Alone...

many people from bts fandom insulted Minwoo (their oppas’ sunbae & model) with real harsh & degrading comments,, I don’t know what to say ..

Is this the trust we have in our members?!!  is this how other fandoms treat the kpop legend that their oppas respect & look up to?!!

those people didn’t even wait to see if the allegations were right or wait for some confirmations .. no, they already made their judgments and the mistrustful & insulting comments were already posted upon the news release ..

disgusting .. 

thank you to the grown mentalities, mature people who believed in our Shinhwa member & posted positive comments about Minwoo,, trusting that he nor any Shinhwa member can do something like that .. 

before you make a judgement, just wait till confirmations or official statements are released, & till then, show your support to your oppa ..

21+ years in the industry & the scandals Shinhwa had was just things like gambling .. you think after all those years with them holding the record in Korea & worldwide being the legend of Kpop & the longest-running band, you think they could easily do such thing that could destroy their career?! you think after all those years knowing the members, think that any of them could do something disgusting like this?!!

Shinhwa maknae

‘7-year Jinx’ or ‘7-year Curse’ is the term now all K-pop fans know. However, while this expression is familiar, it is uncomfortable at the same time. This is because most idol groups that reach the end of contract duration have naturally disbanded as most agencies follow the Fair Trade Commission’s standard of 7-year maximum for contract duration.

However, not all idol groups are like that. As the influence of K-pop has been growing recently, there are groups that survive for more than 7 years.

Debut in 2014, global idol group GOT7 was positive about renewing its contract in an interview for their mini album ‘Spinning Top’. In the interview, Jinyoung from GOT7 said “Now the ‘7-Year Curse’ is gone right? We never thought of going separate way even once.”

If that is the case, how is the status of idol groups that debuted in the early 2010s which now have reached their 10th year this year? SportsQ tried to look at their current status.  # ‘The Idol of Idols’ - How To Survive Like Shinhwa?

As if it feels like 10th year idol groups are hard to come by, there is a group that has been maintaining the team and performing for twice more the years.

Shinhwa, the boy idol group that SM Entertainment created in 1998 has been writing ‘legend’ in the music industry even till today. Their lifespan has exceeded 7000 days and they will reach 8000 days since debut next year.

Whenever idol members receive questions from reporters during showcases or interviews regarding performance duration, the senior group that they always mention like a ‘macro answer’ (t/n: auto-like answer) is ‘Shinhwa.’

Consisting of 6 members, the 22-year-old male idol group Shinhwa has been active since debut without a member withdrawal or substitution. Along with group’s activities, Eric and Kim Dong-wan have established their own successful acting career. Jun Jin and Andy have become more prominent and get closer to the public through big and small variety shows. Lee Min-woo, who is in charge of production, and Shin Hye-sung, the main vocalist, have continued their individual activities with their musical talents.

Unlike recent idol members, who appeal to certain generations, Shinhwa has been receiving love and attention from a wide range of audience as they continue to expand their range of activities. So, what is Shinhwa’s secret of longevity according to the people who are close to them?

An official from Shinhwa, Mr. J, responded with a smile to the reporter’s ‘obvious question’ by saying “Reporters always ask about Shinhwa’s secret of longevity whenever there is news about disbandment of idol groups.” The official also shared, “It is not true that there are fewer conflicts in Shinhwa. According to the members, they have had many fights and conflict of opinions but they said ‘How to resolve and make up after conflicts are important.’  They always have acknowledgement and trust among one another even if they don’t need to express or say anything.”

Just like Mr. J’s comments, fans also pointed out that Shinhwa has had quite a numbers of disbandment crises. The first crisis happened in 2003 when the contract with SM Entertainment came to an end. However Shinhwa unitedly got together and moved to a new company (Good Ent.).  In the following year, 2004, they won Daesang for their title song from the 7th official album ‘Brand New’.

As the management was de-listed in 2011, Shinhwa experienced another disbandment crisis. However they continue on and established their own company, Shinhwa Company. Until now Shinhwa has been loved steadily due to their policy of prioritizing group’s activities while respecting individual activities.

The Shinhwa’s official, Mr. J, also said, “With Eric as the group’s leader, Shinhwa is a team that values the opinions of individual members. Eric does not talk a lot but he pays attention to the members’ stories and respects their individual thoughts. Other members contribute their own opinions and ideas but they tend to prioritize and follow leader Eric’s opinion at crucial moments.”

He explained “Lastly, the most important thing is that all members prioritize group’s activities first. They like to say that the 6 of them always fight with one another but they make up with mutual empathy, trust, and thoughtfulness without holding onto any hard feelings.”

At Shinhwa’s press conference for their 20th Anniversary Special Album ‘HEART’ in August last year, Kim Dong-wan expressed a light complaint saying “We are not just a group with longevity. Please look at our achievements and results.” However, the symbolism behind the time they have protected the group is more than just the numbers.

Even SMAP, a famous Japanese idol group which seemed to last forever, also disbanded after its 25th Anniversary in 2016. Isn’t it all fans’ wish for the idol members, who left strong memories like their first love, to remain idol forever? I wish to see more idol members continue to be active in the entertainment industry with good performances even if they are no longer in a group.

Stan S.E.S

Stan Shinhwa

Stan Fly to the Sky

Stan BoA

Stan TVXQ

Stan TRAX

Stan CSJH The Grace

Stan Super Junior

Stan Zhang Liyin

Stan Girls’ Generation

Stan J-Min

Stan Shinee

Stan f (x)

Stan EXO

Stan Red Velvet

Stan NCT

Stan SMROOKIES

Stan Talent

Stan Visuals

Stan Legends

OKAY?!

SM is the company that formed them, yeah. But Shinhwa’s REAL start & REAL career started after leaving sm! 5 yrs under sm vs whole 15 years & counting as themselves, Shinhwa!! so Shinhwa only belongs to Shinhwa. Talk about sm as a small beginning part of their history but NOT all their history or even a main part of it! .. “oh, look! this group is legendary, oh it debuted under sm? then let’s make it belong to sm no matter what”!!.. REALLY?!!! That legendary history of Shinhwa started AFTER they left sm! the company that wanted to disband them after the very 1st album. Shinhwa has a great talent & unbreakable friendship bonds, and that what made them who they’re today! no matter what company they started with! It’s all about Shinhwa themselves! Shinhwa is an exception to any rule.

SM gathered the 6 members, but then didn’t appreciate the masterpiece they got, coz sm’s greater attention was on HOT & SES, Shinhwa members themselves greatly contributed in their choreo & songs produced under sm, the agency that wanted to disband the group after the 1st album. SM gathered 6 boys & produced their 1st album, but when the album wasn’t a big success, hence sm wanted to disband Shinhwa!! Shinhwa had talent, but their talent & potential weren’t appreciated under sm. If it weren’t for Shinhwa’s own efforts, they’d have disbanded like what sm wanted them to. Shinhwa approached songwriters & choreographers themselves so they could produce their 2nd album T.O.P & not disband like what sm wanted them to do. And right after 5 yrs when the contract ended, sm wanted to disband the group again, but Shinhwa refused & fought everyone & everything just to stay together. 2004 was the REAL start of Shinhwa afterwards!! no slavery contracts or schedules, no ‘beating’ .. No one can imagine the hardships those bunch of young men went through or the sacrifices they made just to stay together, even when they were under sm. NEVER make such effort belong to anyone else other than Shinhwa! SHINHWA IS AN EXCEPTION! Like how they called their 1st album with their new agency after leaving sm, ‘BRAND NEW’! that was a real brand new start with Shinhwa, a brand new start that got them their first DAESANG award away from sm.

& for 12 years after leaving sm in 2003, Shinhwa never gave up & fought in courts & lawsuits with the troubles sm put them into (thank you sm!!) until they finally became totally free from all those hardships in 2015. 

We can’t neglect a loooong legendary history of Shinhwa that they achieved themselves & make it like it belong to sm just because they debuted under sm!!  NO! Shinhwa started their legendary history right after leaving SM. With the members’ distinguishable talent & friendship bonds, they could’ve succeeded by themselves no matter what agency they debuted with, and that’s what they did & proved they could!. When you wanna make Shinhwa belong to any agency, make it belong to SHINHWA COMPANY. Even if ShinCom officially started in 2011, but it started earlier than that, in 2007 Leader Eric mentioned it, & even before that, as I said above, Shinhwa worked on their own songs under sm as if it was their own company because little attention was paid to them & they had to fight for their dreams,

If Shinhwa disbanded in 2003 under sm, they could’ve been like any other group & wouldn’t have that much talk about them, & they didn’t even win big awards under sm. 

Again! Shinhwa themselves built their own legendary career no matter what agency they debuted with.

So, when Shinhwa achieves a legendary history, DON’T MAKE IT belong to SOMEONE ELSE OTHER THAN THEM! AND Don’t put them in such lists as if they’re legendary coz of that agency!! lol!!  SHINHWA BELONGS TO SHINHWA & NO one else. Shinhwa’s real legend started in 2004.

I’m really tired of others’ attempts of calling Shinhwa sm just coz that group achieved a legendary history that no one else could. 

Everyone can start a masterpiece, but few who could appreciate this masterpiece & make it shine. NOT make every effort to take it down & let it fight for its dream. When this masterpiece succeed & achieve its dream, the least we could do is not make their success belong to anyone else other than them.

everyone can reach the top, but few who could maintain being at the top.

I recommend everyone to read about Shinhwa history. 

Song : Super Power

Artist : Shinhwa

tvN’s ‘Reveal the List’ which introduces all the aspect of celebrities with fun ranking. They revealed the list of stars who became the ‘Variety Show Gods.’  Let’s see who showed the different side of them out of their normal images through the variety shows.

Top 5:

Ranked 1st in the Variety Gods was ‘Eric’. Eric, the leader and rapper of group Shinhwa, broadened his range as an actor and got casted in a variety show that showed off his hidden cooking skills.

‘Song Minho’ is the 2nd rank. He is the rapper of group Winner but he showed his goofy side in variety shows.

Third in the rank was ‘Chae Jung-an’. She was often seen as the innocent lady but she turned into a strong, fun sister in variety shows.

Number 4th in the rank is ‘Min Kyung-hoon’. From being known as pretty lead singer in a band (Buzz), he now becomes a humanist variety show man.

‘Kim Jisuk’ is number 5 on the list. He grew to a lead actor after showing himself as a smart guy in variety shows.

and Kim Ji Suk!! I loved him in Another Miss Oh! he & Eric formed a great pairing. I’m dying to see them together again ♥

Eric & Kim JiSukieee ♥♥ I’m even happy to see them together in the same article!! :D