Super Junior
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For the professional wrestling tournament, see Best of the Super Juniors.
| Super Junior | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | SJ, SuJu |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | K-pop, R&B, dance-pop, bubblegum pop, electronica, rock, funk, electropop, trot, dance |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | S.M. Entertainment United Asia Management |
| Associated acts | SM Town Super Junior-K.R.Y Super Junior-T Super Junior-M Super Junior-Happy SM The Ballad |
| Members | |
| Leeteuk Heechul Han Geng Yesung Kangin Shindong Sungmin Eunhyuk Donghae Siwon Ryeowook Kibum Kyuhyun | |
Super Junior has released and contributed in 20 different kinds of records with varying degrees of success.[4] Over the years, they have been divided into smaller sub groups, simultaneously targeting different music industries and audiences. Largely due to Super Junior's success as entertainers, other Korean entertainment managements began to train their music groups in other areas of entertainment, such as acting and hosting.[4] In addition to their commercial success, Super Junior has earned seven music awards from the M.net Asian Music Awards, eleven from the Golden Disk Awards, and is the second singing group to win Favorite Artist Korea at the 2008 MTV Asia Awards after JTL in 2003.[5]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
[edit] Pre-debut
In 2001, the company held their first overseas casting auditions and discovered Han Geng in Beijing China, who was chosen among three thousand applicants.[6] That same year, Yesung was discovered under Seoul's casting system. Sungmin and Donghae became trainees after jointly winning the first place in Best Outward Appearance in an SM-sponsored contest. In 2002, Heechul and Kangin were recruited along with Kibum, who was discovered in Los Angeles. Siwon was recruited in 2003 and Ryeowook in 2004, in which the latter was discovered through the Chin Chin Youth Festival singing competition.[7] In 2005, Shindong was selected. The last member, Cho Kyuhyun,was then discovered after he won third place at the Chin Chin Singing Competition in 2005.Not long after boy band TVXQ's debut in 2003, news about Lee's unprecedented plans of forming another boy band quickly spread on the Internet. In early 2005, Lee confirmed the news and announced that an all-boy project group of twelve members would debut near the end of the year, promoting this singing group to be "The Gateway to Stardom of Asia."[8] Lee announced that that most members in this group were chosen because of their performing experiences as actors, MCs, models, and radio hosts prior debut. Heechul and Kibum were already established entertainers, and most of the other members had already made various kinds of appearances on television and media.[9][10][11] Highly inspired by the rotational concept of Japan's girl group Morning Musume, this group would also experience line-up changes, with new members replacing some selected members every year to keep the group constantly young and all-rounded. This concept was then newly introduced to the K-pop market.
For a while the group was rumored to be called O.V.E.R, the acronym for "Obey the Voice for Each Rhythm."[12][a] However, before the group settled with their current name, SM simply referred to them as Junior, a representation of the members' young ages when they first became SM trainees.[12] After the members' showcased their different talents to the company at a picnic, the company finalized their concept name to Super Junior. The group thereafter became officially Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior.[7]
Super Junior 05 made their pre-debut on the Korean channel Mnet on September 11, 2005.[b] At the showcase, they performed various styles of hip hop dancing. The group danced to B2K's "Take It To The Floor." Han Geng, Eunhyuk, and Donghae also performed a separate dance away from the group, dancing to Usher's "Caught Up." However, the performance did not air on television until May 16, 2006 as a segment in the Super Junior Show, the group's first television documentary.
[edit] 2005–2006: The Super Junior project
Main article: SuperJunior05 (Twins)
Super Junior 05 debuted on SBS's music program Popular Song on November 6, 2005, performing their first single, "TWINS (Knock Out)." A digital single with "TWINS (Knock Out)", "You are the one", and three additional tracks were released online on November 8. A physical CD single was scheduled to be released the following week but a more complete album, SuperJunior05 (TWINS), was released on December 6, 2005 instead. Their debut album sold 28,536 copies in the first month of release and debuted at #3 in the monthly chart of December 2005.[13][c] In that same month, they released "Show Me Your Love," a collaboration single with TVXQ. "Show Me Your Love" became the best-selling record of December 2005, selling 49,945 copies that month.[13]In February 2006, Super Junior 05 began performances for "Miracle", the second promotional single from their debut album. "Miracle" was the group's first single to peak #1 in online music charts of South Korea as well as the music charts of Thailand, drawing interest from international markets.[14] As promotions for "Miracle" came to an end, SM Entertainment began selecting new members for Super Junior's second line-up project, Super Junior 06. The company even prepared a list of chosen members that were to graduate from the group. However, no members were taken out and a thirteenth member was added instead in May 2006. The line-up project has been abandoned since then, and the group became known as just Super Junior, without the suffix "05".[15][16]
[edit] 2006–2007: Don't Don and breakthrough success
Main article: Don't Don
On May 23, 2006, SM Entertainment revealed the thirteenth member Kyuhyun, who was discovered through a singing competition in 2005. They released their single "U" online for free download on May 25, 2006 in their official website. "U" had over 400,000 downloads within five hours of release and it ultimately exceeded 1.7 million downloads, crashing the server.[17][18] The physical single of "U" with a total of three tracks was released on June 6, 2006, eventually selling over 81,000 units.[19] The single became one of Korea's most popular songs of the year, yielding #1 spots for five consecutive weeks on two of Korea's top music programs.[20] By the end of the year, Super Junior collected over seven awards in five of South Korea's top music award ceremonies, winning the title as Best New Group of 2006.Super Junior's first sub-unit, the ballad-singing trio Super Junior-K.R.Y., debuted on November 5, 2006 with a performance of Hyena theme song "The One I Love" on KBS music program Music Bank.[21] A second sub-unit arrived in February 2007 called Super Junior-T. The trot-singing group released their first single "Rokkugo" on February 23, 2007 and made a debut performance on Popular Songs two days later.[22]
Super Junior's second official album was intended for a late 2006 release, but due to several accidental setbacks, Don't Don was not released until September 20, 2007.[23][24] Within the first three days of release, offline album sales for Don't Don passed the 11,000 unit mark, debuting as #1 in all available offline charts. It finished the September monthly album sales as #1. 60,000 units were shipped by the first week of release and additional copies were printed.[25] Although Don't Don received rather bland reviews from critics, the album sold more than 160,000 copies by the end of the year, becoming the second best-selling record of 2007.[26][27][c] The album also found success in Taiwan; it broke the record for being the highest ranked Korean album on the G-music Combo Billboard Chart, surpassing the albums of TVXQ and Shinhwa. Super Junior's album also ranked above Taiwanese boy band K One, whose album debuted at #6.[28][29]
Supported by the release of Don't Don, Super Junior was nominated in seven separate categories at the 2007 M.NET/KM Music Festival that was held on November 17, 2007. Super Junior won three of those categories including "Netizen Choice Award" and "Mobile Popularity", being the biggest winner of the night. The group also won "Best Artist of the Year" (Daesang), termed by many as the highest recognition of the ceremony.[30] Super Junior collected two more awards on December 14, 2007 at the 2007 Golden Disk Awards.[31] Although defeated by SG Wannabe in winning the "Daesang", Super Junior won a "Bonsang" and the "TPL Anycall Popularity Award", which were reported as expected wins for the group by the media after the success of Don't Don.[31]
[edit] 2008–2009: Beyond Korea and Sorry, Sorry
Main article: Sorry, Sorry
On October 2, 2007, SM Entertainment announced a third Super Junior sub-unit Super Junior-M, a subgroup designated for the Chinese market.[32][33] While the creation of the subgroup created a brief controversy between the fans and the management,[e] Super Junior-M became a phenomenal success in China,[34] having the opportunity to have two sold-out concerts in Hong Kong,[35] top weekly ratings with their appearance on variety programs,[36] and becoming the idol group with the most endorsement contracts in China.[37] With the absence of almost half of the members in Korea, a fourth Super Junior sub-unit was created that same year to prevent Super Junior from disappearing in the Korean music industry. With five members from Super Junior-T and Yesung, they formed the subgroup, Super Junior-Happy. Super Junior-Happy released the EP Cooking? Cooking! on June 5, 2008, and promotions ended on September 7, lasting for four months. In November 2008, Super Junior-T returned, this time as a singing group in Japan, called SuperJunior-TxMoeyan; this group added Moeyan, a famous two-woman comedy group in Japan.[38] "ROCK&GO", a Japanese-language version of "Rokuko", debuted at #19 on the Oricon Daily Charts[39] and jumped to #2 three days later.[40]Super Junior's first major tour, Super Show, commenced on February 22, 2008 in Seoul.[41][42][43][f] The tour covered three countries and had shows on six different cities, including Bangkok, Shanghai, and Beijing.[33][42][44] From July 8 to July 9, 2008, Super Junior held their first fan meeting in Japan, at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, as a celebration for the grand opening of their official Japanese Homepage, which was launched on April 1, 2008.[45] 12,000 tickets to the fanmeeting were all sold out in several days. The group released a compiled Japan single the following day, entitled "U/TWINS", which includes the Japanese version of "U" in the limited release, to complement the event. The single peaked at #4 on Japan's Oricon Daily Chart in its first day of release, and dropped down to only four places in its second. The single broke a new record for being the first Korean single to have made within top 10 on Japan's Oricon Weekly Chart.[46] On August 2, 2008, Super Junior expanded their routes to Genting Highlands, Malaysia, being one of the top guest performers at the MTV Asia Awards 2008 along with other international performing artists such as OneRepublic and the Jabbawockeez.[5] They are the third SM artist to win Favorite Artist Korea at the MTV Asia Awards after Kangta of H.O.T and BoA, and the second musical group to win the award after JTL in 2008.[5]
Super Junior's third album, Sorry, Sorry, was released on March 12, 2009 with acclaimed reviews.[47] The title single of the album, "Sorry, Sorry" was digitally released on March 9, 2009.[48] In less than a week after preorders were announced, over 150,000 copies were pre-ordered.[49] Sorry, Sorry was their first album to debut at #1 on the Hanteo Charts, and it sold over 29,000 copies the first day, defeating Seo Taiji's record of 25,000.[1] Promotions for the album started March 13 with the performance of "Sorry, Sorry" and "Why I Like You" on Music Bank.[50] Two weeks later, "Sorry, Sorry" became the number one song of the week on the same program.[51] During the group's performance on music program Popular Songs on March 15, ratings went up to as high as 14%, the highest in recent years.[52] From March to May, "Sorry, Sorry" collected a total of ten #1 awards with consecutive wins in Korea, having the single becoming a national and international success.[53][54] After only a month of release, the album became South Korea's best-selling album of 2009. Sorry, Sorry was also a critically and commercially successful hit in other Asian countries, opting the group to become the only overseas representative for the second time at Taiwan's annual Golden Melody Awards. "Sorry, Sorry" was also #1 for a record-breaking 37 weeks in Taiwan. Sorry, Sorry was a best-selling Korean-language album in Taiwan,[55] Thailand, China, and the Philippines, in which the latter listed the album to be the first K-pop album to reach #1 in music charts from the country.[56] Super Junior won three awards in the 1st MNET Asian Music Awards - Overseas Viewers Award, Mobile Popularity Award and CGV Popularity Award despite not attending. Super Junior's Sorry, Sorry won Daesang at the 2009 Golden Disk Awards.
[edit] 2010: Bonamana
Main article: Bonamana
On May 6, 2010, the teaser for their fourth studio album, Bonamana, was released through SM Entertainment's YouTube page. The full music video of the lead single of the same name was released on May 12 and full album was released on May 13 in South Korea. The album was released by the group with only 10 members, without Han Geng who has terminated his contract with SM Entertainment, Kibum who is involved in acting career and Kangin who had enlisted himself in to the Korean army.[57] Their fourth album had also broken a personal record for the group by having over 200,000 pre-orders. On May 14, Super Junior had their comeback stage on KBS Music Bank, performing title track "미인아 (Bonamana)" and "나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom)".On May 17, 2010, music video for the song, "Victory Korea", which was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was released through SM Entertainment's YouTube page.[58] Super Junior’s World Cup song ‘Victory Korea’ set to cheer the S.Korean team in the top 16 garners interests overseas. A poll was recently done on American site ESPN for the Best World Cup Song. And there were 11 songs shortlisted for the poll including Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’, K’Nann’s ‘Wavin’ Flag’, Akon ‘Oh Akrica’ etc. And #1 on the poll is the song "Victory Korea" by Super Junior with over 90% of the poll.[59]
On June 28, 2010, Super Junior released their repackaged album with three new tracks - "No Other", "All My Heart", "A Short Journey" - and the remixed version of "Shake It Up!". "A Short Journey" was composed by Donghae and the lyrics were written by Eunhyuk. "All My Heart" was composed by Leeteuk and SJM member Henry. On July 2, 2010, Super Junior had their first live performance of "No Other" on Music Bank. The music video for "No Other" was released on July 7, 2010. According to Hanteo, the album has sold over 200,000 copies to date.[60] The album Bonamana got the 7th spot on the Billboard's World Album-Chart
Super Junior became a hot topic by making a surprise appearance in a Japanese drama. On 14 October first episode of the drama “Team Medical Dragon 3” which was broadcasted on Fuji TV, Super Junior made an appearance through the CDs and magazines which were present in the girl’s hospital room. In the drama, the girl is a fan of Super Junior, and her lines were as such: Super junior is really great. They’re Korea’s best popular idol group, and I really want to meet them. On Fuji TV’s side, they said that Super Junior is gaining lots of interest in Japan, and wanted them to appear in the drama so that it could attract more attention. It can be seen that Super Junior is receiving immense popularity in Japan, once again cementing their status as the stars of Asia.
The group kicked off their third Asian tour, Super Show 3 on August 14 and 15, 2010 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul.[61] The tour also made a stop in Qingdao on August 28, 2010, Beijing on October 23, 2010, and Nanjing on November 13, 2010.[62]
On September 4, 2010, Super Junior took part in the SM Town Live '10 World Tour along with fellow SM labelmates at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This marks the first time SM Town has performed outside of Asia.[63] On September 23, 2010, Super Junior released their original soundtrack "Angel" for Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea, an omnibus drama that promotes Korea's tourism.[citation needed]. On November 22, Super Junior have been honored as National Pop Culture Icon and received Minister of Culture Awards by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at Pop Culture Art Awards for their strong role in heating up the Korean Wave. On November 24, Avex Entertainment, as well as SM Entertainment Japan, released a statement about the renewal of contracts of SM artists signed to Avex.[64]
On December 8, as the leaders of Hallyu Wave, idol group Super Junior was guested in CNN TV station’s 《Talk Asia》 program to talked about the secret of their huge popularity and their strategy for advancing into the world music industry.[65]
[edit] 2011- New Japanese Singles, Upcoming Korean Comeback
Super Junior was awarded for the Best Selling Album for two consecutive years at the 2010 Gaon Chart Awards, surpassing their labelmate Girls' Generation.[66] They also won "Must-Follow Personality" at the Mashable Awards 2010 which was held in Las Vegas. Member Yesung was the winner of 2010 Cyworld Digital Music Award OST.Super Junior has not officially done any activities in Japan. People started knowing about their name just by word of mouth, and in recent years, they are gaining popularity which is enviable by any Hallyu stars. From 18 February to 20 February 2011, Super Junior held The 3rd Asia Tour Concert Super Show 3 at the Yokohama Arena in Japan, which is a large-scale performance hall, from the first performance itself, and was able to demonstrate their ticket(-selling) power. The ticket applicants for Super Show 3 Japan were over roughly 110,000. Super Junior, the first Korean group ever with the most spectators in Japan, about 36,000 people came to watch their performance.[67] The “Super Junior Japan ‘Super Show 3’ Opening Commemorative Album” which was released on the 16th of February came in at 2nd place on Japan’s biggest music store Tower Records online sales charts. Super Junior Japan Limited Special Edition - Super Show 3 which contains a DVD came in 2nd place and the CD was in 10th place. Super Junior Japan Limited Special Edition - Super Show 3 also remains #3 spot on Oricon Daily Chart for 2 days in-a-row and #6 spot on Oricon Weekly Chart. Super Junior is receiving attention worldwide. Recently they have extended beyond Asia, gaining popularity in Slovenia, Argentina, Brazil and various other locations worldwide. In the year 2010, Peru’s Listas put up the top 30 rankings of The Sexiest Men in the World, whereby all of the members’ names appeared on the list[68] and a Slovenian newspaper also reported about their agency and album sales. Super Junior also appeared in a publication of a specialty magazine recently in Iran that contains a personal interview with all of the Super Junior members and their individual profiles, which is explained briefly in Persian.[69] According to the Korea Cultural Foundation, Super Junior is selected by Brazilian fans as the Korea best group.[70] On 26 February, Fans in Brazil were recently surveyed on RedeTV! on which K-Pop artist they would prefer to see perform in their country. The results concluded with Super Junior being the top artist of choice with 30.9% of the vote.[71] Super Junior also took the #1 spot in Arab by the question Which is your favorite boy band?.
On 24 February, Super Junior released a 3D movie from their third Asia tour, "Super Show 3 3D" in all CGV and Primus movie theaters .[72] "Super Show 3 3D" was ranked 6th in box office weekly chart and is the most watched 3D movie in Korea.[73] On March 31, Super Junior's leader, Leeteuk said during the interview that the group then-untitled fifth studio album will be released this summer. Super Junior will show off their first Japanese single album with the release of Japanese version of Bonamana, titled "Bonamana (Bijin)" (Bonamana (美人)), on June 8. Starting May 16, the song will be shown on major Japanese TV channels as the commercial song for Japanese convenience store chain Circle K Sunkus'.
[edit] Artistry
[edit] Musical style
As a whole, Super Junior has released four studio albums and one physical single, including occasional contributions to drama soundtracks. They are acclaimed for their vocal harmonization and unison as each member contributes a different position range in their music. Some members are credited for their vocal belting techniques.[g][74]Super Junior works closely with Young Jin Yoo, who has produced and arranged most of the group's promotional singles since debut. Yoo's also known for creating the renowned SMP style, a genre that includes a balanced infusion of rock, R&B, and rap, with complementing musical elements such as the electric guitar, bass, and other different percussion instruments.[75] Super Junior has prominently used this SMP style in Don't Don.[76]
Super Junior has covered a few songs in their albums. Their debut single "TWINS (Knock Out)" is a cover of Triple Eight's "Knockout," which was released in 2003. While the musical style is mostly maintained as the original, "TWINS (Knock Out)" touches closer to rap rock, with quicker rap and more emphasis on the bass. In most of their covers, the original titles are kept. Examples include Cape's "L.O.V.E" and Exile's "Believe." However, most of these covers are re-arranged to different accompaniments, such as H.O.T's "Full of Happiness".
[edit] Dance Style
Super Junior are known for doing performances that are heavily centered around their choreography, and are acclaimed for their highly synchronized dances. The group's pre-debut performance was a hip hop dance and they have also joined B-boy battles and performances throughout their career.[77]Their dance styles are widely termed as street dancing, with a majority of their choreography containing hip hop dance moves such as popping, waving, floating, and liquid dancing. Dances in the form of martial arts are widely used in their dance routines as Han Geng and Sungmin are professionally trained in that area.[78][79] Shindong was the main choreographer for "U" and for a majority of the group's other dance sequences. Eunhyuk choreographed the dance for "Boom, Boom" (Fourth Album) and also worked with the other members to create the dance choreography for "Don't Don" and "Marry U", both promotional singles for the group's second album. The dance for their hit single "Sorry, Sorry" was choreographed by Nick Bass and Trent Dickens, who has also worked with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. Nick Bass also choreographed the dance for "BONAMANA". The dance for "No Other" was choreographed by THE GEMINIZ, Rino Nakasone and Maryss From Paris. Super Junior M "Perfection" was choreographed by Misha Gabriel who had worked with other well known acts and choreographed Justin Timberlake's "Future Love Sex Show," Pussycat Dolls' "Doll Domination World Tour," "Dancing with the Stars" and more.
[edit] Discography
| Further information: Super Junior discography [edit] Studio Albums
[edit] Korean Single Albums
[edit] ToursAsia tours
[edit] April 19 accidentOn April 19, 2007, Kyuhyun, who was sitting behind the driver's seat when the accident occurred, was severely injured with a fractured hip, pneumothorax from broken ribs, and deep scratches and bruises. Kyuhyun was slipping in and out of consciousness for the next few days after the accident occurred.[80][81] Besides Kyuhyun, Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Shindong, two of their managers were also involved in the accident. The accident occurred when they were commuting back to their apartment after Kiss the Radio (SuKiRa) in Kangta's van and not their own. Leeteuk had severe scratches on his back and face, and had to receive a total of 170 stitches. Kyuhyun was discharged from hospital later on July 5, 2007, but didn't fully recover until February 2008. The other two, Eunhyuk and Shindong, suffered only minor injuries.[edit] SubgroupsSince debut, SM Entertainment has created four subgroups for Super Junior. Every member was put into different subgroups excluding Kibum, due to his busy acting schedule. The intentions of the subgroups were part of SM's strategy to not limit Super Junior's activities,[82] and the goal was to show that the group could accommodate different musical genres. However, this strategy was later challenged by critics, as it has influenced an overwhelming amount of music groups to create official and unofficial subgroups alike.[83] SM announced that Super Junior will form more subgroups in the future, and possible focuses of these subgroups include a variety of genres such as electropop, rock and hip hop.[84] Previous Super Junior subgroups will also return to the industry along with appearances of new subgroups.[84][edit] Super Junior-HappyFurther information: Super Junior-Happy [edit] Super Junior-K.R.YSuper Junior-K.R.Y, established in November 2006, is a trio formed by Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung which makes up K.R.Y.in the title of the group. The company discovered that these three members developed a particular personal and subsequent fan-base that was separate from the rest of the group, and how they also had similar musical qualities. They therefore grouped these three members together to perform particular songs to target a more mature audience. Being amongst the most vocally powerful members of the group, Super Junior-K.R.Y are credited to singing mournful, R&B-style ballads, a style that has proven very popular in recent years.Super Junior-K.R.Y's first official performance was on November 5, 2006 on KBS's Music Bank, performing "The One I Love (한 사람만을)."[85] They have participated in the original soundtrack of the tvN drama Hyena with a total of three tracks, including the main theme. The trio also contributed tracks in two additional original soundtracks, one track in both the soundtracks of Snow Flower and Billy Jean Look at Me. Unlike Super Junior's other sub-units, Super Junior-K.R.Y has not officially released a single or album, and only participated in collaboration albums and original soundtracks. However, a new album is expected from K.R.Y in the future.[84] On August 1, 2010, Super Junior’s sub-unit K.R.Y. made history by opening their own concert for the first time in Japan, and upon the fans’ request for an encore, more performances were added in Kobe on the 1st and 2 November and later on, 1 and 2 December in Fukuoka. There were about a total of 22,000 people who watched the 6 sessions of the performances. The group successfully finished their concert tour in Japan and Taiwan last year. Due to ardent requests from Korean fans wanting to see Super Junior-K.R.Y.’s concert, the group decided to also hold the concert in Korea.[86] [edit] Super Junior-MFurther information: Super Junior-M Super Junior-M was formed to target the Mandopop market and debuted in 2008 with seven members: Han Geng (leader), Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun from Super Junior, plus two Chinese members drafted in only for this sub-group: Henry (a Chinese Canadian), and Zhou Mi. In December 2009, Han Geng returned to China to pursue a solo career. In February 2011, Super Junior members Eunhyuk and Sungmin were added to the subgroup and resumed their activities with the release of EP Perfection. The eight current active members are: Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Sungmin, Zhou Mi and Henry.[edit] Super Junior-TFurther information: Super Junior-Trot [edit] Film and television careerFurther information: Super Junior filmography [edit] DebutPrior to the group's debut, the members had individually appeared in television dramas, with Leeteuk being the first member of the group to act; he was an extra as a moviegoer for the drama All About Eve in 2000. Kangin appeared as an extra for The Secret Lovers in 2002, and Siwon made a brief cameo appearance in Precious Family in 2004. Kibum had his acting debut in 2004 as young Han Jung-woo in April Kiss and in 2005, he was given the main role Joo Yeo-myung for the year-long drama Sharp 2, starring alongside Go Ara and Heechul. A few months before Super Junior's debut, Siwon starred as the young Kang Bong-man in Eighteen, Twenty-Nine; Heechul was given a role as a junior chef in Loveholic, and Sungmin starred as young Kang Dong-shin in morning drama Sisters of the Sea. After the group's debut in November 2005, both Heechul and Kibum acted in the sixth season of the sitcom Nonstop from late 2005 to early 2006. Kibum individually starred in Marrying a Millionaire as young Kim Young-hoon in 2005 and in March 2006, Heechul starred as Gong Min in Bad Family. That same year, Siwon was part of the supporting cast for Spring Waltz and Kibum starred as Ha Yeongchan in Snow Flower. In 2007, Heechul starred as Kim Young-soo in the popular drama Golden Bride, which ended its broadcast in February 2008 after the extension of 14 episodes. Siwon starred as the ambitious Lee Mong-ryong in the two-episode parody historical drama Legend of Hyang Dan, he also starred as the main character in Oh! My Lady! and Kangin made a cameo appearance in Billie Jean, Look At Me. The song "It's Just That", sung by Super Junior-K.R.Y, was used as the drama's theme song. In 2008, Kibum starred in the sitcom Chunja's Happy Events as Park Jung-woo, and Kangin had his first major television role in Romance Zero as Na Ho-tae in 2009. In August 2009, Heechul played the piano for Lee Chul for Loving You a Thousand Time.Siwon was among the first of Super Junior to have participated in silver-screen productions, appearing in the Hong Kong historical action drama film, A Battle of Wits as the supporting role of Prince Liang in 2006. In 2007, Heechul, Kangin, and Shindong lent their voices to the three chipmunks in the Korean release of Alvin and the Chipmunks.[87] In 2008, Kangin had a major role in the Korean-language film, Hello Schoolgirl.[88] As a group, Super Junior starred in Super Junior Mini-Drama, a television program hosted by the group that was released in late 2006. The group wrote, produced, and acted in the separate half-hour mini dramas. The subject matters of the dramas were chosen from viewers.[89][90] In 2008, Leeteuk and Sungmin starred in the one-episode drama act Super Junior Unbelievable Story. Both Leeteuk and Sungmin starred as themselves as a member of Super Junior-T. [edit] Reality showsDespite numerous appearances as television actors, Super Junior are still best known for their reality shows, having participated in popular reality comedies.
[edit] HostingThe Super Junior members were one of the first Korean idols to begin television presenting and radio hosting. Heechul was the first in the group to be a selected MC for the music programs Popular Songs and Show Music Tank. He was also the first in the group to host radio shows, and co-hosted Youngstreet Radio Show with ex-M.I.L.K. member Park Heebon in early 2005. Heechul has also been the MC for the Dream Concert since 2008. Leeteuk, Kangin, and Shindong made their MC debut on Mnet's music program M! Countdown five days after Super Junior's debut performance. In August 2006, both Leeteuk and Eunhyuk founded their own radio show, Super Junior Kiss the Radio, which has become one of the more tuned-in radio channels in the country.The group also founded their own reality television program, and on November 11, 2007, the premiere of Explorers of the Human Body aired on SBS. The humorous show introduced the thirteen members as regular guests for the program, answering curious questions and doing demonstrations involving the human body. Kyuhyun, who was recovering from a car accident during the first half of the show's filming, joined the show in the later episodes.[91] The show has been the highest rating program of the reality line-up every Sunday, but due to Super Junior's tight schedule, the program ended quickly with thirteen episodes on February 3, 2008. The popularity of the program had inspired producers to create a second season, although no announcements of producing the next season has been announced.[92] [edit] Acting[edit] Attack on the Pin-Up BoysMain article: Attack on the Pin-Up Boys Twelve members, excluding Kyuhyun, appeared in the group's debut film Attack on the Pin-Up Boys. The first film released by SM Pictures, it premiered on July 26, 2007 in Korea.[93] "Wonder Boy", performed by Super Junior, is used as the theme song of the film.[93] Although the film was promoted as a typical high school comedy, the movie gained positive reviews from critics, praising that the movie had a well-oriented plot unlike most idol films. However, ticket sales remained low in the premiere month despite its unexpected success in the sales the first week.[94] The film was a box-office bomb, failing to attract more than 102,600 admissions and was proven to be a big loss for SM Pictures.[95] However, both versions of the film's DVD became a best-selling record and were sold-out in both Korea and oversea markets, which was more than enough to make up for the production loss of 8.5 billion won.[95][edit] EndorsementsSuper Junior members first began endorsing for various fashion lines in early 2006, notably for Ivy Club (2006–2007), NII Qualified (2007) and Spris (2006–2007). With their high popularity in Thailand, Siwon was contracted to be the main endorser for 12 Plus Miracle (2007–present) and began endorsing its products with interchangeable Super Junior members. Currently Donghae is the brand ambassador for Maxim Colours Contact lens worldwide. The group are also known for their string of humorous commercials for Thailand's Yamaha Fino along with several other Thai entertainers, notably Golf & Mike. Super Junior were also appointed as the Goodwill ambassadors for the 2008 Korea and Thailand 50th Anniversary, honoring the good relationship Korea has held with Thailand for the past fifty years.[96] Most recently in 2009, Super Junior have filmed CFs for brands such as Kyochon Chicken , Star Snacks and Happy Bubble. They also endorse a clothing line called SPAO (2009–present). Super Junior also Spokesmodel for Donate Blood (2007–present) campaign at the Republic of Korea National Red Cross and was appointed as Goodwill ambassador for World Blood Donor Day. They also promote and endorse for Samsung’s marketing of their new smart-phone Samsung Galaxy S in Singapore.Members of sub-group Super Junior-M also starring in commercials for Chinese mobile phones branded OPPO. They also star in a new commercial show for Pepsi and endorse Chinese clothing line Semir, reflecting their huge popularity in the Chinese region. On 20 February 2010, Super Junior was named as Taiwan's tourism ambassador. On March 3, 2011, Super Junior has been appointed by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Korea as the 2011 Honorary Korean Ambassador Foods to promote Korean cuisine all over the world. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has officially invited Super Junior to host a travel show promoting Hong Kong. Recently, Super Junior was chosen as the CF model for Japan's famous convenience store company, Circle K Sunkus. Starting on May 16, the song will be shown on major Japanese TV channels as the commercial song for Japanese convenience store chain Circle K Sunkus. [97] [edit] Influence and impactDuring the course of Super Junior's career, several pop groups were formed similarly extraordinary numbers of members. JYP Entertainment recruited thirteen boys to be in a boy band, who were all revealed in the show, Hot Blood Men. Of these thirteen, eleven were split into two groups that debuted at different times: 2AM, which has four members, and 2PM, which has seven.[98] Together, the two groups form the eleven-member boy band One Day. Ast'1, a boy band under DSP Entertainment, released a promotional video in March 2008. In the short preview the boy band expressed that they would "Knock Down Super Junior",[99] which resulted in a lot of criticism lashed into the group. However, they clarified that they had no means to create conflict, and explained the reason why they want to defeat Super Junior is because they see Super Junior as their answer of success.[100]Ever Lasting Friends (commonly referred to as E.L.F) is the name of Super Junior's official fan base, with pearl sapphire blue as their official color. Although concrete statistic have not been conducted to count the number of fans, it has been observed that the group has a huge number of fans not just in Asian countries but also in other countries of the world.Like for example Puerto Rico. [edit] Awards and nominationsMain article: List of awards and nominations received by Super Junior [edit] Controversies[edit] Expansion to ChinaFor more details on this topic, see Super Junior-M. After the subgroups Super Junior-K.R.Y. and Super Junior-T, on October 2, 2007, SM Entertainment announced the birth of another Super Junior sub-unit project that would begin activities in China starting 2008. Zhou Mi and SM Entertainment's new Chinese-Canadian trainee Henry Lau, who was also featured in the music video of "Don't Don", were also members of the subgroup.[101]The announcement brought in a huge wave of dissatisfaction and opposition from fans of Super Junior after the announcement of two new members. Initially, fans were planning to boycott the company's products, however, most fans agreed on a silent protest instead. Thousands of fans from Super Junior's official fanclub E.L.F. silently sat in front of the SM building and held signs that supported the group to have only thirteen members.[102] After more rumors regarding adding a Chinese member to the subgroup, the fans decided to gain a legal representation as part of SM Entertainment's stockholders. As of March 20, 2008, Super Junior fans purchased 58,206 stocks of SM Entertainment, holding 0.3% of the company's entire stock.[103] They released a statement that they will obtain all chances to prevent SM Entertainment from adding new members and to keep Super Junior as only thirteen.[103] [edit] Conflict with MBCFor more details on this topic, see Kangin. A time-slot dispute occurred between SM Entertainment and MBC when SM insisted to have Kangin stay on SBS's Explorers of the Human Body instead of MBC's Sunday Night Dong-An Club (동안클럽) where Kangin has been a regular host. MBC temporarily banned the rest of Super Junior from appearing in any future performances and shows hosted by MBC.[104] Kangin also lost his MC jobs to T.O.P. of Big Bang for the music show, Show! Music Core and also two more variety shows, which both soon canceled after Kangin left due to low ratings.[105] MBC demanded an apology from SM Entertainment in order for Super Junior to appear on shows hosted by the channel again. However, MBC concluded that Super Junior's ban was never official, but just a decision for shows' producers to decide.[106][edit] Han Geng's lawsuitFor more details on this topic, see Han Geng. On December 21, 2009, Han Geng filed for contract termination with SM Entertainment, label company of the group. The following day, Han Geng's lawyer stated the claimed reasons behind the action: provisions were in SM Entertainment's favour, unlawful 13-year contract length, unfair sum of money to end the contract, not allowed to request to revise his contract, forced to do things that were not in his contract, forced to do things against his will, fined if he disobeyed the company, missed any events or even was late, and there was uneven profit distribution. Along with this, it was disclosed that because of SM Entertainment's refusal to give him a day off in over two years, he had developed gastritis and kidney disease.[107]Han Geng's current manager, Sun Le, also submitted a statement to the court of South Korea citing SM Entertainment's violation of Han Geng's rights.[108] Sun Le's statement contended that: Han Geng was forced to wear a mask due to company's ill handling of the visa issue, company purposely discriminated against Han Geng and his family, company refused to cooperate or listen to any of Han Geng's suggestions, company purposely turned down individual activities for Han Geng (including Ariel Lin's "Fireflies" music video, which later starred two other Super Junior members) and that the company treated Han Geng's potential endorsers poorly.[109] On December 21, 2010, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Han Geng. The court stated, “All three contracts – from the January 2003 contract, the altered contract from February 2007, and the affiliated contract from December 2007 – do not exist.” A representative of SM Entertainment said that they will file an immediate appeal to reverse the decision.[110] and have yet to release official statements regarding his status. [edit] Conflict during Expo 2010On May 26, 2010, organized by South Korea Pavilion of Expo 2010, many Korean pop stars including Super Junior were invited to the "South Korean classical and pop concert" which was planned to be launched at Expo Cultural Centre on May 30. As the tickets were not for sale to the public, visitors who want to enjoy the show could only exchange the ticket via expo ticket in the west door of the Expo Cultural Centre on May 30. The total ticket number is 5000, while 2500 of which would be assigned to Korea visitors for free which caused the actual available number to be 2500. Super Junior fans collected in the entry of the Expo Cultural Centre, and the strong emotion led to the occurrence of violence, resulting in casualties. A local armed police said that this is his first time to see such a “crazy” situation in Expo 2010 since the Expo park was opened.[111][112][edit] See also[edit] Footnotes
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