Most people regard the 1990's as the time when hallyu, or the Korean wave, really started - and only in the last decade has it really taken off, spreading Korean culture around the world at an alarming rate.

K-Pop has always been a constant export as part of the South Korean government's plan to extend their economic reach across the globe.

The original generation of K-Pop idols from the 90's were some of the first to perform overseas and gain fans around other parts of Asia, and the current group have been hallyu pioneers in places like South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

But who was the first Korean singer to release an English-language album in the US?

A newly discovered record proves that it was a lot earlier than everyone thought.

Korean pop music expert Lee Joon-hee, currently a visiting professor at Sungkonghoe University revealed last week that he had uncovered the US debut album from Korean singer Ok Doo-ok.

The catch? It was released in 1956!

"Ok was widely assumed to have been the first Korean singer to debut in the US," he explained. "As we've now found the original LP online, it has become clear that hallyu history goes back to 1956."

The record was located when Lee was scouring an online used record store. The album was released under the singer's English name Moon Kim.

It features two tracks, both English remakes of famous Korean songs of the time.

The first song, "East of Make Believe" is her rendition of Hyeon In's "Gohyangmanri" and the other, "Kanda Kanda," is an English version of "Yeokmacha," a song first made famous by singer Jang Se-jung.

The English lyrics for Ok's debut US album were written by Fred Jay, and while it has yet to be confirmed, it is rumored to be the same famous Fred Jay who wrote songs for Jerry Butler and Sarah Vaughn.

Ok Doo-ok was a very popular singer in Korea during the 1940s and she later immigrated to the United States after marrying a second generation Korean-American. She continued her music career stateside, and before the latest discovery it was thought that her first American album was released in 1959 under the record label RCA Victor.

Additionally, famed singing trio, the Kim Sisters, were originally on record as being the first Korean artist to break into the US market with their 1959 performances on the Ed Sullivan Show and in Las Vegas's Thunderbird Hotel.

Lee's new discovery, however, has now changed the history books and Ok Doo-ok is given the honorable distinction.