:''Alternate meaning: Bohai Sea''

Native name	발해(渤海)
Conventional long name	Balhae
Common name	Balhae
Continent	moved from Category:Asia to East Asia
Region	East Asia
Country	Manchuria, Primorsky Krai, and the northern part of the Korean peninsula
Era	Ancient
Government type	Monarchy
Year start	698
Year end	926
Event start	Establishment
Event end	Fall of Sanggyeong
Date end	January 14
P1	Goguryeo
S1	Goryeo Dynasty
S2	Liao Dynasty
S3	Later Balhae
Flag	} --->
Flag type
Image map caption	Balhae at its greatest territorial extent
Capital	Dongmo mountain(698-742)Junggyeong(742-756)Sanggyeong(756-785)Donggyeong(785-793)Sanggyeong(793-926)
Common languages	Goguryeo language(Part of Old Korean)
Religion	Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Korean shamanism
Title leader	Emperor
Leader1	Go
Year leader1	698 - 719
Leader2	Mu
Year leader2	719 - 737
Leader3	Mun
Year leader3	737 - 793
Leader4	Seon
Year leader4	818 - 830
Footnotes	}}

title	Balhae
tablewidth	280
hangul	진, ''then'' 발해
hanja	振, ''then'' 渤海
rr	Jin, ''then'' Barhae
mr	Chin, ''then'' Parhae }}

Balhae (698 – 926) (, ''Bohai'' [渤海] in Chinese, ''Бохай'' in Russian) was a Korean kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo that existed during the North South states period of Korea along with Unified Silla. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a former Goguryeo general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin (振, Zhen in Chinese), later called Balhae. It was a successor state to Goguryeo.

Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria (Northeast China) and Primorsky Krai, and the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It was defeated by the Khitans in 926, and most of its northern territories were absorbed into the Liao Dynasty while the southern parts were absorbed into Goryeo.

History

Founding

The earliest extant recorded mention of Balhae come from the ''Book of Tang'', which was compiled between 941 to 945. Southern Manchuria and northern Korea were previously the territory of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Goguryeo fell to the allied forces of Silla and the Tang Dynasty in 668. The Tang annexed much of western Manchuria, while Silla unified the Korean peninsula south of the Taedong River and became Unified Silla. In the ''New Book of Tang'', it was recorded that the founder of Balhae, Dae Joyeong (大祚榮) was a former Goguryeo general.

Expansion and foreign relations

The second King Mu (r. 719-737), who felt encircled by Tang, Silla and Black Water Mohe along the Amur River, attacked Tang with his navy in 732 and successfully attacked and killed a Tang prefect based on the Shandong Peninsula. Later, a compromise was forged between Tang and Balhae, which resumed tributary missions to Tang. He also sent a mission to Japan in 728 to threaten Silla from the southeast. Balhae kept diplomatic and commercial contacts with Japan until the end of the kingdom. Balhae dispatched envoys to Japan 34 times, while Japan sent envoys to Balhae only 13 times. Because of its proximity to many powerful states, Balhae became a buffer zone for the region.

The third Emperor Mun (r. 737-793) expanded its territory into the Amur valley in the north and the Liaodong Peninsula in the west. During his reign, a trade route with Silla, called "Sillado" (신라도, 新羅道), was established. King Mun moved the capital of Balhae several times. He also established Sanggyeong, the permanent capital near Lake Jingpo in the south of today's Heilongjiang province around 755; stabilizing and strengthening central rule over various ethnic tribes in his realm, which was expanded temporarily. He also authorized the creation of the ''Jujagam'' (胄子監), the national academy, based on the national academy of Tang. Although China recognized him as a king, Balhae itself referred to him as the son of heaven and an emperor.

The tenth King Seon reign (r. 818-830), Balhae controlled northern Korea, Northeastern Manchuria and now Primorsky Krai of Russia. King Seon led campaigns that resulted in the absorbing of many northern Mohe tribes and southwest Lesser Goguryeo kingdom, which was located in the Liaodong Peninsula, was absorbed into Balhae. Its strength was such that Silla was forced to build a northern wall in 721 as well as maintain active defences along the common border.

Fall and legacy

Traditionally, historians believed that ethnic conflicts between the ruling Koreans and underclass Mohe weakened the state. Recent study suggests that the downfall of Balhae is largely due to the catastrophic eruption in the 10th century of Baekdu Mountain located at the center of Balhae territory. Baekdu mountain still has one of the biggest volcanic calderas in the world, Heaven Lake. Ashes of this eruption can still be found in a large area, even in a sedimentary layer in northern Japan. This massive explosion created tremendous amounts of volcanic ash, damaging agriculture and even societal integrity. The Khitans took advantage of this natural disaster.

Eventually, Balhae would succumb to the Khitans, an emerging power in the Liaoxi area (east of the current Beijing area). After destroying Balhae in 926, the Khitan established the puppet Dongdan Kingdom, which was soon annexed by Liao in 936. Some Balhae aristocrats were moved to Liaoyang but Balhae's eastern territory remained politically independent. Some Balhae people including aristocrats (est. 1 million), led by the last Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon, fled southward to Goryeo, the new self-proclaimed successor of Goguryeo (934). Many descendants of the Balhae royal family in Goryeo changed their family name to Tae (태, 太) while Crown Prince Dae Gwang-hyeon was given the family name Wang (왕, 王), the royal family name of the Goryeo dynasty. Balhae was the last state in Korean history to hold any significant territory in Manchuria, although later Korean dynasties would continue to regard themselves as successors of Goguryeo and Balhae. Moreover that was the beginning of the northern expansion of later Korean dynasties.

The Khitans themselves eventually succumbed to the Jurchen people, who founded the Jin Dynasty. The Jin dynasty favored the Balhae people as well as the Khitans. Jurchen proclamations emphasized the common descent of the Balhae and Jurchen people from the seven Wuji (勿吉) tribes, and proclaimed "Jurchen and Balhae are from the same family". The fourth, fifth and seventh emperors of Jin were mothered by Balhae consorts. The 13th century census of Northern China by the Mongols distinguished Balhae from other ethnic groups such as Goryeo, Khitan and Jurchen. This suggests that the Balhae people still preserved their identity even after the conquest of the kingdom.

Aftermath

After the fall of Balhae and its last king in 926, it was renamed Dongdan by its new Khitan rulers, who had control over most of Balhae's old territories. However, starting from 927, many rebellions were triggered throughout the domains. These rebellions were eventually turned into several Balhae revivals. Out of these, only three succeeded and established kingdoms: Later Balhae, Jeong-an kingdom, Heung-yo kingdom and Daewon kingdom. These three kingdoms were able to temporarily chase the Khitan and their Dongdan Kingdom out into the Liaodong peninsula, but they were all eventually devastated by the Liao Empire.

In 934, Dae Gwang-hyeon, the last Crown Prince of Balhae, revolted against the Khitans. After being defeated, he fled to Goryeo, where he was granted protection and the imperial surname. This resulted in the Liao breaking off diplomatic relations with Goryeo, but there was no threat of invasion.

Government and culture

Balhae was made up of former Goguryeo remnants and of several Tungusic peoples present in Manchuria, of which the native Mohe made up the largest. The Mohe constituted as subject people, some forced into slave status into serving the Goguryeo ruling class. As such, they made the bulk of the labor class. Nevertheless, there were instances of Mohe moving upward into the Balhae elite, however few, such as the followers of Geolsa Biu, who supported the estalblishment of Balhae. They were limited to the title of "''suryong''", or "chief", and played a part in the ruling elite. Although rare, some members of Balhae embassies held Mohe surnames.

It is noted that Balhae was a culturally advanced society, as an official from China described it as the "flourishing land of the East." The government operated three chancelleries and six ministries. It is obvious that Balhae's structure was modelled after the Chinese system, however it did not entirely conform to that of the Tang. The "''taenaesang''" or the "great minister of the court" was superior to the other two chancelleries (the left and the right) and its system of five capitals originates from Goguryeo's administrative structure. Balhae, like Silla, sent many students to Tang to study, and many went on to take and pass the Chinese civil service examinations.() As consequence, the Balhae capital of Sanggyong was organized in the way of Tang's capital of Chang'an. Residential sectors were laid out on either side of the palace surrounded by a rectangular wall.

The principal roots of Balhae culture was that of Goguryeo origins. An Ondol installation was uncovered in the inner citidel of the Balhae palace and many others adjacent to it. Furthermore, Buddhist statuaries and motifs were found in Balhae temples that reflect that of distinctive Goguryeo art. An important source of cultural information on Balhae was discovered at the end of the 20th century at the Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain, especially the Mausoleum of Princess Jeong-Hyo.

Characterization and political interpretation

Controversy rests over the ethnic makeup of the people of Balhae. That Balhae was founded by a former general from Goguryeo is undisputed, but there is some dispute over his ethnicity, due to ambiguous wording in historical sources. No written records from Balhae itself survive.

Koreans have regarded Balhae as a Korean state, particularly from the Joseon Dynasty onwards. The 18th century, during the Joseon Dynasty, was a period in which Korean scholars began a renewed interest in Balhae. The Qing and Joseon dynasties had negotiated and demarcated the Sino-Korean border along the Yalu and Tumen rivers in 1712, and Jang Ji-yeon (1762–1836), journalist, writer of nationalist tracts, and organizer of nationalist societies, published numerous articles arguing that had the Joseon officials considered Balhae part of their territory, they would not be as eager to "give up" lands north of the rivers. Yu Deuk-gong in his eighteenth-century work ''Balhaego'' (An investigation of Balhae) argued that Balhae should be included as part of Korean history, and that doing so would justify territorial claims on Manchuria. Korean historian Sin Chae-ho, writing about Jiandao in the early twentieth century, bemoaned that for centuries, Korean people in their “hearts and eyes considered only the land south of the Yalu River as their home” and that “half of our ancestor Dangun's ancient lands have been lost for over nine hundred years.” Sin also criticized Kim Busik, author of the Samguk Sagi, for excluding Balhae from his historical work and claiming that Silla had achieved unification of Korea. Inspired by ideas of Social Darwinism, Sin wrote: :"How intimate is the connection between Korea and Manchuria? When the Korean race obtains Manchuria, the Korean race is strong and prosperous. When another race obtains Manchuria, the Korean race is inferior and recedes. Moreover, when in the possession of another race, if that race is the northern race, then Korea enters that northern race's sphere of power. If an eastern race obtains Manchuria, then Korea enters that race's sphere of power. Alas! This is an iron rule that has not changed for four thousand years."

Neither Silla nor the later Goryeo wrote an official history for Balhae, and some modern scholars argue that had they done so, Koreans might have had a stronger claim to Balhae's history and territory.

In modern North and South Korea, Balhae is regarded as a Korean state and is positioned in the "North South States Period" (with Silla) today, although such a view has had proponents in the past. They emphasize its connection with Goguryeo and minimize that with the Mohe. While South Korean historians think the ethnicity ruling class was of Goguryeo and the commoners were mixed, including Mohe, North Korean historians think Balhae ethnography was mostly Goguryeo. Koreans believe the founder Dae Joyeong was of Goguryeo stock. The ''Book of Tang'' says that Dae Joyeong was a "Goguryeo variant" (고려별종, 高麗別種), and the ''New Book of Tang'' states that he is "from the Sumo Mohe region of the former realm of Goguryeo."

In the West, Balhae is generally characterized as a successor to Goguryeo that traded with China and Japan, and its name is romanized from Korean. It is seen as composed of peoples of northern Manchuria and northern Korea, with its founder and the ruling class consisting largely of the former aristocrats of Goguryo. Korean scholars believe Balhae founder Dae Joyeong was of Goguryeo ethnicity, while others believe he was an ethnic Mohe from Goguryeo.

Like many ancient Korean kingdoms and other states, Balhae sometimes paid tribute to China, and an heir who lacks this sanction was called by China 知國務 ("State Affairs Leader"), not king; also, China considered every king simultaneously the Prefect of Holhan Prefecture (忽汗州都督府都督). However, Balhae rulers called themselves emperors and declared their own era names.

Chinese historians insist Balhae to be composed of the Balhae ethnic group, which was mostly based on the Mohe. Historically, the Jurchens (later renamed the Manchus, considered themselves as sharing ancestry with the Mohe. According to the ''Book of Jin'' (金史), the history of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, the Jurchens proclaimed "The Jurchens and Balhae are from the same family". (女直渤海本同一家) The People's Republic of China continues to consider Balhae as part of the history of its ethnic Manchus.

The People's Republic of China is accused of limiting Korean archealogists access to historical sites located within Liaoning and Jilin. Starting from 1994, increasing numbers of South Korean tourists began to visit archaeological sites in China and often engaged in nationalistic displays. This was aggravated by a series of tomb robberies and vandalism at several of these archaeological sites between 1995 and 2000, which were widely believed to have been perpetrated by ethnic Koreans.

South Korean archeologist Song Ki-ho, who is a noted professor of Seoul National University and has published several papers criticizing the Chinese government, made several visits to China in the 1990s, 2000, 2003, and 2004, examined several historical sites and museums. However, he found himself restricted by limitations on note-taking and photography and even ejected from several sites by museum employees.

North Korea has restricted independent archaeologists from its historical sites, many of which may be Balhae-related, since at least the early 1960s. Foreign scholars have criticized political bias in North Korean historiography, and have accused North Korean scholars of reconstructing or even fabricating historical sites.

Scholars from South and North Korea, Russia and Japan assert that Balhae was independent in its relations with the Tang Dynasty. Most Russian archaeologists and scholars describe Balhae as a kingdom of displaced Goguryo people.:ru:Пархэ They do admit that Balhae had a strong Chinese and Central Asian influence.

In relations with Japan, Balhae referred to itself as Goguryeo, and Japan welcomed this as a kind of restoration of its former friendly relationship with Goguryeo.

Media

Balhae is mentioned in a Korean film called ''Shadowless Sword'', which is about the last prince of Balhae. Also in a Korean TV drama, which started in September 2006, featured the founder of Balhae Dae Jo Yeong. Currently the series has completed airing.

See also

Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain

Goguryeo

History of Korea

List of Korea-related topics

List of Provinces of Balhae

List of rulers of Balhae

Mausoleum of Princess Jeonghyo

Mohe

North South States Period

References

孫玉良(1992). ''渤海史料全編''. 吉林文史出版社 ISBN 978-7-80528-597-9

Work Cited

External links

Encyclopedia Britannica

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

Columbia Encyclopedia

U.S. Library of Congress: Country Studies

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provinces of Balhae Kingdom in 820 RootsInfo.co.kr Balhae creation and it's Extension Han's Palhae of Korea 한규철의 발해사 연구실

Category:926 disestablishments Category:States and territories established in 698 * Category:Former countries in Korean history Category:690s establishments Category:920s disestablishments Category:Former empires Category:Former countries in East Asia

br:Balhae de:Balhae es:Balhae fa:بالهایی fr:Balhae gl:Balhae ko:발해 id:Balhae it:Balhae nl:Bohai-rijk ja:渤海 (国) no:Balhae pl:Palhae pt:Balhae ru:Бохай th:อาณาจักรบัลแฮ uk:Бохай vi:Vương quốc Bột Hải zh-classical:渤海國 zh:渤海国

Name	Seo Taiji
Birth name	Jeong Hyeon-cheol
Alias	Taiji, Dae-jang, Seomeo, Seovely, Rubberband Lord, Seocrooge
Born	February 21, 1972
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer
Genre	Pop, metal, alternative rock, nu metal, hip hop, rap rock, rap metal, rapcore, intelligent dance, synthpop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1989–19961998–present
Label	Bando Entertainment Seo Taiji Company Yedang Entertainment
Associated acts	Sinawe, Seo Taiji and Boys, Seo Taiji Band
Website	http://www.seotaiji.com/
background	solo_singer}}

Title	Birth name
Tablewidth	265
Color	khaki
Hangul	정현철
Hanja
Rr	Jeong Hyeon-cheol
Mr	Chŏng Hyŏnch'ŏl
Hangulstage	서태지
Rrstage	Seo Tae-ji
Mrstage	Sŏ T'aeji
Tablewidth	245 }}

Jeong Hyeon-cheol (born on February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji, is a South Korean singer, musician, and songwriter. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, he has risen to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea; many refer to him as "the President of culture". He introduced incorporating elements of popular musical genres in the United States and contributed considerably larger to Korean pop culture and Korean pop's development in the 1990s.

Biography

Early career with Sinawe

At an early age, Hyeon-cheol had a fascination with music. At 14, he participated in several amateur rock bands. At 17, he took the stage name of Seo Taiji when he was recruited into the metal band Sinawe, playing the bass. He chose to drop out of school because he felt that continuing to be enrolled in school would not be useful in pursuing a career in music.

Seo Taiji & Boys: 1992-1996

After the breakup of Sinawe in 1991, Taiji switched gears and formed the dance group Seo Taiji & Boys (서태지와 아이들) with dancers Lee Juno (이주노) and Yang Hyeon-seok. Seo Taiji came across midi technology for the first time in Korea in the early 1990s and started experimenting with different midi sound to create a new type of music that had not been heard by the public. He initially had no plans to debut as a dance/pop boy group and Seo Taiji & Boys' incredible mainstream success was an unexpected surprise.

1992: Nan Arayo (I Know)

The introduction of the first Seo Tai-ji & Boys album sparked a complete shift in the focus of popular Korean music that is still felt today. Their first single, "Nan Arayo" (난 알아요) was a hugely successful hit, being the first of its kind in Korean pop to meld contemporary dance sounds with urban-influenced rap lyrics. It charted on the #1 spot for a record-breaking 17 weeks. This record has not been broken up to date.

1993: Hayeoga

The second album took a different turn. While the album remained mostly a dance album, the songs had elements of rock and heavy metal added to them.

1994: Balhaereul Ggumggumyeo (Dreaming For Balhae)

The third album switched gears to being much more heavy metal and rock driven. The danceable tunes are nearly non-existent except Barhaereul Ggumggumyeo (발해를 꿈꾸며, Dreaming Of Balhae), an alternative rock song which indicates a hope of reunification of Korea. Instead, songs such as the extremely controversial Gyosil Idea (교실 이데아, Class Idea) with an impressive death grunt backvocal by Ahn Heung-chan (안흥찬) of Crash took center stage. Gyosil Idea was extremely critical of the Korean education system and its brainwashing of the youth of Korea. This was the first of the numerous controversies regarding Seo Tai-ji and Boys. They were accused of backwards masking Satanist messages in their songs. Although the mainstream news media later proved these accusations to be based on extremely tenuous evidence, the moral panic proved difficult to eliminate entirely.

1995: Come Back Home

Not backing down, Seo Tai-ji and Boys' fourth album exploded with more controversial songs. "Come Back Home" was a foray into Korean gangster rap. It really made many runaway teenagers in South Korea "come back home." Pilseung (필승, "Must Triumph") was also a great hit with alternative rock sound and shouting voice. Shidaeyugam (시대유감, "Regret of the Times") was nearly banned by the Korean Performance Ethics Committee (한국공연윤리위원회, present is '한국영상물관리위원회'[Korean Video Management Committee]) for having lyrics that were considered inappropriate for youth consumption. The backlash from the fans was immense, and the system of 'pre-censorship'(사전심의제) was abolished in July 1996, partially as a result of this.

1996: Retirement

Seo-Taiji and Boys retired from South Korea's popular music scene in January 1996 during its heyday. Their announcement of retirement was a huge disappointment for millions of fans in Korea. Seotaiji headed over to the United States after retirement while Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyeon-seok established record labels right after their retirement. Yang Hyeon-seok was very successful making YG Entertainment a big corporation. After declaration on retirement, Seo Tai-ji and Boys released their ''Goodbye Best Album'', which is the only compilation album from Seo Tai-ji and Boys. In the booklet, the writing indicates "Yes, it's not over, our love will continue as '&', not the 'End'." Seotaiji's life after retirement in the United States is unknown to the public due to his high profile status. He wrote on his website www.seotaiji.com that he had dreamt of living a normal life with a wife and children living peacefully without all the media attention. He later mentioned in interviews in 2008 that at the time of his retirement, he felt like he could not continue to produce and write more music in such short time frame, being pressured to release albums every 6 to 8 months and working under such schedule was unsustainable. However, Seotaiji said that he was young back then and didn't realize the importance of music in his life. He will never again say that he will retire from music; it will just be a long hiatus if needed, but never a retirement. in 2011 The Korean press discovred that Seo married a Korean American woman named Lee Ji-ah whose real name was Kang Sang Eun for 14 years marriage. her stage name wss backwards of Seo's name

Solo career: 1998-Present

1998: Seo Tai Ji

Two year after Seo Tai-ji and Boys' retirement, Taiji resumed his career as a musician. His solo career has and continues to also be successful. He recurred to return to his true roots and perform rock music. Without any appearances or activity in South Korea, he released an album with a couple of music videos in 1998. There was some controversy over his sudden reversal of retirement, but his first Solo album "Seo Tai Ji" sold more than a million copies even without any promotion in Korea. His first solo work included heavy metal and Nu metal songs, but the main genre was still alternative rock. Although it was his first solo work, fans refer to it as his 5th album.

2000: Ultramania

In 2000, he returned to South Korea after a four year absence. On the day of his arrival at the Kimpo International Airport in Seoul, the entire airport had been crowded by thousands of fans and media trying to get the first look on Seotaiji. There was great talk between fans and the media about Seotaiji's unique hair style and his clothes worn on that day. At a comeback interview in 2008, he jokingly referred to it as one of the most embarrassing moment of his music career.

He released the album ''Ultramania'' which consisted of Nu metal and Hardcore punk. His solo act had an effect on many South Korean boy bands such as H.O.T. and caused them to decline in popularity. His songs "Internet War" and "Ultramania" were the biggest hits of the year. After the ETPFEST, which he founded during his comeback, Taiji was presented with hide of X Japan's Fernandes MG-360S guitar, which is yellow with pink hearts, by hide's parents and his brother, Hiroshi, to celebrate the success of ETPFEST and the first hide Showcase tribute ever at a rock festival by X Japan. During his comeback, there were arguments that his seldom appearance on TV was aimed to make a mysterious image which helps promote his popularity, but in reality his personality is very reclusive and little is known about his personal life by the public. He has mentioned in several interviews that he chooses to maintain private personal life separate from his musical career but this concept is never well-accepted by the Korean culture where celebrity personal profiles are often disclosed widely to the public. This is one of the few reasons why he is criticized as being a mysterious figure.

2004: 7th Issue

Seo Taiji maintained his Nu metal sound in his third solo album, ''7th Issue''. However, unlike ''Ultramania'', ''7th Issue'' was recorded mostly on a dropped C tuning, which gave the effect of the album sounding like one long song. Nevertheless, it had no problem attracting attention to a wide range of audiences. ''7th Issue's'' catchy rock tune made his fans call it "Punk rock". Also, he obviously added Drum and Bass sound into his several songs, so that it proved him to be a favorable electronica musician (skills he learned from producing the "Seo Taiji & Boys" albums). J from Luna Sea also participated in the making of this album as the bassist. His song "Live Wire" was a good hit succeeding the vivacity of "Ultramania". "Robot" deals with his youth and anguish, while the song "F.M.Business" acrimoniously criticize the issues of and the commercialized music business and the artist exploitation from greedy corporate record labels. He also touches on the issue of abortion along with sexism and sexual assault with the song, "Victim". His record sale was reduced to a half million due to on-line downloading services, but was still the highest selling record of 2004 in South Korea. Taiji proved himself to be a musician in top popularity for more than a decade. After his activities up to 2005, he once again suddenly disappeared out of the spotlight.

2008~2009: 8th Atomos

He returned to Korea after a long awaited absence, and revealed his latest single "Moai". It was the first release of Seo Taiji's ambitious 3-part "mystery project", which was followed by another single, "Bermuda Triangle" which was put up as a digital single. The third part, Atomos Part Secret, was released on March 10. He had a promotion called "Missing Taiji", where there were false rumors that Taiji went missing, only to return on the "Wormhole" concert day. In his single "Moai", Taiji reinvents his sound, and introduces a new experimental style he calls "nature pound". "Moai" draws inspiration from the mysterious statues of Easter Island which had long fascinated him since his childhood. He performed at the 2008 ETPFEST which he spearheaded to promote his comeback along side bands such as The Used, Dragon Ash, Death Cab for Cutie and Marilyn Manson.

He also put together "The Great Seotaiji Symphony" with Tolga Kashif and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform his old hits and new songs presented in an entirely new form, combining rock and classical music. The main concert was held at the Seoul Worldcup Stadium. After the main concert, there were complaints about the sound quality not being delivered to the second and third floors at the further ends of the stadium and to make up for this mistake, another encore performance (same setlist) was held in December at an closed/indoor venue, Jamsil Gymnasium upgraded with better sound systems.

Taiji's second single - following Atomos Part Moai - called Atomos Part Secret was released on March 10, 2009. It is the same date as the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to Mars in 2006. Taiji also held a concert promoting his second single on March 14 and 15. Tickets for the concert, cryptically titled Wormhole, sold out in just 20 minutes.

Seotaiji's 15th anniversary album consisted of most of his works so far, re-recorded and re-mastered but it was released in a limited edition with only 15,000 copies available, each with unique serial numbers. Serial numbers #1-15 were purchased by Seotaiji himself. He kept #1 for himself, gave #2 and #3 to his old time friends Lee Juno and Yang Hyun Seuk, and the rest to his close friends. Since the re-recorded and re-mastered songs were only available for the limited anniversary album and not all the fans were able to purchase it, he decided to re-release all the albums with the containing the new versions. On April 3, the first two Seo Taiji and Boys Albums were rereleased. Taiji will rerelease all 7 of his albums, from Nan Arayo! to 7th Issue. On May 25, the 3rd and 4th Seo Taiji and Boys albums were rereleased.

As of June 13, he will hold a nationwide tour named "The Möbius". The first of the concerts will be held in Seoul, Korea. The tour has ended, but a repeat performance was given 2 months after the finish. ETPFEST 2009 was also held with guest groups such as NIN, Limp Bizkit, Keane, Fade, Boom Boom Satellites, Pia and GUMX.

1997: Marriage

- On April 21, 2011 it was revealed by daily SportsSeoul and later confirmed by numerous media outlets that Seo Taiji married his ex-wife Lee Ji Ah (real name Kim Sang Eun) on October 21, 1997. Their union was kept secret because both Seo Taiji and Lee Ji Ah kept their personal lives hidden from the media. In the past, netizens have commented on Lee Ji Ah's past- giving her the infamous nickname of "alien" because of her ability to keep her private/past life secret. Since the shocking news of Seo and Lee's 14 year union, many have speculated that Seo Taiji's power and wealth were two of the main reasons why her past has been undetectable. In addition, many believe the real reason behind the controversial disbandment of Seo Taiji and the Boys was because of his relationship with Lee Ji Ah. Since their marriage in October, the once happy couple lived in Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia from Seo's retirement in 1996 until his return in June 2000. Lee filed for divorce in 2006 citing both lifestyle and personality differences. According to Lee, the divorce was finalized in 2009. Their relationship went public after Lee sued Seo for alimony, since then (as of 4/21/2011) they have had two appearances in court- once in January 2011 and April 2011. Currently (as of 4/21/2011) they have yet to settle their lawsuit. There is debate as to whether or not this explosive news was tipped off to SportsSeoul by the Korean government in order to take spot light off of the BBK scandal involving Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

Seo Taiji Band

Although Taiji now works as a "solo" artist, the following musicians consistently play with him during tours, studio recordings, and music videos. Some of them belong to other bands, but they participated in recording and performances for a short period of time.:

Top (Ahn Seong-Hoon) - lead guitar for SeoTaiJi's 6th~8th album

Rock - rhythm guitar for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album

Sang Uk (Monkey) - bass for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album

Heff "The Machine" Holter - drums for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album

Kim Seok-Jung (Hangul:김석정) - Keyboards/Programming/Samples/FX/arrange for SeoTaiJi's 8th album

Kang Joon-Hyung (Hangul: 강준형) - bass for SeoTaiJi's 8th album. He normally works with the band "A'ccel in a story".

Choi Hyun-Jin (Hangul:최현진) - drums for SeoTaiJi's 8th album. He normally works with the band "Vassline"

Discography

Seotaiji and Boys

''Seotaiji and Boys''(1992)

''Seotaiji and Boys II''(1993)

''Seotaiji and Boys III''(1994)

''Seotaiji and Boys IV''(1995)

Solo studio albums

''Seotaiji 5th Seo Tai Ji''(1998)

''Seotaiji 6th Ultramania''(2000)

''Seotaiji 7th Issue''(2004)

''Seotaiji 8th Atomos''(2009)

Live releases

2009 Seotaiji Band Live Tour [The Möbius] (2010)

The Great Seotaiji Symphony (including the track 'FM Business') (2009)

Seotaiji Live Tour Zero '04 (2005)

6th Album Re-recording & ETPFEST Live (2003)

Seotaiji Band Live Album 2000/2001 태지의 話(Taiji Speaks) (2001)

Taiji Boys '95 다른 하늘이 열리고(Farewall to sky) (1995)

Seotaiji and Boys '93 마지막축제(Last Festival) (1994)

Taiji Boys Live & Techno Mix (1992)

Singles & Etcs

8th Atomos Part Secret (2009)

8th Atomos Part Moai (2008)

[&] Seotaiji 15th Anniversary Album (2007): remastered all songs from 'Seo Tai-ji & Boys' albums, live albums, solo albums, and remix songs are included.

Feel The Soul Maxi Single (Released in Japan) (2001)

Seotaiji and Boys Goodbye Best Album (1996)

Sidae-Yoogam[시대유감-時代遺憾 Regret of the Times] (1996)

DVD releases

Seotaiji Live Tour: The Möbius (2011)

The GREAT 2008 Seotaiji Symphony with Tolga Kashif & Royal Phillharmonic DVD (2010)

2004 Seo Taiji Record of the 7th (2005)

The Shedding Bird: Seo Taiji Company DVD+Art book (2005)

Seo Taiji Live Tour ZERO 04 DVD+Art book (2004)

Seo Taiji Live Tour '2000-2001 The Taiji Speaks' DVD (2001)

Blu-ray releases

Seotaiji Live Tour: The Möbius (2011)

The GREAT 2008 Seotaiji Symphony with Tolga Kashif & Royal Phillharmonic DVD+Blu-ray (2010)

References

External links

Official website

ETP Fest official website

ETP Fest official shop website

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Heavy metal singers Category:MTV Viewer's Choice Award winners Category:People from Seoul Category:South Korean male singers Category:South Korean rock musicians Category:South Korean bass guitarists

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