[PLAYLIST] School Special!

Read on UnitedKpop.

It's that time once again, the new academic year is starting and students everywhere are beginning or going back to school, university or college. It can be a time of happiness, nervousness and even dread for many of us. Those of us who are now full-time workers also probably look back upon their school years with mixed feelings of warm nostalgia and perhaps, a little relief that they no longer have to endure their most hated lessons.

Whatever your age, you have probably noticed that schools serve as a popular background for many a Korean MV, drama and film. It is easy to see why this is the case - a school setting can provide the perfect backdrop for drama, first love, friendship and fighting.

To celebrate this dynamic time of year, we have decided to select a few K-Pop MVs that feature a school theme. Do you have a favourite?

[PLAYLIST] Banned K-Pop!

Read on UKP.

The banning or censoring of a song or music video in South Korea is a fairly common occurrence. These measures can be taken by particular broadcasting company or the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) for a variety of reasons.

Of course, censorship laws can vary widely from country to country - what might be seen as unsuitable for daytime broadcast in one culture can be perfectly normal for another and the respective boundary lines are forever being debated and changed. In this list, we have gathered a few examples of K-Pop songs that have been subject to banning and censorship. Some of the reasons behind these cases have been understandable, whereas some could be called downright laughable!

[PLAYLIST] Sexy K-Pop Concepts!

Read on UKP

The 'sexy concept' in K-Pop surrounded by much debate and controversy. While it is fairly common to see scantily-clad pop stars wiggling and 'twerking' away on Western television, South Korea is still trying to set up boundary lines as they walk between Eastern and Western cultures. What is acceptable and what is not in a modern industry trying to package distinctly 'Asian' content for the global market?

Still, there is that old cliché: "Sex sells" that could be considered here, and even though K-Pop is still a relative newbie to producing sexualised content for mainstream consumption, many groups have had some very successful cracks at it. It is undeniable that most of the sexy concepts belong to the girls, instead of the boys though, which raises a lot of complex points about gender differences, patriarchal societies and female beauty expectations that we cannot go into here.

In any case, whether you look forward to the sexy concepts with excitement, or if they make you blush and gasp uncontrollably, we have a selection for you here. You have been warned though, things will be getting quite risqué from now on, and the more sensitive among you should prepare for a nosebleed of epic proportions...!

[PLAYLIST] Anti-Valentine's Day K-Pop Songs!

Read on UKP

It’s that time of year again when we are inundated with messages from the media to show our respective boyfriend/girlfriend how much we love them through gifts, cards, flowers and general romantic behaviour. Yes! Valentine’s Day!

Many see this day as an opportunity to show their other halves just how much they appreciate them, something that is often forgotten during our busy day-to-day lives. Whereas others see it as another way for business corporations to empty our pockets as we are pressurised to consume more material goods to illustrate our emotions on a single day as opposed than showing it all year round through actions.

Whatever your opinion of the day, as the majority of pop songs are about love in some shape or form, we thought it would be interesting to share a playlist with songs that are completely Anti-Valentine’s! (I am not a bitter singleton, I promise. *shifty eyes*).