation. PSY was also the first artist to have a music video with 1 Billion Views, not only for K-pop videos but among the videos on YouTube, recorded last 2012.
