From pretty face to tough guy

Hallyu star Kim Hyun-joong has only unveiled a new look for his third EP but is also introducing a new approach to promoting Korean traditional culture through his latest music video, “Unbreakable”.
Kim, who became an international sensation in the smash hit Korean drama “Boy Over Flowers” and is also the leader of the popular K-pop idol group SS501, released his comeback album “Round 3” on July 22 after a break of nearly two years.
Widely known for his “pretty boy” image, the star caused quite a stir with his new tough guy look, sporting various Asian culture-inspired tattoo designs including a large tat on his chest of a traditional dragon head goblin pattern – a mythical creature which appears in many Korean folktales.
“I thought about the meaning of genuine K-pop,” Kim told a press conference last week. “I think I can have a lot of influence on hallyu and this time around I wanted to try to harness the image of Korean beauty through my music.”
After the tremendous success of the 2009 KBS drama “Boys Over Flowers”, Kim became widely known as the poster boy of hallyu. But the 27-year-old singer-turned-actor says that he is happy with his new look and simply wanted to pursue something new in promoting the true beauty of Korean culture and art through his music video “Unbreakable”.
As opposed to the other singles off his new EP, “Unbreakable” stands out in that he considers it more of a “visual song”. “The other tracks were just made for listening,” he says.
The music video to the album’s early release dance hip-hop single, also featuring Korean-American hip-hop idol Jay Park, encompasses a heavy mix of various traditional Korean cultural aspects including b-boy versions of sangmo - a “long string hat” dance that features hats with a long ribbon attached to them that dancers spin around by moving their heads to make aerial patterns - and martial arts. The video also includes depictions of people wearing tal, or traditional Korean dance masks, as well as playing Korean drums.
“The concept behind this album is Korean,” he says. “I did lot of research about Korean goblin patterns as well as traditional colours. The point of the music video is the fusion of the past and the present.”