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Super Junior, 5 Years And Still Going

November 6th marks the fifth year anniversary of one of the most popular Korean boy groups in all of Asia : Super Junior.

After debuting on Ingigayo on November 6, 2005, Super Junior has risen the ranks to become one of the most recognizable groups today. To celebrate their special day, the group will be holding a commemoration party at Korea University's gymnasium on the 6th.?

But what is it about Super Junior that has made them into such a huge success?

▶Well-Rounded Entertainers Following The "Separately Together" Strategy

Super Junior members aren't just singers, they're actors, MCs, radio DJs, comedians, writers, models, etc. They're the biggest idol group out there that started following a "separately alone" approach, This means each of the members do their own separate activities, while still together as a group and ultimately promoting the group together.?

Members Shi-won (Choi Si-won), Hee-chul (Kim Heechul), Ki Bum, and Dong-hae (Donghae) have dabbled in acting. Lee-teuk, Eun-hyuk, Shin-dong (Shindong), and Hee-chul (Kim Heechul) have been incredibly active on the variety show front, while also DJing their own radio shows. Cho Kyuhyun, Yesung, Sungmin, and Ryeo-wook have featured on various OST tracks and/or musicals. Though "officially" singers, the members of Super Junior do not limit themselves to simply singing.

▶First Group To Use The "Unit System"

Super Junior was the first group in k-pop history to try the "unit system", breaking the members into different units for different activities. Though it was a bit foreign for most people at first, it soon caught on to where other groups are also attempting this approach.

The members with especially strong vocals -- Cho Kyuhyun, Ryeo-wook, and Yesung -- formed the ballad unit, K.R.Y. Super Junior-T was the first idol group to attempt the genre of Korean trot -- the oldest form of k-pop with a strong and distinct beat. Super Junior-M broke into the Chinese market, eventually winning the Grand Slam award. Super Junior-Happy was the unit that featured bright and cheerful music. These units all served to show the diverse talents and musical styles of the different members.

▶Constantly Working To Break Records In Asia

It's safe to say that Super Junior is very well known in Korea, but what sets them slightly ahead of some other groups out there is that they're well-recognized in almost all of Asia as well.?


Their third album featuring the hit song "Sorry Sorry" saw 250,000 copies be sold, establishing them as the top record seller of 2009. Outside of Korea, they were featured on Channel V in Thailand as the "2009 Most Popular Asian Song" and dominated the online music KKBOX charts in Taiwan, holding the number one spot for 36 weeks!

Following that success story with their fourth album, "Bonamana", the members showed that "Sorry Sorry" wasn't just a fluke. They were one of the top album sellers yet again, and sat at number 1 on the KKBOX charts for 22 weeks.?

Their tours also weren't just all over Korea, but all over Asia. Their second Asian tour, "Super Show 2", attracted 200,000 fans to their 15 shows in nine different cities. The group is following up with their "Super Show 3" which is set to visit 13 cities for a total of 16 shows.

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