Seollal, as one of the most significant celebrations of Korean culture, it is widely recognized as a public holiday in South Korea. This special holiday commemorates the first day of the Korean Lunar Calendar and takes place over the span of several days.
The first two weeks of our Lunar New Year special article series have focused on Korean actors and personalities born in the Year of the Rabbit, as well as Korean dramas and variety shows that center around this topic; so I’m sure many of you have been waiting for today’s theme, which is all about K-pop. Jump right into our plans for listening to K-pop to ring in the Lunar New Year!
Shows featuring Rabbit Born Idols:
Did you know that 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit? There are a lot of idols born in the year of the rabbit so let’s get to know them through their shows and meet who are the main characters of this year.
“Weak Hero Class 1“
The list kicks out with a bang thanks to one of the best dramas of 2022, which stars our favorite idol-turned-actor, Park Ji Hoon, who was born in the Year of the Rabbit. “Weak Hero Class 1” is not your typical high-school series because it’s a thriller action drama about a weak student who fights school violence with his wits. P.S. Park Ji Hoon’s career as an actor flourished because of his portrayal of Si Eun!
Red Velvet’s “Level Up Project“
One of the most popular girl groups, Red Velvet, is featured in their reality show called “Level Up Project.” As part of Red Velvet’s reality program, the group traveled to Thailand, Yeosu, Slovenia, Seoul, and Jeju Island, where members including Yeri (born in the Year of the Rabbit) played games and enjoyed time with each other.
“Boys Mental Training Camp 2 – NCT DREAM“
NCT dream, one of the most prominent boy groups of today, attended Boys Mental Training Camp, a well-known facility for the control of idol mentalities. The camp’s mind-strengthening activities include sessions with a behaviorist psychologist, a cognitive scientist, and some truly mind-bending mind games. We’ll get to see Mark, who was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and the rest of NCT Dream’s amazing chemistry and teamwork on this once-in-a-lifetime performance!
“WayVision 2“
“WayVision 2” is another NCT unit reality show that fans shouldn’t miss because it follows the group’s Chinese members as they travel to Hwacheon to partake in various winter sports. Xiaojun, born in the Year of the Rabbit, and the other members of WayV showed their competitive spirit by competing in the games and winning medals.
K-Pop Variety Shows to Watch This Lunar New Year
“Idol House“
What better K-pop variety show to watch this season than a show that features a lot of idols together! “Idol House” is the perfect show for idols making their comeback because it allows them to promote new songs while also enjoying them at the same time! Many popular K-Pop acts appeared, including TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ATEEZ, THE BOYZ, ONF, Lovelyz, CRAVITY, Dreamcatcher, ASTRO, Wei, PENTAGON, LOONA, Weeekly, VICTON, and many more!
“aespa’s Synk Road“
If you’re a huge fan of one of the leaders of the 4th generation, aespa, you might want to know more about them by watching them in their first reality show, “aespa’s Synk Road!”In order to finish the Synk Road, the members ventured to the East Sea of Gangwon and the city of Pyeongchang in search of the buried ae-key cards (their missions). Through here, we’ll get to see their cute interactions and teamwork with one another.
“GIRL’S RE:VERSE“
Now, this K-pop variety show is something we’ve never seen before! “GIRL’S RE:VERSE” is like a survival program for debuted idols to show their charms and talents and become virtual idol singers. BUT the twist is they’ll be using AI characters to hide their identities and names so the viewers will only focus on their talent and personality as they watch this show!
“NewJeans Code in Busan“
“NewJeans Code in Busan” features the hottest rookie girl group right now who just debuted last year but has a lot of hit songs already! In their first reality show the girls traveled to various places in Busan to experience multiple foods and activities. Here, we’ll see the new charms and talents they haven’t shown before.
Year-End K-pop Music Festivals
It’s the perfect show to see for the Lunar New Year if you didn’t get a chance to catch any of the year-end K-pop music festivals. Different K-pop groups performed their great songs at the “2022 MBC Music Festival,” “2022 SBS Gayo Daejeon,” and “2022 KBS Song Festival,” and we saw collaborations of different stars that we won’t see anywhere else.
Once again, Happy Lunar New Year everyone and I hope that we helped you with which shows are perfect to binge-watch this season on KOCOWA!
