Due to the Hallyu wave and vlogs from Korea, many dream of one day studying abroad as a foreign exchange student. The entire experience of studying in a foreign country is a liberating experience that many hope to go through, including top stars like TWICE's Sana and actress Shin YeEun. In the most recent installment of "Sana's Fridge Interview", the two talk about their friendship and how they had previously voiced their desires to study abroad.

So let's learn how to say it in Korean down below!

유학

yoo hak

Study abroad

However, to say that you want to study abroad, you'll need to take it a step further. For example, you can say it like this:

유학 가고 싶어요

Yoo hak kago shipeoyo

This way, you can express your desire to study abroad and explore a brand new country like South Korea all on your own!

Do you have any study abroad plans? Come back for more fun Korean lessons with Your Korea Tutor - Kpopmap!

It doesn't take a trend analyst to figure out that the hot new thing in K-Beauty land is actually a throwback to Y2K, and it's taking over the world. We're talking about Lee HyoRi and the 2000s makeup trend, inspired by the original It Girl of Korea, that is now making rounds as the latest bandwagon everyone wants to hop on.

Y2K has been at the core of virality for quite a while now, influencing not only fashion and makeup but also art, music, television, and culture, as a whole. However, a lot of this Y2K-inspired buzz has been an "upgrade" on actual Y2K styles, an homage, if you will. However, not much of the authenticity of Y2K was revived.

Readers who were around during the actual Y2K would agree that while Y2K fashion now is the epitome of trendiness and more in vogue than ever, real Y2K fashion and makeup weren't quite the same.

That is until we decided to bring back Lee HyoRi's iconic look from her music video for '10 Minutes'.

For those who might not know, Lee HyoRi is one of the most prestigious, beloved, and respected artists to ever come out of the K-Pop industry. From debuting in one of the hottest girl groups of her time, Fin.K.L, to going solo and bring crowned as the icon of sensuality, Lee HyoRi is essentially the OG "it girl" of Korea, influencing an entire generation then and now.

The year 2003, when HyoRi released her debut solo studio album "Stylish...E" was dubbed "The Year Of HyoRi", and "HyoRi Syndrome" spread all over South Korea. '10 Minutes' was one of the tracks on this album, and almost two decades later, it is going mega-viral worldwide.

How and why did this happen? Let's find out!

 

Lee HyoRi's Sustained Popularity Rises Globally With "Lee Hyori's Red Carpet"

Lee HyoRi is one of those artists whose popularity has remained unbeatable regardless of promotional activities across decades. Her most recent activities include the healing TV show "HyoRi's Homestay" and, musically, the project groups SSAK3 and Refund Sisters. Her influence remained just as impactful in this time as it was when she first shook the Korean entertainment scene but she was recognized as a legend and a veteran in the industry rather than going viral with sudden spouts of immense popularity.

However, when Lee HyoRi came in as the host of "The Seasons" - Korea's beloved late-night music talk show, creating "The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet", her interactions with her guests started enjoying the aforementioned taste of virality and what's better than a viral moment on social media to introduce something/someone to a whole new audience?

In particular, the episode starring guest BLACKPINK's Jennie, the 3rd generation "it girl" of Korea, alongside host Lee HyoRi, the 1st generation "it girl", sparked renewed interest in the show, propelling it to global popularity and drawing attention from a whole new generation of fans. Thus, netizens who may not have known this queen before, came face to face with the icon herself.

According to Google Trends, global interest in Lee HyoRi in the past 12 months, reached a peak between January 7 to 13, 2024. The episode with Jennie was released on January 5, 2024. The most-searched terms during this time were "10 Minutes - Song by Lee HyoRi", "The Seasons: Lee Hyo-ri's Red Carpet", "The Seasons", "Lee HyoRi Red Carpet", "Lee HyoRi The Seasons", "The Seasons", "Miss Korea - Song by Lee HyoRi", and "Lee HyoRi makeup".

"Miss Korea" is one of the most remarkable Lee HyoRi songs, covered by BLACKPINK's Jennie on "The Seasons: Lee HyoRi's Red Carpet". This cover, released by KOCOWA TV, is now at 2M views on YouTube, proving its popularity.

Lee HyoRi's popularity kept rising steadily, with the graph showing an upward curve, which next peaked on April 10, 2024 - quite literally, yesterday! This means that the trend is still going, constantly gaining new impetus.

This peak, however, is because the "Lee HyoRi" makeup trend is currently at its highest virality, reaching more people than ever before. However, there was something else that aided this phenomenon - TWICE.

 

TWICE Cover Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes'

On October 21, 2023, TWICE's NaYeon, JiHyo, and Momo covered Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes' at their fan meeting. A fancam of this cover by user "나연이랑" was uploaded to YouTube the day after and now stands at 1 million views. Of course, the internet went crazy over how impeccable, alluring, and flawless this cover was, with NaYeon, JiHyo, and Momo setting the stage on fire. However, it was an edit of NaYeon from this performance that started the viral trend.

Despite the performance happening last year, it was only in March 2024 that it started picking up hotter momentum, not just among ONCE or K-Pop fans but among the general public all over the world.

According to Google Trends, it was on April 9 that google searches for TWICE's cover of '10 Minutes' peaked, right around the time when Lee HyoRi was trending globally.

The audio for Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes' on TikTok exploded in popularity, with 100.4K posts as of April 9, 2024. The original video with this sound was the NaYeon edit, which went viral. At the same time, '10 Minutes' started trending on Instagram, with 18.2K reels at the time of writing. Now, this trend is slowly permeating YouTube as well.

 

Lee HyoRi's 2000s Makeup Trend

Beauty influencers did what beauty influencers do and gave us one of the best makeup trends inspired by the viral '10 Minutes'. As more and more people watched the original music video and stage performance of '10 Minutes', a makeup trend was born. Lee HyoRi was one of the first artists to bring this makeup style to K-Pop back in 2003, where it was then adopted by top artists like S.E.S members Bada and Eugene. It is no surprise, therefore, that 21 years later, it still has the same trailblazing impact as it did then. Falling perfectly in line with the current craze for Y2K, this trend found the perfect environment to grow and go viral.

Unsurprisingly, global interest in "Lee HyoRi makeup" over the past 30 days also peaked around April 9. On social media platforms like X, mentions about Lee HyoRi and Lee HyoRi's makeup increased a whopping 157.143%!

We pulled and analyzed thousands of posts from all over the internet and ran a sentiment analysis, which revealed an overwhelmingly positive opinion on Lee HyoRi in the last 14 days, while her reach peaked on April 10. In conclusion, Lee HyoRi and, in turn, the Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend is at its highest point at this very moment.

If you're wondering what exactly the 2000s makeup trend is all about, let us break it down for you.

The "Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend" is a cool-toned look with blue/grey eyeshadow, a matte base, lightly smoked-out eyeliner, and nude lips with gloss. Because of its subtlety, this makeup look looks fantastic on all skin tones, regardless of your undertone.

Check out some video tutorials below to do this "Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup" look yourself!

 

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What did you think of the Lee HyoRi 2000s makeup trend? Have you tried it yourself? Tell us on X!

For more K-Trend analyses, stay tuned to Kpopmap!

Previously in Korean entertainment, there were many individuals who solely focused on one line of work. Whether it was being an idol, acting in K-Dramas, or standing on stage as a musical artist, they poured much of their effort into one particular field. However, now it's more common that these stars branch out, challenging themselves and presenting totally different sides to their supportive fans.

WJSN's Bona is but one of these celebrities who is constantly exploring new ventures. Now, netizens are beginning to know the idol-actress by her birth name: Kim JiYeon. She's stood on multiple stages across various genres over the years, showing the passion and perseverance necessary to succeed.

Bona's journey is anything but ordinary, but she's made the best of it every step of the way.

 

First Steps In The Entertainment Industry

Coming forth, Bona began as a member of WJSN. Their debut with 'MoMoMo' was greatly received, becoming a source of vitamin-like energy for budding UJUNG. In a group of 10+ individuals, it was certainly a challenge for any member to receive an adequate amount of spotlight, but they made it work through various stages and music show performances.

Bona became a shining light that fans loved right from the start. Within such a short time, she mesmerized audiences with her stunning beauty, magical vocals, and radiant stage presence. In spite of WJSN being such a large group, Bona managed to take hold of the spotlight every chance she could, becoming the bias of millions across the globe. Although her career was just starting, a flower road was forming in front of Bona and her groupmates, and they were more than ready to walk along it.

 

Firm Foundation In The Idol Industry

After such a successful start to their career, the pressure was on Bona and the rest of WJSN to continue their upward trajectory. However, the idol actress continuously broke every expectation, and together with her group, they were able to release such memorable chart-topping hits like 'Save Me, Save You', 'As You Wish', and 'Boogie Up'.

With their resounding success, the girl group was able to travel the world, allowing even more individuals to see Bona's talent up close and in their home country. While many hoped to see her live, fancams were able to accurately show the idol's skills and just how much she improved over the years.

With natural allure and captivating aura, Bona joined the subunit, WJSN THE BLACK. A new side was unlocked for the artist, causing fans to go into a frenzy whenever she took the stage. And with their participation in Mnet's "Queendom 2", there was no doubt that Bona possessed a flexibility that allowed her to don on many different hats, showing her strength as an idol member.

 

Passion Of A Rising Actress

But the life as an idol isn't the only place where Bona's story lies. Very early on in her music career, she dabbled in the art of acting. While she was first casted in a guest role for "Chicago Typewriter", the star was able to showcase some of her acting potential through the quirky time travel romance, "The Best Hit".

She portrayed admirable promise, carrying the potential to stand among the greats, as long as continued to try and improve. Following shortly afterwards, she continued to land multiple roles through series like "Girls' Generation 1979", "Your House Helper", and "Homemade Love Story". Through every character, you could notice Bona making a conscious effort to refine her craft and become an actress fans could be proud of.

These roles helped to lay down the foundation that Bona stands on today. Even just as a rookie actress, she had the grit and resolve to power through long days on set to complete every project with perfection.

 

Leading K-Drama Star

Bona then came across a role that would propel her acting career forever in the spotlight. Playing Go YooRim in the internationally popular "Twenty-Five Twenty-One", the entire world fell in love the idol-actress and completely acknowledged her acting prowess. She masterfully piloted the nostalgic feelings of youth and the competitiveness of a professional athlete. The struggles her character faced and the tough decisions she had to make plucked on everyone's heartstrings, making Go YooRim a second female lead K-Drama enthusiasts could not help but love.

She continued on her hot streak, landing the main female lead role in "Joseon Attorney: A Morality". Wearing a hanbok and caring for her people, she swept audiences off their feet over the course of the series. She was again proved that was she leading lady material and would continue to be so in the future.

And with the recent conclusion of thrilling mystery K-Drama, "Pyramid Game", Bona certainly solidified her status as a top acting star. Acting out her character of Sung SooJi, viewers were left speechless as she challenged the status quo and vowed to get rid of the harrowing "Pyramid Game". With this drama, netizens have gotten to meet Bona as Kim JiYeon, amazed at the fact that she is both an incredible actress and radiant idol.

No matter what stage the idol-actress stands on, she's sure to turn heads and have people joyfully chanting her name.

When did you first start following WJSN's Bona/Kim JiYeon? Are you excited for her next challenge?