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!

"Wedding Impossible" has finally reached its long-awaited end, closing out in spectacular fashion. Led by Jun JongSeo, Moon SangMin, Kim DoWan, and Bae YoonKyung, the lighthearted rom-com made the start of the week enjoyable and fun. Watching them grow as people and in their relationships served as a source of inspiration to all.

Now that it's over, the drama's absence is already setting in. Although there are many more amazing K-Dramas currently on air, "Wedding Impossible" held a special place in audiences' hearts. If you're feeling dismayed about the tvN show's end, then you've come to the right place.

Here are a few K-Dramas to add to your watchlist following the conclusion of "Wedding Impossible"!

 

1. "Because This Is My First Life"

Cast: Lee MinKi, Jung SoMin, and others

Summary: Yoon JiHo is a single woman who dreams of becoming the main scriptwriter for a hit drama. Nam SeHee is a single, IT-worker who owns a house but owes a large mortgage. In order to alleviate the costs, he rents out a room and unknowingly agrees to sign on Yoon JiHo as a tenant. After various happenings and pressures from outside sources, they decide to enter into a contract marriage.

Reasons To Watch: "Because This Is My First Life" is a classic marriage contract K-Drama. Although the two main leads accidentally enter into each other's lives, they form an unlikely bond that becomes even stronger with every new episode. They become sturdy pillars of support, causing them to realize just how much they mean to one another, leading to true love.

 

2. "Love In Contact"

Cast: Park MinYoung, Ko KyungPyo, Kim JaeYoung, and more

Summary: Choi SangEun works as a contract marriage specialist, helping her clients to live the perfect single life. She decides to close down her business, but this proves to be difficult, as one of her last clients, Jung JiHo, happens to fall in love with her. Then there's top star, Kang HaeJin, who also employs SangEun's services and vies for her affection.

Reasons To Watch: Piloted by the rom-com queen herself, "Love In Contract" is lighthearted right down to its core. While there are moments of pure sincerity and genuine affection, you can be certain that there will be various scenes filled with side-splitting laughter. You'll become completely immersed, eager to find out how Choi SangEun and Jung JiHo's relationship will progress, crossing over the line between contract marriage specialist and client.

 

3. "Business Proposal"

Cast: Ahn HyoSeop, Kim SeJeong, Kim MinGue, Seor InA, and more

Summary: Shin HaRi is an ordinary office worker. One day, she disguises herself and attends a blind date in place of her friend Jin YoungSeo, with the goal of being rejected. Come to find out, the man she's meeting is the CEO of HaRi's company, Kang TaeMu. Plans backfire when he calls the next day, asking for HaRi's hand in marriage.

Watch Because: Similar to "Wedding Impossible", Shin HaRi jumps through numerous hoops to ensure her secret identity remains just that — a secret. Watching her live a double life provides limitless excitement. But the drama gets better as TaeMu and HaRi realize their feelings for each other, eventually transforming into a true couple right in front of our eyes.

 

4. "Doona!"

Cast: Suzy, Yang SeJong, Kim DoWan, Park SeWan, Ha Young, and more

Summary: Lee DooNa is the main vocalist for idol group Dream Sweet. However, due to an accident, she has stepped away from the spotlight. Lee WonJun is a university student who just moved away from home and ended up at the same share house as DooNa. They meet and life is never quite the same for either of them.

Reasons To Watch: If you're a fan of second leads, you might want to check out "Doona!" which features Kim DoWan! He has much better luck in finding himself and someone to truly love here. Aside from the success of Kim DoWan's character, Suzy and Yang SeJong absolutely kill it. Their chemistry is sizzling and will have you binging through the series in an instant. If you start the series at night, beware, you might be in for an all-nighter if you do.

 

5. "My Lovely Liar"

Cast: Kim SoHyun, Hwang MinHyun, Seo JiHoon, Lee SiWoo, and more

Summary: Depicts the story of Mok SolHee, a woman who's cautious of others due to her ability to hear lies. She meets murder suspect, Kim DoHa, whom no one believes in. Their paths start to intertwine as they slowly learn more about one another and uncover the secrets that have remained hidden all these years.

Reasons To Watch: Just like "Doona!", no themes of contract marriage can be found in "My Lovely Liar". But in similar fashion to "Wedding Impossible", the main leads must navigate life together, slowly figuring out each other's various charms. They work through a mountainous pile of misunderstandings before they're finally able to be together, happy and in love.

Which K-Drama are you watching now that "Wedding Impossible" is over?