☆SJ_intro

☆SJ_intro

Super Junior Introduction

Korean pop culture’s fever that started in the end of 1990s in Southeast Asia has now gone beyond Asia and is spreading through the world. Top Korean artists have held concerts in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, as well as various part of Asia—including China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and more! Many news media including newspaper and internet news articles are reporting about Hallyu (the Korean Wave), announcing the enhanced status of Korea. Super Junior, a star of the Hallyu Wave, was recently called a moving enterprise and is setting records at every moment.
Since before the debut, Super Junior received a lot of attention for being the largest musical group in the world. With 12 members and perfect choreography, they captivated the public’s eye with their debut song “Twins (Knock Out)”, the title song of their first album SuperJunior05. In 2006, Super Junior added a 13th member and released the single “U” which was an instant hit in South Korea, winning several awards and earning the group the Best Newcomer Award at the 21st Annual Golden Disk Awards. This was only just the beginning for a group that would soon be recognized as one of the leaders of the Hallyu Wave across the world.  In late 2007, their second full album, Don’t Don, was released. Following the example set in the previous year, Don’t Don racked up many awards including a 2007 Artist of the Year and Record of the Year. The group experienced international recognition and a career breakthrough with their hit third album Sorry Sorry in 2009. It was their first album to debut in the number one position on Korean music charts, became the country’s best selling album for 2009, won the Golden Disk Awards Artist of the Year, and the song topped Taiwan’s music chart KKBOX (KKBOX’s Korean Japanese music Top 100 weekly) for a record-breaking 37 weeks. The follow-up fourth album Bonamana (Miinah), which was released in 2010, set a new record when the title song “Bonamana” stayed at number one for 63 weeks on Taiwan’s music chart. They showed off their power by becoming the first artist ever in the history of Taiwan’s music chart to be number one for more than a year and staying on number one for the longest time. They broke their previous record obtained by “Sorry Sorry” which was number one for a total of 37 weeks. This trend of Super Junior dominating the KKBOX chart continued as the 2011 release of fifth album and song “Mr. Simple” took the place of “Bonamana” at the number one position. To date, “Mr. Simple” has ranked #1 for 44 consecutive weeks. In total, Super Junior has been at the top of the chart for 107 weeks (as of June 19, 2012). With the release of the 6th album soon, will Super Junior continue this success in the KKBOX chart? They cannot have set an amazing record simply because of their music. What are their appeals?

Discography:

• 2005: SuperJunior05
• 2005: “Show Me Your Love” ft TVXQ (single)
• 2006: “U” (single)
• 2007; Don’t Don
• 2009: Sorry Sorry
• 2010: Bonamana (Miinah)
• 2011: Mr. Simple
• 2012: TBA ^^

The word “celebrity” (yunyaein) using the Chinese characters演 display yun, 藝 talent yae, and人 person means a person who displays his or her talent. Just like how the word means, they are celebrities. The word “celebrity” includes singers and dancers and Super Junior satisfies all of those categories.

Enchanting people’s hearing. 

The group had various unit activities such as Super Junior M who targets Chinese speaking countries, Super Junior K.R.Y. who shows its diverse emotions through musical and drama OST, Super Junior Happy who sings Super Junior’s cheerful and fun music, and Super Junior Trot who brings a modern twist to Trot music, a favorite of Korea’s elder generation. Members Eunhyuk and Donghae have also collaborated as a unit to showcase their unique style of music. They worked hard as singers continuing to try various types of music. Although Super Junior has received some criticisms on their music, such as they only sing a certain type of style, some members not having strong vocals, etc., the group continues to succeed as evidenced by their growing local and international fanbase as well as numerous music awards. Since debut their choreography and dance have remained strong and they continue to release a variety of music ranging through pop, hip hop/r&b, rock, ballads, electric, and more. Moreover, their use of different styles shows the growth of the group and the maturing of each member. Super Junior accomplished an achievement of being number seven on the world album chart with their fourth album Bonamana. The album ranked higher than the albums from world pop stars such as Usher, Black Eyed Peas, and Ke$ha. Also, even though the group did not hold any promotional activity in Japan, their first Japanese single album became number two on the Oricon weekly chart, breaking the record in having the highest album sales for a debut single in Japan. England’s BBC praised highly of Super Junior who stands tall as the main characters of Hallyu K-pop dubbing them a Korean brand that will replace Samsung.

Captivating people’s sight.

Nowadays, there is no clear distinction between singers and actors that one can see singers in movies, dramas, and on TV. Some members are known for their acting skills and taking lead roles in dramas such as Siwon in Poseidon, Oh! My Lady, and the Taiwanese drama Skip Beat; Donghae in Skip Beat, It’s Ok Daddy Girl, and Porcupine & Miss Panda; Kibum in Tree with Deep Roots and I Love Lee Tae Ri; Heechul in Rainbow Romance, just to name a few. As a group who has great looks, the 2007 movie The Attack on the Pin-up boys was released with Super Junior as the lead. Also, Super Show 3D movie was exported, mesmerizing audience with their performance and choreography.

Satisfying five senses. 

In addition to being among Korea’s top musicians, Super Junior stands out at the “variety idol” who faithfully works as celebrities to satisfy viewers’ demands. Wherever they go, they make viewers happy by either become supporting actors, MCs or guests. Some members are well known for hosting their own television shows (i.e. Super Junior Show, Super Junior Foresight), co-hosting popular TV shows (i.e. Explorer’s of the Human Body, Star King, Show Champion), being fixed show guests (i.e. Strong Heart), and DJing radio shows (i.e. Kiss the Radio, Shimshimtapa, Youngstreet). Teuk Academy on Strong Heart, comprised of Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, and formerly Shindong, present laughter and are willing to look funny. Compared to other celebrities who only appear in commercials and sometimes come out on talk shows resisting looking funny, Super Junior approaches their fans with friendliness. Even though they have been underestimated on their achievements in music due to their talents as TV show personalities being emphasized, they are a group that the world market takes notices of and are being dubbed a moving brand and a moving medium sized enterprise. They try a new genre each time and give diverse spectacles that the public can look at. They want to communicate with their fans and try to make contact with the public on TV, stage and with their personal space such as SNS. Siwon has the highest amount of Twitter followers in Korea with other 2.2 million. Second is Donghae with over 1.8 milion followers and third is Leeteuk with over 1.4 million followers. Also, of the top 20 celebrity Twitter accounts in Korea with the most followers, 8 of those celebrities are Super Junior members. Overall, Super Junior has efficiently shown how idols can take their careers to the next level. So much exposure, interaction, and availability to their fans have placed the group in a unique position within Korea’s entertainment industry.

Conclusion? … no… because it’s NOT an END, but an AND…. 

Super Junior is a Korean male idol group comprised of 13 members who are managed by SM Entertainment. Excluding Hangeng who went back to his home country of China due to personal reasons and disagreements with SME, Heechul who is in the army, and Kim Kibum who is focusing on his acting, they are currently working as a 10 member group. They are enhancing the nation’s prestige and are promoting Korea in other countries, but their work is still fruitless. We look forward to them going beyond the idea of a group to becoming the national brand to return home in glory in the future.

Thank you Elle (bellabluesuju)

Super Junior Member Profiles

Super Junior Profiles, thanks to Everythingaboutsuju (everytaboutsuju) for creating these profiles ;D much appreciated!

Birth name: Henry Lau
Birthday: 1989/10/11
Height: 176cm
Weight: 63kg
Blood type: AB
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Sub vocal, rapper
Group: Super Junior M
Instruments: Violin, piano, drums
Occupations: Singer, dancer
Twitter: @henrylau89
Hobbies: Playing violin, dancing
Random fact: Henry is the maknae of Super Junior M, but he can speak the most languages among all Super Junior members – he speaks Chinese, Taiwanese, Cantonese, English, Korean and Japanese. He’s the only fluent English-speaker.

Birth name: Zhou Mi
Birthday: 1986/04/19
Height: 184cm
Blood type: B
Nationality: Chinese
Position: Main vocal
Group: Super Junior M
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, songwriter, MC
Hobbies: Singing, writing lyrics, learning Korean
Random fact: Zhoumi has a nickname “Siwon” since he looks like him. Some say he looks like a combination of Siwon, Kyuhyun and Leeteuk. He’s SJ-M’s Mandarin teacher.

Birth name: Cho Kyuhyun
Birthday: 1988/02/03
Height: 180cm
Weight: 68kg
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian
Position: Main vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M, Super Junior K.R.Y.
Instruments: Piano
Occupations: Singer, dancer
Twitter: @GaemGyu
Hobbies: Singing, gaming
Random fact: Kyuhyun has  admitted he likes to play jokes on his hyungs, and that it might give a wrong impression of him. He often drops the honorifics and speaks to his hyungs informally, saying that it is a joke.

Birth name: Kim Kibum
Birthday: 1987/08/21
Height: 179cm
Weight: 58kg
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian
Position: Rapper
Subgroups: -
Instruments: Piano, guitar
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, model
Twitter: @ikmubmik
Hobbies: Singing, listening to music
Random fact: Kibum has the highest IQ among all the members. He is currently working as an actor and does not take part in Super Junior’s activities.

Birth name: Kim Ryeowook
Birthday: 1987/06/21
Height: 173cm
Weight: 58kg
Blood type: O
Religion: Catholic
Position: Main vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M, Super Junior K.R.Y.
Instruments: Piano
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor
Twitter: @ryeong9
Hobbies: Singing, composing
Random fact: Ryeowook likes cooking, and often takes care of his hyungs by cooking for them. He’s the third youngest member of Super Junior (second youngest of the active members).

Birth name: Lee Donghae
Birthday: 1986/10/15
Height: 175cm
Weight: 60kg
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian
Position: Sub vocal, rapper
Subgroups: Super Junior M
Instruments: Piano, guitar
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor
Twitter: @donghae851015
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/dhharu1015
Hobbies: Dancing, exercising, singing, watching movies
Random fact: Known as the second best dancer in Super Junior, after Eunhyuk. A few years back, Kyuhyun used to claim that Donghae tries to destroy the stage – he put so much energy in his dance mov

Birth name: Choi Siwon
Birthday: 1986/04/07
Height: 183cm
Weight: 65kg
Blood type: B
Religion: Christian
Position: Sub vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M
Instruments: Piano, drums
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, model
Twitter: @siwon407
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, exercising, taekwondo, Chinese, playing drums
Random fact: Siwon is the most religious member of Super Junior. He’s very conservative, which might make people think he’s an old man.

Birth name: Lee Hyukjae
Birthday: 1986/04/04
Height: 176cm
Weight: 58kg
Blood type: O
Religion: Christian
Position: Rapper, Sub vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M, Super Junior H, Super Junior T
Instruments: Piano
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, DJ, MC
Twitter: @AllRiseSilver
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/allrise0404
Hobbies: Playing the piano, composing, listening to music, singing
Random fact: Eunhyuk once gave a special birthday gift for Leeteuk – he recorded a song for Leeteuk, and had it played on Sukira – Kiss the Radio.

Birth name: Lee Sungmin
Birthday: 1986/01/01
Height: 175cm
Weight: 57kg
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian
Position: Main vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M, Super Junior H, Super Junior T
Instruments: Guitar, piano, bass guitar, drums.
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, DJ, MC
Twitter: @imSMl
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/HaveANoTime
Hobbies: Chinese martial arts, acting, watching movies, playing various instruments
Random fact: Sungmin is often considered to be the cutest member in Super Junior. He has said that his cuteness is natural, and that he can’t do aegyo when he’s asked to do it.

Birth name: Shin Donghee
Birthday: 1985/09/28
Height: 173cm
Weight: 90kg
Blood type: O
Religion: Christian
Position: Rapper
Subgroups: Super Junior H, Super Junior T
Instruments: Guitar, piano
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, DJ, MC
Twitter: @shinsfriends
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SDLNR
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/superjrsd
Hobbies: Making facial expressions and jokes, dancing
Random fact: Sometimes when Donghae borrows Shindong’s clothes and uses them as a blanket, Shindong feels resentful. Usually he is the mood maker among the Super Junior members.

Birth name: Kim Youngwoon
Birthday: 1985/01/17
Height: 180cm
Weight: 70kg
Blood type: O
Religion: Christian
Position: Sub vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior H, Super Junior T
Instruments: Guitar, piano, bass guitar
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, TV-show host, DJ, MC
Twitter: @himsenkangin
Hobbies: Acting, singing, exercising, swimming and watching movies
Random fact: Kangin auditioned to become an actor but was placed in various project groups, such as Four Seasons together with Heechul and TVXQ’s Jaejoong and Yunho. Two years after Jaejoong and Yunho deputed in TVXQ, Heechul and Kangin debuted in Super Junior 05.

Birth name: Kim Jongwoon
Birthday: 1984/08/24
Height: 178cm
Weight: 64kg
Blood type: AB
Religion: Catholic
Position: Lead vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior H, Super Junior KRY
Instruments: Piano
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, DJ
Twitter: @shfly3424
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/ys1106ys
Hobbies: Singing, listening to music, exercising
Random fact: Although Yesung does not seem to be too active on variety shows, it’s usually since they had to cut off his parts since he talks too much. Once Yesung talked for 2 hours on a filming of a variety show, and 90% of his part had to be cut off and was not broadcasted.

Birth name: Han Geng
Birthday: 1984/02/09
Height: 181cm
Weight: 66kg
Blood type: B
Religion: Atheist
Position: Sub-vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior M
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/superhangeng
www.cyworld.com.cn/hangeng
Hobbies: Ballet, martial arts
Random fact: Hankyung retired from Super Junior due to unfair terms in his contract with SM Entertainment, and is now doing his solo activities in China.

Birth name: Kim Heechul
Birthday: 1983/07/10
Height: 179cm
Weight: 60kg
Blood type: AB
Religion: Atheist
Position: Sub-leader, rapper, sub-vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior T
Instruments: Piano, drums
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, TV-show host, MC, DJ, model
Twitter: @heedictator
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/yuri9doo
Hobbies: Writing poems and fairy tales, computer games
Random fact: Donghae (though younger than Heechul) is the only member of Super Junior who is allowed to address Heechul informally, and that’s because Heechul finds him cute. Heechul himself talks formally to young kids!

~Heechul is currently enlisted to the military~

Birth name: Park Jungsoo
Birthday: 1983/07/01
Height: 178cm
Weight: 58kg
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian
Position: Leader, sub-vocal
Subgroups: Super Junior H, Super Junior T
Instruments: Piano, guitar, beatboxing
Occupations: Singer, dancer, actor, TV-show host, MC, DJ
Twitter: @special1004
Cyworld: www.cyworld.com/jsplus
Hobbies: Piano, composition, listening to music, singing
Random fact: This year on April fool’s day Leeteuk had to reveal his real phone number on Twitter. He had previously revealed his number excluding the four last numbers. ELFs then assumed the missing numbers were 1004 as in his twitter account, and Leeteuk had to reveal his real number in order to get the fans stop calling the citizen whose number was the number fans thought was Leeteuk’s.