- published: 24 Sep 2012
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TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (traditional Chinese: 東方神起) , and stylized as TVXQ!, is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki (Korean: 동방신기), often abbreviated as DBSK; and in Japan as Tohoshinki (Japanese: 東方神起). Their name translates to "The Rising Gods of the East".
The group debuted in 2003 as a 5 member group consisting of leader U-Know Yunho, Max Changmin, Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu. In July 2009, the latter three filed for an injunction against their Korean agency SM Entertainment. This led to TVXQ ceasing all public activities and appearances after 2009. After a hiatus that lasted 2 years and 3 months, TVXQ returned as a duo consisting of Yunho and Changmin.
TVXQ is one of Asia's most successful acts and they have been labelled as "Asia's Stars" and "Kings of Korean Pop and Hallyu Wave" for their immense success and contributions to Korean pop. Since their debut, TVXQ has released 5 Korean albums, 5 Japanese albums, over 20 Korean singles and over 30 Japanese singles. According to Gaon Chart, till March 2012, TVXQ has sold over 10.1 million copies of albums, singles and DVDs throughout their career in Korea and Japan alone, excluding sales from other Asian and international countries. After gaining much popularity around the world, TVXQ also is said to have sold over 20 million copies of album, singles, DVD and their own publications books worldwide, making them the most successful Korean artist both in Asia and worldwide till now. TVXQ’s The Best Selection 2010 broke several records for being the first foreign male artists to surpass the 700,000 mark in Japan. They have two official fanclubs in Korea and Japan, known respectively as Cassiopeia and BigEast, the former which notably earned a Guinness World Record in 2008 for its size and is said to be one of the largest fan clubs in the world, boasting 1.5 million fans in Asia and 5.5 million worldwide.