Friday, August 1, 2008

K-pop Stars Go Overseas
As record sales continue to drop, it is no wonder why Korean pop stars are increasingly going overseas to find new markets for their music. Male pop stars Rain and Se7en, as well as female singers Lim Jeong-hee, Min, G-Soul and Yangpa are preparing to debut in the U.S. Super Junior and Fly to the Sky are holding overseas concerts, while Big Bang and SG Wannabe are making their debut in Japan this year. Boa and TVXQ, known as Tohoshinki in Japan, have concentrated on activities in Japan last year. BoA is one of the most popular J-pop singers, while Tohoshinki is attracting many Japanese fans. According to Japan's Oricon charts 2007 year-end rankings, Boa's album ``Made in Twenty'' ranked 31, selling 340,093 copies. Tohoshinki's album ``Five in the Black'' sold 37,686 copies in Japan (ranked 294). Both albums are also available in Korea. Tohoshinki's album sold 28,484 copies in Korea, while Boa's sold 17,482 copies. Because Tohoshiki's album is considered a ``foreign album,'' it was the second best-selling foreign album in Korea in 2007.

No comments: