JYJ fans show just how strong the hallyu wave can be

Last week I wrote about JYJ, how they have the largest official fan base in the world, and their contributions to the Hallyu movement. JYJ's fans put together a petition against unfair "restrictions in their music promotions and television appearances" in Korea (source allkpop) . Because SM Entertainment (the company they used to belong to) is one of the largest and most influential entertainment companies, there is no surprise that JYJ's media time decreased- whether it be that TV stations did not want to get on the wrong side of SM, or that the media giant took their own action.

The effects of the restrictions on JYJ manifested itself in multiple ways, but the one I want to highlight is the petition. The petition from the fans is not just any kind, but one that has been translated into 10 different languages (Korean is not one of them...). Though this may just be a testament to how intense the group's fans are, that this campaign has been translated into Turkish, Spanish, French among others ultimately shows how far JYJ has reached with the Hallyu movement.

Even their fans recognize the Hallyu movement and that they are a part of it. Under the Purpose of the Petition, the first sentence says, "We the international consumers of the Korean Wave [...]."

I think it's amazing that the petition was translated into so many languages. While it obviously shows that JYJ's fans are very dedicated, it's cool to think that Korean music has touched various other cultures.

From unfair contracts to the Hallyu movement

Something that has recently come up again and again is the controversy about Korean entertainment companies forcing their artists to sign unfair contracts. The most well-known would be the SM Entertainment and DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki or 동방신기) conflict. You can read about their unfair contract terms on Allkpop; however, the end result was that the group split. DBSK was internationally renowned and even has the largest official fan base in the world- making it into the Guinness World Record book. The group played an important part in the hallyu movement/the Korean wave, which is an increase of popularity South Korean culture throughout the world.

Recently, more artists, talents, actors, etc., have been taking part in the hallyu movement, going overseas to promote the Korean culture. I think that the hallyu movement is pretty cool and also very important for the Korean economy. It is also just amazing when people from other cultures (Irish, Indian, Lithuanian, etc.) come up to me and ask about a Korean artist. However, that such international artists like DBSK has split because of an unfair contract is not the way I want the world to see the Korean music industry. Granted, this issue caused a great deal of conflict, but what came after is also something worth noting.

The three who protested created a new group called JYJ and has actually come out with their first English album. In the spirit of their old group, they are continuing to expand their reach and contributing to the hallyu movement. They collaborated with Kanye West and Malik Yusef for their song Ayy Girl:  

The other two, Yunho and Changmin stuck with SM Entertainment and has just come out with a new song. Here is one of their live performances:

Before they split, they came out with Mirotic, which was a huge hit in Korea, winning them album of the year.