God: Boyband in Korea

god Is Dead

The Korean boy band god --

pronounced G-O-D, for
groove over dose -- is no
more. The group, which
captured the hearts of well
nigh the entire country after
their debut in 1999, at a
press conference on
Wednesday morning said
their upcoming concert series
"The Last" will, as the name
suggests, be their last, as will
their most recent album "Into
the Sky", their seventh.

The five-member group consisting of Kim Tae-woo, Danny Ahn, Park Joon-hyung, Son
Ho-young and Yoon Kye-sang has been plagued by rumors of an impending break-up
since the end of 2003. After member Yoon Kye-sang left for Korea's mandatory military
service in November last year, the band kept on performing, but last May another
member, Son Ho-young, caused controversy when it was thought he would try to use
his dual citizenship to dodge the draft. However, Son later announced he will serve. Kim
Tae-woo, who passed his medical with flying colors, announced he intends to join up in
the same group as band-mate Son, making it
impossible for the band to go on.

On Oct. 28, god will release their seventh and final

album and hold a series of 20 concerts from Nov. 10 to
Dec. 11, four times a week from Thursday to Sunday,
at Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park. “The fact that all
our members are heading off for the Army is definitely
the biggest reason that we can't continue, but we also
felt that we all just needed a break because we have
been running nonstop since our debut,” the group said.
“We do not want to use the word ‘break up.’ Even
though we can't say when, someday we will get
together again to play music.”

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200510/200510120007.html
Vocabulary

“The five-member group consisting of Kim Tae-woo, Danny Ahn, Park Joon-hyung, Son
Ho-young and Yoon Kye-sang has been plagued by rumors of an impending break-up
since the end of 2003.”

plagued: 성가신

To pester or annoy persistently or incessantly.

impending: 절박한, 박두한

To be about to occur; about to happen

“After member Yoon Kye-sang left for Korea's mandatory

military service in November last year …”

mandatory: 강제적인, 의무적인, 필수적, 의무적

obligatory; compulsory; required

Use of expressions

“The Korean boy band god -- pronounced G-O-D, for groove over dose -- is no more.
The group, which captured the hearts of well nigh the entire country”

captured the hearts: has won people over;

obtaining someone’s approval

capture: ~을 잡다, 붙잡다; ~을 점령하다, ~을

공략하다

well nigh: 거의

very nearly; almost

Complete these sentences:

god has captured my heart because _____
It takes _____ to capture my heart.
Its well nigh _____ so I need to finish what
I need to do.

“Son Ho-young, caused controversy when it

was thought he would try to use his dual
citizenship to dodge the draft

dodge: 피하다, 모면하다

to elude or evade

Complete these sentences:

It’s good that I was able to dodge the ____ or else I would be _____.

Discussion questions

1. Are you familiar with the boyband god? When did you hear about them?
2. Do you like them? Why or why not?
3. Who do you like best? Explain. Who do you like least? Explain.
4. Would you say that god is very popular in Korea? Why do you think is this the
case?
5. Does god have any other rival bands in Korea? What are their names? How do
they differ from g.o.d.? Do you know the bands tvxq and hot? Which band do you
prefer best?

6. Describe the type of music that god performs. Do you like this
type of music?
7. What do you think is the quality that sets god apart from other boy bands in
Korea?
8. Do you think that their good looks contribute to their popularity?
Do you think they would still be as popular if they were not as
good looking?
9. Between talent and good looks, what do you
think should be the better criteria in looking for
an idol?
10. What do you think is the reason why they chose god as
their name in their band? How do you feel about their name?
11. Have you seen them perform live? If given a chance, would
you watch their series of concerts in the Seoul Olympic Park on
November? Explain your answer.
12. It is said that the band almost broke up
because one of their members had to go in for a
mandatory military service, what do you think
about this? Do you know anyone (a friend or a member of the
family) who was also asked to go into a mandatory military
service? How do you feel about this?
13. How do you feel about god
getting back together and making
music again?
14. If you were to come up with
your own band, what would be the
name of your band? What instrument
would you play? What kind of music
would you make?
15. Compare the boy bands in the
States and in Korea. How different are
they? What are their similarities?

Lesson prepared by Teacher Myra