2023년 8월 1일 화요일

World Scout Jamboree kicks off in Saemangeum

 

World Scout Jamboree kicks off in Saemangeum

Over 43,000 participants gather on reclaimed land for 1st post-pandemic event

Scouts take picture with the 25th World Scout Jamboree mascot Saebeomi at Incheon Airport, Monday. (Jamboree Committee)
Scouts take picture with the 25th World Scout Jamboree mascot Saebeomi at Incheon Airport, Monday. (Jamboree Committee)

World Scout Jamboree, the world's largest youth camping festival hosted by South Korea this year, on Tuesday brought together young adventurers from 159 countries to the reclaimed Saemangeum in North Jeolla Province.

The World Scout Jamboree runs until Aug. 12 on the reclaimed area, which is three times the area of Yeouido, at 8.84 square kilometers. The event is attended by more than 30,000 teens aged 14 to 17, 3,496 adult leaders and 9,709 staffers. This is the first global scouting event taking place after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Held every four years by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the festival is being held again in Korea after its first in Goseong, Gangwon Province, in 1991. Korea is the sixth country in the world to hold the jamboree at least twice.

Scouts stay in 22,000 tents for nearly two weeks and participate in various physical training and cultural exchange programs. A total of 174 activities will take place, including traditional scouting programs such as lighting fires, making rafts and rock climbing. Programs that introduce the host country Korea, such as K-pop dance lessons, taekwondo and traditional Korean craft experiences, will also be on offer.

Also called the "Youth Culture Olympics," there will be exhibitions and experience programs to promote better understanding of other countries. A Food House where participants can experience dietary cultures of 20 countries and nine religion halls have been set up.

A drone show in which 500 drones create a portrait of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the worldwide scout movement, was one of the highlights for the opening ceremony Wednesday. British adventurer Bear Grylls, the UK Scout Association's chief scout, and Polish President Andrzej Duda were also expected to visit Saemangeum on the day. Poland is the next host country of the World Scout Jamboree.

On Sunday, dubbed "Cultural Exchange Day," a K-pop concert featuring 11 K-pop groups, including Ive and StayC, will be held. At the closing ceremony on Aug. 11, the scout flag will be delivered to Poland representatives, marking the end of the two-week international event.

With tens of thousands expected to descend on the site, the Jamboree Committee is running a monitoring room to manage patients and prevent crowded accidents. A temporary fire station and police station have also been set up. To cope with any adverse weather events and flooding, 100,000 plastic panels had been prepared underneath the tents.

To keep participants cool in the sweltering heat, a total of 1,720 shelters, 7.2-kilometer-long vine tunnels and 57 fog spraying facilities have been set up throughout the Jamboree territory. In case of typhoons or heavy rain, the Jamboree Committee is prepared to evacuate participants to 342 places, including nearby schools and gymnasiums.

Due to the heat wave, some participants have already reported symptoms of heatstroke and other heat-related diseases. According to the Jeonbuk Fire Department, 11 participants -- six women and five men -- from Sweden and England showed symptoms of heatstroke, high fever and dehydration as of 6 a.m. on Tuesday and were taken to the Jamboree Hospital. The 11 have all been discharged.

"As it is the first large-scale youth international event to be held after the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to deliver a message of overcoming frustration and pain and developing resilience to draw dreams of hope. We will operate the event without a hitch so that all teenage participants can enjoy and learn as much as they want," said Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the Jamboree Committee.



By Lee Jung-youn (jy@heraldcorp.com)

2023년 4월 6일 목요일

BTS Jimin becomes first K-pop soloist to top Billboard Hot 100

 BTS Jimin becomes first K-pop soloist to top Billboard Hot 100

Posted : 2023-04-04 06:17
Updated : 2023-04-05 13:13
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BTS' member Jimin / Courtesy of Big Hit Music
BTS' member Jimin / Courtesy of Big Hit Music

Jimin, a member of the K-pop superstar BTS, has made history with his single "Like Crazy" reaching the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, becoming the first South Korean solo artist to top the list.

"Jimin's "Like Crazy" blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking his first leader ― and the first for a member of superstar South Korean pop group BTS. He is also the first South Korean solo artist to lead the list," Billboard said Monday (U.S. local time) on social media.

Previously, BTS was the only K-pop act to top the chart.

The group has six top-charting songs, from "Dynamite" (2020) to "My Universe" (2021), a collaboration single with British rock band Coldplay.

He also became the first K-pop artist to have sat atop the chart both as a soloist and with a group.

Among K-pop soloists, Psy was the highest-charting artist before Jimin, with his global hit "Gangnam Style" staying at No. 2 for seven consecutive weeks in 2012.

BTS' member Jimin / Courtesy of Big Hit Music
Jimin of K-pop supergroup BTS/ Courtesy of Big Hit Music

"Like Crazy" sold 254,000 song downloads and CD singles combined, and drew 10 million streams and 64,000 radio airplay audience impressions in the first week of its release, according to Billboard.

The Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs of the week in the United States, measured by all-genre streaming, radio airplay and sales data.

"The sales sum for "Like Crazy" is the highest in a single week since Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" sold 328,000 (Nov. 19, 2022), sparked by seven remixes released that tracking week," it said.

"Like Crazy" also debuted at No. 1 on the digital single sales chart, where it is Jimin's third song to achieve the feat.

The song was released March 24 on his debut solo album "Face," which grabbed the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

It is a synth-pop song combining intense synth and drum sounds with his mournful timbre.

Jimin has said the song was inspired by a film of the same name that he likes.

It features the emotions of the moment when he wants to turn a blind eye to reality and stay in his dreams forever to forget hurtful memories.

On Saturday, the piece debuted at No. 8 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100. The British Official Chart is considered one of the world's two largest charts, along with the U.S. Billboard.

BTS' member Jimin / Courtesy of Big Hit Music
BTS' member Jimin / Courtesy of Big Hit Music

Jimin said he feels both "unreal" and "proud and happy" after winning his first Billboard No. 1 as a solo artist, attributing the success to the group.

"It feels so unreal that I don't know what to say," he said on Weverse, a K-pop fan community platform. "It's all thanks to BTS and ARMY (the group's fandom) that this was possible. I'm never unaware of this. I've come to realize more about how much you ARMYs have waited for BTS. I'm grateful and thank you," he said humbly. "I'm so proud to be a part of the team."

His bandmates called him or took to the platform to leave messages of congratulations.

"I'm proud of you," team leader RM was quoted as saying in his phone conversation with Jimin.

"You're so cool and I'm proud of you. I'm welling up," J-Hope wrote on Weverse.

Suga also left a message, saying, "It's great that Park Jimin is an artist sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100."

BigHit Music, the band's agency, said on the band's official Twitter page that the feat is "unbelievable" and thanked ARMYs around the world for supporting the song. (Yonhap)

BTS' Jimin tops Billboard Hot 100 as first K-pop soloist

 

BTS' Jimin tops Billboard Hot 100 as first K-pop soloist

A concept image from BTS member Jimin's first solo album
A concept image from BTS member Jimin's first solo album "Face." (Big Hit Music)

BTS member Jimin landed atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his song "Like Crazy," becoming the first K-pop solo artist to top the singles chart in history.

Jimin, the latest BTS member to debut solo, placed his song "Like Crazy" on top of the Billboard Hot 100 Main Singles chart dated April 8. "Like Crazy" is the lead track of Jimin's first solo album "Face" which was released on March 24.

This makes Jimin the first Korean soloist to grab the coveted top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Like Crazy" is the 66th song in Billboard's history, which shot to No. 1 with its chart debut.

Jimin also made history with his solo debut EP, "Face," which entered the Billboard 200 Main Albums chart at No. 2 this week, marking the highest rank reached by any K-pop solo artist.

On March 24, Jimin officially debuted solo with the six-track package "Face." Through the album, the 27-year-old singer tells his own story as he embarks on a new journey as a solo musician.

Jimin previously made his solo debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Set Me Free Pt. 2," another song from "Face," which had placed at No. 30 on the Billboard Singles chart last week. "Set Me Free Pt. 2" was pre-released ahead of the album on March 17.

BTS member Jimin's solo song "Like Crazy" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart (dated April 8). (Billboard's Twitter)

Jimin's group BTS holds the most No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Marking the group's historic first No. 1 on the chart was its mega-hit "Dynamite" in 2020. It then went on to place first with three more songs, "Life Goes On," "Butter" and "Permission to Dance." It also placed first with two songs in collaboration with other artists, "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) (BTS Remix)" and "My Universe."

Jimin is the only artist from Korea to land atop the Billboard Hot 100 both as a soloist and as part of a group.

Upon his solo debut with "Face," Jimin has been making history in global music charts. "Like Crazy" arrived on the UK's Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 8, reaching the highest spot by any Korean soloist in history.

In Japan, "Face" swept the top spots on Oricon's three weekly charts -- the Weekly Digital Album Ranking, the Weekly Album Ranking and the Weekly Total Album Ranking -- making Jimin the first solo artist to accomplish such a feat this year.

Locally, "Face" became the first album from a solo artist to win the million-seller title on its first day. According to domestic music sales tracker Hanteo Chart's data, the EP racked up 1.02 million copies on its first day, and went onto sell a record-breaking 1.45 million copies in the first week of release.

Jimin is the fourth member from the seven-piece group to make a solo debut.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

2022년 10월 17일 월요일

Why did BTS decide to fulfill military service?

 Why did BTS decide to fulfill military service?

Posted : 2022-10-17 19:50
Updated : 2022-10-17 21:0
K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of Hybe
K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of Hybe

The music industry sees K-pop superstar BTS' abrupt decision Monday to fulfill its members' military duty was aimed at keeping the group's promise to society and drawing a big picture to become a long-running group.

Regarding the military service issue, the members of BTS have maintained the position that they will voluntarily go to the military when the time comes.

During a press conference to mark the release of the group's fourth full-length album in February 2020, Jin said, "I think military service is a duty as a Korean citizen, and I will respond at any time if the country calls."

He made a similar response when asked by a U.S. broadcaster about a year earlier, saying he and his bandmates are ready to run and do their best when are called by the state.

Another member, Suga, briefly touched on the topic of the band's military service in "What Do You Think?," a track off his unofficial solo mixtape released in May 2020. The lyrics he wrote for the song go: "Woo woo, we'll be sure to go to the military when it's time, so all the bastards who tried to sell our name to freeload off us, shut up."

The group appears to have suffered from "lack of clarity" over its future path, as the K-pop industry voiced the need to allow globally recognized pop artists to do alternative military service and some lawmakers supported it, regardless of the group's intention to fulfill the duty.

Hybe, the parent company of BTS' label Big Hit Music, also delivered such an atmosphere among the BTS members during a press conference held in Las Vegas in April this year.

The company urged the National Assembly to come to a decision soon, saying the BTS members are suffering from the lack of clarity, as bills that would grant exemptions from active military duty to globally recognized male pop culture artists, like BTS, were stilling pending at the parliament.


In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. But the current law allows global award-winning athletes and classical musicians recommended by the minister of culture, sports and tourism to do alternative services in their respective fields instead of serving in active military duty.

K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of Hybe
BTS member Jin / Yonhap

Experts view BTS could have felt much pressure and burden over the situation that their military service became a nationwide issue of debate.

In a public survey of 1,018 adults nationwide by pollster Realmeter, 60.9 percent of the respondents answered that they support the bills calling for including pop artists in the exemption program, whereas 34.3 percent were against them.

Lawmakers remained divided over the issue during a parliamentary audit into government offices dealing with military affairs earlier this month.

However, Jin made the decision to carry out his military duty as he promised, regardless of the ongoing debate. He appears to have judged that the time right after the band's recent concert in the southeastern port city of Busan, which he said was the last BTS concert scheduled for now, would be the best to announce the decision.

Some others say the band has reached the decision as part of its bigger picture to become a long-running group.

During the Busan concert Saturday, Jimin unveiled his desire for making it a long-running group by saying: "There are countless memories that we share with you (Armies). We should go 30 or 40 more years together."

Members probably thought fulfilling military duty as early as possible is the short cut to achieving that goal.

Ranging from Jin, born in 1992, to the youngest member Jungkook, born in 1997, the members of BTS have age gaps of up to five years, so the members can go to the military at all different times and take a while for all members to finish the service.

BTS' decision to fulfill the military service provides its members with a chance to expose their musical talents as solo artists.

The group announced in a YouTube video in June that they will focus on their solo careers rather than formal group activities. The announcement was followed by J-Hope's release of his solo debut album in July.

Jin made a surprise announcement during the Busan concert that he will be the next member to make a solo debut. The remaining members ― RM, Jimin, V, Jungkook and Suga ― are also expected to focus on their individual projects for the time being. (Yonhap)


https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/10/732_338067.html?utm_source=CU