While this isn't a history lesson, it's fascinating to reflect on the roots of K-Pop, especially given its immense global impact in recent years. Have you ever wondered about the groundbreaking moments that shaped the industry as we know it today? It's enlightening to acknowledge the pioneers who paved the way for the elements we now cherish as K-Pop fans.

Here are five milestone "firsts" in K-Pop history that will pique your curiosity!

First K-pop Group and First K-pop Male Group: SEO TAIJI AND BOYS

With numerous K-Pop boy groups debuting left and right, if you wonder who was the first K-Pop group to exist, it's Seo Taiji and Boys! Well, technically, the boy group SoBangCha debuted in 1987 and they were quite popular but most people don't consider them to be the "1st generation of K-pop." The group debuted in 1992 and successfully took over the entire Korean music scene. The group consisted of Seo Taiji, Lee Juno, and Yang Hyun Suk (yes, the founder of YG) and had a massive fandom during their time. The group only remained active until 1996, but their legacy and influence still live up until now.

First K-pop Girl Group: S.E.S

S.E.S, comprised of members Sea, Eugene, and Shoo, became the first-ever girl group in the 1st generation of K-Pop, and was known as the "Fairies of K-Pop." They debuted in 1997 under SM Entertainment, and during their time, they successfully had a best-selling album in 2000 and were the first group to do MV concepts, starting from a cutesy image to edgy performers.

First Lightstick in K-Pop: BigBang bangbong

If you're too young to know, before lightsticks were a thing, fans used to hold up balloons of specific colors to support their artists at performances. However, G-Dragon, BigBang's leader thought of something that would differentiate their fans; lightsticks. And so, Bangbong was created, the first lightstick in K-Pop. YG then became the first ever company to make mass production of K-Pop lightsticks and the rest is history.

First Photocards in K-Pop: SNSD & TVXQ

You know the obsession with photocards? And with the different versions it has to make fans buy more albums? They weren't a thing before until... SM introduced them in 2007. They created their first K-Pop group photocard set for TVXQ for a Japan release and in 2010, Girls' Generation, who was the Nation's girl group, became the first group to release a photocard in Korea for their album "Oh!" 

First K-Pop Artist to Gain 1 Billion Views on Youtube: PSY

This one isn't a surprise but is one for the books. PSY was one of the first solo artists who introduced K-Pop to mainstream music with his song "Gangnam Style" which became a worldwide sensation, as the music video hit 1 Billion videos, making him the first to do so in K-Pop. Actually, it was the very first video to surpass 1 Billion views in YouTube history.