By now, you've seen countless of throwback articles floating around the internet reminiscing what it was like to grow up in the States during the 90s. The 90s was an era of the fun and the funny, from retrospectively noob technology, fashion terrorism, to the rise of "Dirty Pop." And if 'Reply 1997' and 'Reply 1994' were any indication, South Korea also had its fair share of the cute and the questionable.
Check out this list of what Koreans miss from the 90s and enjoy a blast from the past--whether you're hit with nostalgia, or you simply learn something new.
1. Tape, tape, and more tape
Before CDs, DVDs, and way before digital files, there were cassette tapes and VHS (so analog!). Forget downloading or streaming, if there's a song or show you like, you'll have to record it on these babies. Careful with the tapes though, lest you accidentally crinkle them up and wreck them for good. Ah, the joy of waiting for your favorite song to finally play on the radio and hitting the record button (better hope the DJ didn't interrupt the song).
Let's rewind, having one of these was also pretty handy during the VCR days:
Car rewinders FTW.
2. Shim Eun Ha
Speaking of tapes, if there's anything you wanted to record, it was definitely a Shim Eun Ha drama. Acting in hit after hit, Shim Eun Ha was the it-girl of the 90s, and had the country lovestruck over her innocent looks and monster talent.
Check out the opening to Shim Eun Ha's horror, sci-fi drama 'M' (1994), in which she plays a girl possessed by the soul of an aborted child. The clip appears to be made from my nightmares, as it features naked Slendermen tumbling and swimming into a pool of blood cells and darkness. Now that's TV-friendly, amiright?
For a less traumatizing and more amusing experience, here is the opening to Shim Eun Ha's basketball drama 'Final Jump', featuring Jang Dong Gun. Cue the slow-mo, dramatic looks. This drama means serious business guys.
3. Ahn Jae Wook
Alongside the it-girl, there was the it-guy and that title belonged to none other than 90s flowerboy Ahn Jae Wook. After starring in the super trendy K-Drama 'Star in My Heart', Ahn Jae Wook became an audience favorite--think Lee Min Ho status--as he was popular all across Asia and had all the girls swooning.
Check out famous 'Star in My Heart' drama finale, in which Ahn Jae Wook serenades his co-star Choi Jin Sil. 'Reply 1997' fans may recognize this romantic scene, as Eunji's character had fangirled over it with her mom, while others may get 'You're Beautiful' vibes.
4. Game Boy
If you think your iPhone 4 is chunky, then the first Game Boy was a brick. Seriously, if I threw this at someone, it would cause some serious damage.
Check out this video of kids (born in the 2000s!!) reacting to the original Game Boy. 90s kids, prepare to feel old.
Interesting Note: The Game Boy was known as the Mini Comboy and licensed through Samsung in Korea because there was a ban on Japanese cultural import products.
5. Arcade Games
Of course, you can still play arcade games even now, but that's if you can find one. Back in the days there was an arcade center on almost every corner and kids would gather to play their favorite games. This was when there were no smart phones and apps, so arcade games like 'Bubble Bobble' and 'Street Fighter II' were part of the daily norm.
Check out this Korean ahjusshi cutely reminiscing them old times in his play-through of 'Bubble Bobble'. You may recognize the jingle in the background, as Samyang Ramen later used it for idol CFs like this one.
For 'Street Fighter' fans, here's a 'Street Fighter II' clip of a playthrough with Ryu (Ha-Do-Ken!)
6. 015b
While the 90s may have been the rise of beloved K-Pop idol-youngin's like H.O.T, Sechskies, SES, Fin.K.L, Baby Vox, etc., we can't forget about 015b, a band known for its lounge and pop music.
Check out their music video for their hit "Old Lover", as the band asks in swagtastic fashion, "AYO, you wanna dance?"
7. Flowy Boy Band Hair
If you thought the Bieber 'do was silly in all its fluffy glory, check out these long, antennae bangs. Believe it or not, these cuts were considered quite stylish back in the 90s!
Guys at the mall were rocking this hair with their JNCO jeans and H.O.T's Kangta and Sechskies's Kang Sung Hoon were particularly known to rock this anime-like look. Sasuke, is that you?
8. For girls: highlights and updos galore
I remember in the 90s when highlights were a huge thing. Asian black hair with striking blonde streaks made for an interesting bee color scheme that, although I remember fondly, I would never like to have on my head again.
K-Pop girl groups like SES and Fink.L took the hair craziness to whole new other level though with all sorts of creative updos. Want your hair to look like a bush? The 90s got you covered.
9. Hip Hop fashion
90s fashion was something like over-sized hip hop clothes meets anime hair. H.O.T was particularly known for this '2kool4skool' look. Before that, in the early 90's, there was Hyun Jin Young who rocked Cross Colours and Malcolm X.
10. JanSport backpacks
Tribal prints? Floral patterns? Please, in the 90s there was no need for such convoluted designs. All you needed was a solid-colored backpack with the logo 'JanSport' stamped on it, and you were good to go.
11. Carp and Dalgona Bbobki
In the 90s, bbobki stands were located right outside the elementary schools, on standby for JanSport backpacking troopers. Kids would clamor around these stands after school to purchase these cheap, sugary, toffee-like candies through fun games. Once you pay for a bbobki, you get to draw a number; whichever animal bbobki matches the number you have is the one that you get. Kids normally wanted the carp bbobki, due to its grand size.
There were also dalgona bbobkis, which were like thin cookies made from melted sugar. These bbobkis usually had shapes carved into the middle. The challenge was that if you could successfully cut out the shape without breaking the whole cookie, you could get another one for free. Don't get too excited though, this is a lot harder than it sounds.
Here's a video that shows exactly how dalgona bbobkis are made (aughh that sugary goodness) and how fragile they can be.
12. Soondaeggochi
Mmmm, soondaeggochi. AKA pig intestines on a stick! For the easily queasy, I'm telling you that the dish is more delicious than it looks. While pig intestines are still served in Korean restaurants to this day, in the 90s you could get some smothered in hot sauce right on the streets. Why they ever discontinued this? We may never know.
13. Seo Taiji and the Boys
Seo Taiji and the Boys were known for introducing a completely new sound to the Korean music scene. Featuring the talented Seo Taiji in the front and center as the composer and main vocalist, with Lee Juno and Yang Hyun Suk (YG Entertainment founder) as his dancers, Seo Taiji and the Boys were considered an experimental yet highly successful group.
Check out those sick moves in their 1992 debut performance provided below! Can anyone spot fan-favorite Papa YG?
14. I think I heard a whisper somewhere
Oh. JYP. It's you.
All snickering and joking aside, while Lee Soo Man was producing trendy groups like H.O.T and SES and Yang Hyun Suk was werking it on stage, J.Y. Park was also finding success with his singing career and producing ambitions, as he helped late 90s stars g.o.d and Park Ji Yoon climb to fame. Despite his questionable fashion choices, J.Y. Park certainly had (and has!) an ear for the Korean music industry.
Check out J.Y. Park's 1995 performance of his debut song "Don't Leave Me", as he owns the stage clad in a shiny, purple, flowy, pajama-like suit.
Log in to comment