It seems as though a newborn baby is growing up and experiencing adulthood.Jung Yun-ho
(To junior idol groups) the 20th anniversary will not come easily.Shim Chang-min
On Dec. 26, laughter filled the venue at Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, as two TVXQ members engaged in a lighthearted retrospective session. On this day, they held a press conference to unveil their 20th-anniversary commemorative album and 9th album, ‘20&2,’ marking their return after a five-year hiatus. A 20th-anniversary concert is scheduled at INSPIRE Arena in Incheon on Dec. 30 and 31.
Debuting with the song ‘Hug’ on December 26, 2003, TVXQ quickly gained immense popularity. In 2009, three members (Kim Jae-joong, Kim Jun-su, Park Yoo-chun) departed, and the group currently operates as a duo. Originally a five-member group, their name, meaning ‘Rising Gods of the East,’ coupled with exceptional looks, flawless choreography, and songs combining acapella harmonies, led to winning numerous year-end music awards in Korea seven times.
Their distinctive stage names (Hero Jaejoong, U-Know Yunho, Micky Yoochun, Xiah Junsu, and Max Changmin) also contributed to their popularity. They were known for playful content, including lyrics from their debut song, saying, ‘I want to be the bed in your room for just one day.’ Yunho chuckled, saying, ‘Honestly, the lyrics were cringey back then, but thanks to ‘Hug,’ TVXQ exists as it is today.’
TVXQ is recognized as a key player in igniting the early Korean Wave in Japan. The year 2002 is often considered the starting point of the Hallyu phenomenon with the Japanese expansion of the drama ‘Winter Sonata.’ In the same year, singer BoA achieved the first-place position on the Oricon chart as the initial Korean artist to do so. However, the majority of Hallyu fans at that time were primarily women in their 40s and 50s who admired Bae Yong-joon, the lead actor of ‘Winter Sonata.’
In 2005, TVXQ entered the Japanese market, significantly broadening the age range of Hallyu fans to include the current demographic of 10 to 20-year-olds. They became the first Korean boy group to achieve widespread popularity in places like Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo, now a hub for young Hallyu fans in Japan. In 2011, during the launch of the Hallyu weekly magazine ‘Korea Fun’ by the Japanese entertainment magazine Sankei Sports, TVXQ was featured on the cover. Despite strained relations between South Korea and Japan, including then-President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Dokdo, TVXQ’s popularity remained undiminished.
They achieved numerous records, such as being the first foreign artists to hold consecutive concerts at the Tokyo Dome for four years (2012-2015) and Nissan Stadium in 2013. In 2013, they also surpassed 10 million cumulative album sales in both Korea and Japan, setting a milestone for K-pop. Yunho said, ‘In 2018, at Nissan Stadium, we set a record as the first foreign artists to surpass one million attendees on a single tour.’ He added, ‘I still vividly remember fans inside the concert venue holding slogans that read ‘We will always be here for you.’”
TVXQ has navigated numerous challenges over 20 years. In 2009, three members filed a lawsuit against their agency SM Entertainment, citing a ‘long-term slave contract.’ This incident, resulting in their departure, has been repeatedly cited as a reference point whenever disputes over exclusive contracts arise in the Korean entertainment industry. In response, the government introduced a mandatory system the following year requiring domestic entertainment companies to use a ‘7-year limit’ standard contract.
Following their departure, the members formed the group JYJ. However, in 2019, member Yoo-chun, who had been engaged, was expelled from the entertainment industry after being caught in a scandal involving drug use. This led to a halt in JYJ’s group activities. The remaining two members of TVXQ faced difficulties as well. In 2021, Yunho was embroiled in a controversy when he was found to have violated pandemic guidelines by entering an adult entertainment establishment. Despite facing challenges, they continued their group activities after a period of self-reflection.
The members, who were teenagers at the beginning of their debut, have now entered their mid-30s. Chang-min, reflecting on the early days of their debut, offered some profound advice to junior idols. He said, “It’s really not easy for an idol to have a long career spanning 20 years.” He added, “With K-pop gaining global attention these days, many idols achieve significant popularity right after debut. As a result, it’s easy for them to quickly forget gratitude towards their surroundings and diverge from their goals. I hope they don’t settle for the sweetness and become humble singers who do their best to promote K-pop even more.”
