Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - [article] Looking back on Korean culture scene

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One of the most conspicuous phenomena of 2006 was the "going-solo" trend among former boy band and girl band members. In fact, this year's K-pop scene has been crowded with what seems like an endless procession of "first solo albums."

Son Ho-young and Kim Tae-woo, former members of now disbanded G.O.D., released their solo debut albums in October, only a few weeks apart. Son has taken a sexier image with his debut album "Yes," which features a mixture of R&B and hip-hop tracks, while Kim showed off his strong vocals in his album "Solo Special." Aside from those two, Jun Jin of all-male pop group Shinhwa, Brian of male R&B duo Fly to the Sky, former Baby Vox member Kan Mi-youn and girl group Sugar's Ayoomi stood alone as solo singers this year. Unlike G.O.D., whose members went solo after their groups disbanded, several members of Shinhwa have taken on solo careers while their group is enjoying a hiatus.

Encouraged by K-pop's massive success in Asia, Korean entertainment companies are making a big push in the pop music's biggest and most important market in the world: the United States.

Pop star Rain's Madison Square Garden concert in October attracted some 40,000 fans, about a quarter of who were non-Korean. In May, he took Asia by storm, selected by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

Se7en, the strongest rival of Rain, also performed in the United States, joining the 10th anniversary concert of his agency YG Family, which was in New York in the same month. The singer is currently working on his upcoming U.S. debut album, together with Grammy Award-winning producer Rich Harrison.

Throughout the year, Japanese pop musicians' popularity has been winning the hearts of young Koreans, encouraging some of the hottest J-pop musicians to visit the country for the promotion of their albums and concerts. Among them was Goto Maki, a former member of girl group Morning Musume, another sexy female singer Koda Kumi as well as popular boy band ARASHI.

In March, Britney Spears' songwriters accused sexy K-pop icon Lee Hyo-lee of plagiarism, claiming that her comeback hit "Get Ya" ripped off Spears' "Do Something." While this is not the first time the Korean pop industry has been accused of pilfering, it is the first time the copyright holder has formally complained.

Shin Jung-hyun, 66, "the Godfather of Korean rock music," had a series of retirement concert during the year, bidding farewell to the stage. His farewell tour was covered by the foreign press, including the New York Times.

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