ZE:A

 ZE:A (Hangul: 제국의 아이들), also known as Children of the Empire, is a South Korean 9-member boyband formed under Star Empire Entertainment. The group debuted with their EP Nativity and lead single, "Mazeltov" on 7 January 2010,^[1] alongside their showcase performance five days later.
 

ZE:A
Also known as	Children of the Empire
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, dance
Years active	2010 (2010)–present
Labels	Star Empire Entertainment
Website	Official Website
Members
Kevin Kwanghee Hwang Siwan Junyoung Moon Taehun Kim Heechul Jung Minwoo Ha Hyungshik Park Dongjun Kim

C.N.Blue

 
C.N.Blue (Korean: 씨엔블루), Code Name Blue, is a South Korean indie rock band which debuted on August 19, 2009 in Japan with their first mini-album, Now or Never. They were coined as the "2nd FT Island" due to similar style and sound but mainly because they are under the same company as their senior FT Island. The group released four teasers for their 1st album Bluetory, starring one member per each of the videos in the sequence of Jonghyun, Minhyuk, Jungshin and lastly, Yonghwa on the 6th, 8th, 11th and 13th of January respectively. On the 12th of January, the music video of the title track 외톨이야 "I'm a Loner" was released.

C.N.Blue
Also known as	Code Name Blue
Origin	Seoul, Republic of Korea
Genres	Rock, indie (Japan)
Years active	2009–present
Labels	AI Entertainment(Japan) F&C Music(South Korea)
Website	Official site
Members
Lee Jong Hyun Jung Yong Hwa Kang Min Hyuk Lee Jung Shin
Former members
Kwon Kwang Jin

F.Cuz

 F.Cuz (Korean: 포커즈, pronounced as 'Focus'), is a South Korean boy band managed by CAN&J's Entertainment. The group made their debut on January 8, 2010 with their first single, "Jiggy".

F.Cuz 포커즈
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Years active	2010-present
Labels	CAN&J's Entertainment
Website	www.fcuz.co.kr
Members
Jin On (진온) Lee U (이유) Kan (칸) Ye Jun (예준)

One Way (Korean band)

 One Way is a contemporary South Korean R&B/Hip Hop group managed by YJ Media, also known as YJ Entertainment.
The trio consists of Leader/vocals Chance (Michael Kim),vocals Peter (Peter Hyun) and rapper YoungSky (Choo Joon Young). They made their debut on March 6th, 2010 on MBC’s Music Core with their promotional single, Magic. Since their recent debut, they have appeared in many radio shows such as MBC Starry Night, TBS K-popular and ARIRANG Evening Groove.

One Way is considered to be an up rising R&B group that is garnering not only attention in South Korea but also gaining International attention for composing their own music and their unique "one way sound". They posted up various covers on their official Youtube Channel such as Ne-Yo's Sexy Love and made their official debut on Youtube with their selfwritten track U-Drag, which is also featured on their first episode called One Way Street.

Peter and Young Sky first met in middle school in Sydney, Australia but later on, Young Sky moved to California where he met Chance in high school. All three members are fluent in English and Korean.

One Way
Origin	South Korea
Genres	R&B, hip-hop
Years active	2010 – present
Labels	YJ Media Yejeon Media a.k.a. (YJ Entertainment)
Members
Chance Peter Young Sky

2NE1

2NE1 (Korean: 투애니원; pronounced "To Anyone"^[1] or "twenty-one"^[2]) is a South Korean girl group created by YG Entertainment. First appearing in a Cyon commercial campaign with Big Bang for LG Telecom, their debut single "Fire" was released on May 6, 2009 and on May 17, 2009 the song premiered on SBS's Inkigayo.
The group's name 2NE1 stands for "New Evolution of the 21st Century"/"21c New Evolution"^[3].

2NE1
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B
Years active	2009–present
Labels	YG Entertainment
Website	2NE1's Official Website
Members
CL Bom Dara Minzy

Girls' Generation

 

Girls' Generation (Korean: 소녀시대; 少女時代) is a popular nine-member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2007. The members are, in order of announcement to be in the group, Yoona, Tiffany, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Seohyun, Taeyeon (leader), Jessica, and Sunny. They are commonly referred to as SNSD, the acronym of the group's Korean name So Nyeo Shi Dae or So Nyuh Shi Dae.
The group has released two albums and various singles, which went on to achieve commercial success. Their 2009 single "Gee" is the longest-running #1 song on KBS's Music Bank at 9 weeks.^[1] That year also saw the girls winning various awards, including Artist of the Year (Daesang) at the Seoul Music Awards and Golden Disk Awards.
The members of the group have had various activities as solo entertainers — acting in various dramas and musicals, hosting various reality-variety shows, and releasing solo singles.

Background information
Also known as	SNSD (So Nyeo Shi Dae or So Nyuh Shi Dae), SoShi
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, dance
Years active	2007–present
Labels	SM Entertainment Avex Asia (Japan)
Associated acts	SM Town
Website	Official website
Members
Taeyeon Jessica Sunny Tiffany Hyoyeon Yuri Sooyoung Yoona Seohyun

Wonder Girls

 

From left to right: Ye-eun, Sunye, Sohee, Sunmi, and Yubin at the MBC Campus Song Festival in October 2008.

The Wonder Girls (Korean: 원더걸스) are a South Korean girl group.^[1][2] Their producer and manager is singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young and the Wonder Girls are signed to his talent agency, JYP Entertainment.^[2] Each of the five original members were selected through auditions. Debuting in early 2007, they became popular in the fall of that year with the song "Tell Me."^[3] They have scored three consecutive #1 hit singles: "Tell Me", "So Hot", and "Nobody".^[4] In 2008, they won two Daesangs ("Artist of the Year" Awards).^[5][6]
The group began their entry into the American market in 2009, with lead single "Nobody"; the single became the first song by a Korean group to enter the Billboard Hot 100. They are co-managed in the United States by JYP Entertainment and Jonas Group.^[7]

Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, Dance-pop
Years active	2007 - Present
Labels	JYP Entertainment
Website	wondergirls.jype.com(Korean) www.wondergirlsworld.com (English)
Members
Sunye (Sun) Ye-eun (Yenny) Sohee Yoobin Hye-rim (Lim)
Former members
Sunmi (Mimi) Hyuna

Big Bang

Big Bang (Korean: 빅뱅, Japanese: ビッグバン), commonly stylized as BIGBANG, is a South Korean hip-hop boy band. The group's formation was chronicled on the television series Big Bang Documentary, from July to August 2006. The show was also aired online on GomTV and on MTV Korea. Initially a six-member group, one member dropped out during the airing of the show before the official debut leading to their current line-up of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang,Daesung and Seungri.
Signed to YG Entertainment, Big Bang went on to release successful singles and EPs. Their first release, the EP Always (2007), spawned the number-one single "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojinmal). Their follow-up EPs Hot Issue and Stand Up were similarly successful. After they received the "Artist of the Year" award from the M.net KM Music Festival and the Seoul Gayo Daesang Award, the group expanded their activities into Japan, releasing mini-albums and airplay singles. Their material would not receive major promotion until the following year with the release of their first physical Japanese single, "My Heaven".
By the end of 2009, Big Bang became the most searched artist in South Korea. They also became the first foreign group in Japan to receive the Japan Cable Broadcasting Award for "Best Newcomer", and the first from Korea to receive the Japan Records award. In recent years, the members have branched out to do solo activities: Taeyang and G-Dragon have released solo materials while T.O.P, Daesung and Seungri have started acting.

Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, R&B, hip-hop, dance
Years active	2005–present
Labels	YG Entertainment (South Korea) Universal Music Japan (Japan)
Website	www.ygbigbang.com
Members
G-Dragon T.O.P Taeyang Daesung Seungri

Super Junior

 

Super Junior (Korean: 슈퍼주니어), often referred to as SJ or SuJu (슈주), is a popular boy band from South Korea formed by SM Entertainment in 2005. With a total of 13 members, they are one of the largest boy bands in the world. The group consists of Leeteuk (leader), Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum, and Kyuhyun. The only Chinese member, Han Geng, was chosen from three thousand applicants via auditions held in China by SM Entertainment in 2001. As of 2010, only 10 members are active, due to Han Geng's ongoing lawsuit against SM Entertainment, Kibum's pursuit of other interests, and Kang-in's leave of absence for mandatory military service. However, the remaining members have insisted that they are still part of the group.

Super Junior has released and contributed in 20 different kinds of records with varying degrees of success. 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. 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.

^{BACKGROUND INFORMATION:}

Also known as	SJ, SuJu
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, dance, R&B
Years active	2005–present
Labels	SM, Avex, Rhythm Zone
Associated acts	SM Town Super Junior-K.R.Y Super Junior-T Super Junior-M Super Junior-Happy
Website	http://superjunior.smtown.com

Members:

Leeteuk
Heechul
Han Geng
Yesung
Kang-in
Shindong
Sungmin
Eunhyuk
Donghae
Siwon
Ryeowook
Kibum
Kyuhyun

Shinvi

Shinvi (신비) was a Korean pop group. Shinvi belonged to Cid.K Entertainment, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. After activities of their 1st album, the group disappeared from the K-Pop scene. All three members have left SM Entertainment and have yet to return to the industry.

Members

• Yoo Soo Jin (유수진), born 6 March 1983

After the break-up, Soo Jin has been seen in ads modeling for Estée Lauder in Korea.

• Oh Sang Eun (오상은), born 24 August 1984

Sang Eun's introduction to the K-pop scene was a duet with Moon Hee Jun on his 1st solo album for the song, 'Our Story'. In 2004, Sang Eun was cast as Sandy in the Korean production of 'Grease'. In 2005, she took part in the Korean production of 'A Chorus Line'. Sang Eun has now signed with M Boat and goes by the stage name of Nemo. Her first single was a duet with Dae Sung of YG's group, Big Bang.
Recently, Nemo joined group Miss $ and featured as the main vocal.

• Yu Na (유나), born 18 April 1985

Since the disbandment of Shinvi, Yu Na has yet to make any appearance.

Black Beat

Black Beat (블랙 비트) was South Korean boy band. Black Beat belonged to SM Entertainment. A few of their members have appeared elsewhere. But for the most part their public appearances (and subsequent popularity) have been limited. This can be attributed to a number of things: the waning popularity of poppy rap and the decreasing amount of SM Entertainment's PR power (which since 2004 has focused on a few core groups and singers). Their last appearance was the 2006 Winter SMTown. Their disbandment was confirmed in 2007 when lead vocalist, Jang Jin Young teamed up with Kim Sung Pil to form the R&B duo, ByJinSung.

Members
Hwang Sang Hoon Lee So Min Jung Ji Hoon Sim Jae Won Jang Jin Young
Former members
Yoo Hyun Jae Lee Kang In

Sugar (Korean band)

Sugar (슈가) was a Korean girl group. Their 2003 singles "TAKE IT SHAKE IT" and "real identity" were the opening and ending theme songs respectively for season 1 of the highly popular anime "Kaleido Star". However, they had mediocre success in the South Korean market. Their last album has seen them go through an image and style change, as members have been changed. The album had less "cute pop" material and instead focused on rock songs and midtempo ballads. However, their albums did not have high sales. Since then, Soo Jin has left the group, and Ahyoomee has gone on to have a solo career. On December 20, 2006, KBS World Radio announced that the group had officially disbanded

Members:

Ahyoomee, Haleen, Hye Seung

j.t.l.

jtL (제이티엘) was a South Korean dance music group, consisting of the former H.O.T. members who did not stay with SM Entertainment. The group was named after the initials of the members' stage name. After the release of their second album Run Away, the group have been inactive for 7 years and the band members are each pursuing solo careers.
When the group debuted in 2001 with single "A Better Day", which covered a 1977 song "Vårsøg", member Tony An claimed that promoting their song has had been difficult due to strained relationship with Lee Soo Man, the producer of SM Entertainment. He blamed Lee for blocking the music video, which drew angry reaction from the group's fans, some of whom egged the building of the company in southern Seoul. The members of the group also had strained relationships between Kangta and Moon Hee Jun after the two chose to stay with SM Entertainment. However, after appearances on 'X-Man', it appears that Tony and Kangta are on good terms the same goes for Moon Hee Jun and Jang Woo Hyuk who both appeared on Variety show Heroine.
In 2003 the group won the favorite artist of Korea at MTV Asia Awards.

M.I.L.K

M.I.L.K. (Hangul; 밀크) was a K-Pop girl group signed under SM Entertainment's sister label, BM Entertainment in 2001. The name M.I.L.K. stands for Made in Lovely Kin. They disbanded when Bae Yumi left the group in 2003. Now each member has gone off to do their own individual projects such as: acting, singing, MCing, VJing, and modeling.

Kiss (Korean group)

Kiss (officially K.I.S.S., as to distinguish it from the rock band), was a Korean pop female trio. Their first single, "Because I'm A Girl" ("여자 이니까") was a huge hit in 2002, which can be attributed to its melodramatic video of the sacrifice one can make for love. This video spread like wildfire over the internet, becoming a very popular music video. This helped to launch the career of Kiss by sending the song to the top of the charts, and an album quickly followed. However, the group quickly disbanded amid reports that there was internal squabbling.

Members:
 
Mini
Jini
Umji

Jewelry

Jewelry (Korean: 쥬얼리) is a South Korean girl group. After releasing their first album with low sales, the group eventually rose to prominence via their sophomore album and reached their commercial peak with their fourth album Superstar, which spawned a number-one hit for them. After branching out in Japan with only limited success, the group came back with two new members in 2008 with the hit song "One More Time".

Papaya

Papaya was an all girl pop group from South Korea. Their first album, entitled 동화, was distributed by One Star Music on August 1, 2000 and featured five members (Kang Se Jung, Joo Youn Jung, Jo Hye Kyung, Hwang Yoon Mi and Kang Kyoung Ah). Due to their unpopularity, Hwang Yoon Mi and Kang Kyoung Ah left the group before the release of their second album, Violet, released on May 25, 2001 under the Cream Entertainment music label.

MC The Max

 M.C the MAX (Moon Child the MAX) is a Korean rock band. They debuted in 2000 as a 4-member band under the name "Moon Child". Their 1st album consisted of mainly techno songs, with a few rock songs. Their 2nd album had a more similar sound to what they do today, consisting mainly of ballads mixed with a rock sound. Their title song "사랑하니까" is a ballad song with some rock sounds mixed in. Upon one of the members leaving, the remaining three members re-debuted as M.C. the MAX, steering into music of the ballad genre, while keeping their rock sounds. They are managed by the production company of Yoshiki, founder member of the Japanese group X Japan. They have released 7 albums up to date, and have also released several online singles as well. Their song "사랑의 시", from their 2nd album topped the KBS chart in February, 2004.

Chakra

Chakra was a South Korean female girl group, debuting in 1999 as part of the Megagroup Bros. Disbanded in 2004, the members are now working on solo projects.
From their first album Chakra was known in South Korea for their Indian-inspired dance music. They were created and originally produced by producer and Roo'Ra leader, Lee Sang Min.

Members:

• Hwang Bo 황보 [1999-2004]
• Bona 보나 [2002-2004]
• Ryeo Won 려원 [2000-2004]
• Eun 은 [2000-2004]
• Eani 이니 [1999-2001]

Fly to the Sky

Fly to the Sky (Korean: 플라이 투 더 스카이) was a South Korean R&B duo, consisting of Korean American Brian Joo and South Korean native Hwanhee.
Initially marketed as a duo that can sing, rap, and dance, their early works featured bubblegum pop and upbeat techno music. The duo later changed their image and style with the release of Sea of Love in 2002. With their subsequent albums, the duo solidified their status as R&B artists and are credited as the first R&B duo of South Korea.

Members:

Hwanhee (환희)
Brian Joo (브라이언)

As One

As One is a Korean pop duo consisting of Korean Americans Lee Min Young and Crystal Chae. Their first hit was the song "너만은 모르길," released in 1999 on Rock Records Between their fourth and fifth albums, their contract with Rock Records expired and they signed with EMI Korea; a label which also manages other k-pop stars like DJ DOC and Baby VOX. In late 2006, As One released their fifth album 12 Tears of Farewell, and started their promotional activities with the lead track "십이야" (12 Nights).

Members:

• Lee Min Young
• Crystal Chae

T.T.MA

T.T.Ma. (티티마) was a Korean KPop group that performed in Korea during 1999 and 2000.
The group consisted of 5 girls. During its time the group performed in several music tv shows and concerts. The name originally meant “To the Maximum” but was later changed to “Taste the Maximum”.
One of the group songs, “Loner” was featured in the Korean dance simulation game Pump It Up.
After some speculation of a third album, the group was disbanded, with only Soy (the group leader) continuing in the entertainment industry as a VJ in Korea until 2005.
In 2007/05/15, Ujin released a solo single in Korea.

Fin.K.L

Fin.K.L (핑클) was a K-pop girl group that debuted in 1998. Their name stands for Fine Killing Liberty, and was intended to mean that the group stood against "the oppression of all freedom" (fin means "ending" in French). The group's name was selected by a poll of young people by the record company before the group's inception. This is the reason for the lack of clear meaning in Fin.K.L's English name, for the Korean name (핑클) was selected first. Fin.K.L was one of the most popular girl groups in Korean pop, along with S.E.S.. Fin.K.L won numerous music awards until its unofficial end in 2002, when all of the members pursued solo careers in different areas of entertainment. Although they regrouped for a digital single in 2005, the group has since unofficially disbanded again, as each member has left DSP Entertainment and has signed with different companies. There has been no official word on the group's status.

Members:

• Lee Hyori 
• Oak Joo Hyun 
• Lee Jin 
• Sung Yuri

Shinhwa

Shinhwa (Korean: 신화, Hanja: 神話) is a popular South Korean boy band and hip hop group. The group has six members (with 3 vocalists and 3 rappers), and debuted on March 24, 1998. It has enjoyed massive success alongside the likes of Sechs Kies, g.o.d., Fin. K.L., H.O.T. and S.E.S. Shinhwa is the Korean word for myth or legend.^[1][2][3] Initially formed under SM Entertainment, Shinhwa signed a new contract with a new record label, Good Entertainment, in July 2003. While still under Good Entertainment as Shinhwa, each of the members have all left the entertainment to start their own to concentrate on their solo activities, from acting to going solo. Aside from singing and performing as a group and individuals as well as acting, the members of Shinhwa are also mentors to the Korean boy band Battle.

Members:

•  Eric Mun
• Lee Min Woo
• Kim Dong Wan
• Shin Hye Sung
• Jun Jin
• Andy Lee

Baby V.O.X.

Baby V.O.X. (Hangul: 베이비복스, standing for "Baby Voices of Xpression") was one of South Korea's girl groups, associated with record company DR Music. Although it initially had much internal turmoil, Baby V.O.X. eventually became a cohesive group from 1999 to 2005, releasing hit albums.
However, after the failure of their last album Ride West, it began to unravel again. By the end of that year, all of the members had left the company, with some going solo, and others moving into other entertainment areas.

Members:

•  Kim E-Z 
• Lee Hee Jin 
• Kan Mi Youn 
• Shim Eun Jin 
• Yoon Eun Hye

 Former Members:

• Cha Yu-mi
• Jang Hyun-jung
• Jung Shi-woon
• Lee Gai

S.E.S.

S.E.S. (Sea, Eugene, Shoo), (Hangul: 에스.이.에스) was a popular K-Pop girl group that signed with SM Entertainment. Lasting from 1997 to 2002, they were viewed as the female version of boy band H.O.T., another SM group who also enjoyed phenomenal popularity during the same years.
S.E.S. was the first highly successful female K-pop group. They were not unchallenged: groups like Fin.K.L and Baby V.O.X debuted soon after S.E.S. and were also successful. Although an intense rivalry developed between S.E.S. and Fin.K.L fans, members of both groups have always stated that there was no rivalry and that they in fact were friends. However, while S.E.S. managed to consistently have high sales numbers for their albums, it was Fin.K.L who won a daesang (대상) (the Korean equivalent of the Grammy Award) for "Artist of the Year", from various music award shows.
Through the years, the members have gone through various style and image changes, from cute to sexy to mature, without losing their strong fanbase. S.E.S. broke up at the end of 2002, and its members have gone solo to varying degrees of success.

 Members:

• Bada 
• Eugene 
• Shoo

NRG

NRG is a South Korean boyband. Their name is an acronym for New Radiancy Group. Originally a five-member group, they became a three-member group when the leader Lee Sungjin left to pursue a career in acting and as an announcer and Chun Myung Hoon left to produce music. After the not so popular group of 3, the old members returned for the next fourth album, but after the death of Kim Hwan Sung in 2000 the group was down to 4 members. With the 4 members, they had a hit success on their 5th album and later 6th album but after the departure of Moon Sung Hoon in 2005, it is now a three-member group again.

Sechs Kies

Sechs Kies or 6kies (Korean: 젝스키스) is former Korean hip hop boy band from Daesung Entertainment and onetime rival of H.O.T. Currently, the two members, Kim Jae Duc and Jang Soo Won, have associated with Click-B to form another group, JnC.
In November 2006, it was revealed that the six former members of the boy band may regroup and release an album together.

The plan was met with mixed reactions as some were skeptical that they would regain their original popularity they had had seven years ago.

The probability of reunification coming to reality was blurred as it was revealed on November 4 that Lee Jae-Jin has secretly gone to the military. His representative said that he will not appear on television until he finishes his duty.

H.O.T.

H.O.T. (Hangul: 에쵸티) was a popular five-member South Korean boy band of the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym - H.O.T. standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.

Former Members:

• Moon Hee Jun
• Jang Woo Hyuk
• Tony An
• Kangta
• Lee Jae Won

Official website: http://hot.smtown.com/