What I foresaw and foresee

Kim Doyeon, who shook the K-pop realm in late 2013 after her relationship with Infinite's Kim Myungsoo was revealed, will soon debut as an actress under NCP Company.

I was right all along (if you're impatient, click here for a shorter version.)

If you're a Woollim stan just like me, I'm sure you're aware by now that the singer Joo (real name Jung Minjoo) has just moved to Woollim from JYP. I'm looking forward to her re-debut under Woollim...and any possible 'scandal' that will follow.

I always thought that Infinite's debut in June 2010 was free of any scandal, but boy was I wrong. Around the same that Infinite debuted, rapper Tablo (real name Daniel Armand Lee) from Epik High was entangled in a high-profile scandal that raised serious doubts about whether or not Tablo was a Stanford University graduate (later the Stanford Alumni website issued an article that defended him.) It's important to note that in 2009, before Infinite's debut and said Stanford scandal broke, Tablo was a regular on "You Are My Oppa", a reality show about Infinite's journey leading to their debut. Tablo appeared on the show alongside bandmate Mithra Jin (real name Choi Jin) as mentors to the Infinite boys. It goes without saying that Epik High was under Woollim from 2008 to 2010.

The latest scandal that surrounds Woollim right now is one regarding Seo Jisoo, a member of the label's girl group Lovelyz. Long story short, Jisoo has been accused of sexually and mentally abusing her ex girlfriends (yes she's an alleged lesbian - which brings this scandal to a whole new level especially in South Korea!) The scandal broke as soon as Lovelyz debuted in November 2014 (and faced some serious competition with Red Velvet from SM who debuted a month earlier.) So far, it's said that some possible suspects have been interrogated and Jisoo herself was reportedly severely depressed because of this scandal and had to be hospitalised, and as a result she had to miss out on Lovelyz's comeback earlier this year. There have been rumours that Jisoo has actually been kicked out, but I say this is merely part of the game to keep the hype around Lovelyz afloat...

The baby maknae and all those pairings...

This is the video that first got me into Infinite. I fell in love with Lee Sungjong almost right away (despite the fact that he's ten years younger than me and yes, I'm waiting for him to jump out of the closet), but I was reluctant to get to know Infinite. I watched his clips from an array of variety shows such as Sesame Player, and until I felt I was ready to introduce myself to Infinite. I browsed Infinite reviews, stumbled on one about "The Chaser" and the rest is history...

I find it unique that K-pop fans readily accept the PDA's between Sungjong and Infinite second maknae Kim Myungsoo, better known as L. L and Sungjong publicly hug each other from the back, caress each other's hair on stage and fans seem to like that. They nickname the pair "Myungjong" (Korean fans name them "LSung") and create Facebook and Tumblr fanpages for them. I really would like to learn why fans' approval of MyungJong flourishes while it is still hard for South Korea to accept homosexuality. Meanwhile L and SungJong continue with their PDA's, and it turns out that fans now are pairing Kim Sunggyu and Nam Woohyun, also from Infinite, since Sunggyu appeared solo on an episode of Mnet's Jjang where he mentioned Woohyun every five minutes...

Oh, in case you're wondering what song Sungjong is singing in the video, it's a cover of "Adult Ceremony" by Park Jiyoon, which was released in 2000. Funny that such a raunchy song was released when Jiyoon was only 18, and while the whole world might think she was legal already, she wasn't. The legal age in South Korea at the time was 20, and only this year it's been lowered to 19.

Raving on Infinite - part 1

Hi everyone!

A lot has happened since I last blogged. I've added another hat in addition to teaching, that of the President University International Collaborations Office staff member. Right now we're working on a student exchange program MOU with Webster University, USA. Hopefully this goes swimmingly.

It's so hard to squeeze in time to blog lately!

I'm sooo in love with Korean boyband Infinite at the moment. Yes, I'm a new Inspirit, converted about a month ago. My favourites are the leader, Kim Sunggyu, and the maknae Lee Sungjong, but basically I like all seven members. I'm also in love with Kim Sunggyu's mini solo album "Another Me", which is deemed by many as a failure because it's only sold roughly 100,000 copies since its release in late 2012.

The fact that Sunggyu is a fellow Taurean wins him a soft spot in my heart. He's nicknamed Grandpa Gyu because he nags his dongsaengs a lot, disciplines them military style, gets sick easily (his skin is allergic to metal and he travels with a bagful of vitamins and medicine) and wears cardigans a lot. People make fun of this, the size of his eyes and the low sale of his solo album. Sunggyu always defends "Another Me" as a classic, since he poured his heart into it and worked with his long-time inspiration, Korean rock band Nell, for the album. And indeed it's a classic since all the songs show a more mature side of Gyu, with a bit of a rock touch which sees the 24-year-old going back to his rock roots (Gyu fronted to a rock band called "Beat" back in high school, and yes there's actually a video of the band performing, shot in 2008!)

I don't think Gyu cares about people making fun of him and the things he does, which is very typically Taurean. He might not be the best looking in Infinite (Kim Myungsoo, nicknamed "L", is the group's visual), the best dancer (Lee Howon, nicknamed "Hoya", holds that title), but his voice is without a doubt the best (Gyu fanatics don't call him "honey-voiced leader" for nothing.) It's that honey voice and his awesome piano skills (showcased in the solo album's opening track) that are the main selling points. Taureans rely on their talent and don't need other people's approval to keep going.

By the way, this is just the first part of my Infinite-spazzing...I'm awkward about the term "spazzing" - is it the word kids use nowadays to describe raving about their idols? Whatever it is, there will be more Infinite entries coming soon - a treat to fellow Inspirits!