South Korea’s Leading Virtual K-Pop Girl Band Looks Eerily Realistic

Eternity is an A.I.-generated virtual K-pop idol group consisting of 11 members created using advanced deep-fake technology.

K-pop has really taken the world by storm in recent years, with groups like BTS and Black Pink conquering market after market with their catchy songs and energetic dance routines. The genre has become one of South Korea’s main exports, generating tens of billions in revenue, but despite its massive international success, the massive corporations behind the K-pop wave aren’t resting on their laurels. Instead, they are constantly looking for ways to stay relevant in this constantly changing industry, and artificial intelligence is apparently the next big thing. So it’s not that big of a surprise that A.I.-generated virtual K-pop groups are already a thing.

Read More »

K-pop Idol Hides His Face Behind Long Bangs for a Year, Can Barely See in Front of Him

A member of a popular South Korean K-pop group has been getting a lot of attention because of his unusual hairstyle – long bangs that completely cover the upper half his face, including his eyes.

Junji (준지) is one of the seven members of OnlyOneOf, an all-male K-pop group founded in 2019. He’s easy to identify among his band mates, as he’s the one with the face half covered by long, blonde bangs. He’s been sporting the bizarre hairstyle since January 2020, and has managed to generate quite a lot of buzz in South Korean entertainment business, because of it. Some people have been speculating that Junji is trying to conceal his looks because he wants fans to like him for more than just looks, others that he is simply not as handsome as the other six members, but the important thing is that they’ve been talking about him a lot.

Read More »

UK Man Allegedly Spends Over $150,000 on Plastic Surgery to Make Himself Look Like K-Pop Idol

Oliver Frost, aka “Oli London” has allegedly spent a small fortune on plastic surgery over the last seven years in an attempt to make himself look more like his K-pop idol.

Oli London became infatuated with K-pop icon Jimin, a member of Korean boy band BTS, the first saw he laid eyes on him in 2013, and the UK man has spent the last seven years trying to model his appearance after his idol. He was living in South Korea when he discovered BTS and like many other K-pop fans, he was “amazed by all of them”. But it was Jimin who made him want to go under the knife and drastically alter his look to match that of the K-pop icon. He’s been at it for over 7 years now, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Read More »

Chinese Boot Camp Turns Boys into “Alpha Males” to Fight Rise of K-Pop Culture

K-pop culture has been gaining popularity across the globe, but in China it is considered a decadent trend that threatens to destroy the nation’s future. To combat this menace, a former schoolteacher has founded the Real Man Training Club, a children’s boot camp that promises to turn boys into alpha males.

The Beijing-based Real Man Training Club offers members a variety of activities meant to boost their masculinity, such as American football, wrestling and boxing, as well as character-building treks through deserts and mountains. Founder Tang Haiyan leads the boys in chest beating and slogan shouting to build up their confidence, and makes them wear headbands with the words ‘Real Man’. Even their shirts and tracksuits feature English phrases like ‘Anything is Possible’ or ‘Power Leader’. All this is meant to develop the boys’ macho character to fit Tang’s perception of manliness, and make them immune to the taint of K-pop culture.

Read More »