TVXQ, The Kings of KPop: The Ups and Downs, and now They're Back!

If you are KPop superfans since the early 2000s, you must have known TVXQ (Tong Vfang Xien Qi) or DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki). Roughly translated, their name means “Rising God of the East.” They are one of the legendary boy groups under SM Entertainment, the same management as Red Velvet.

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TVXQ Career Journey

The Debut

Debuted in December 2003, TVXQ was a boy group with five members. They were U-Know Yunho, Max Changmin, Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu. This group’s debut was Hug in January 2004. It sold only less than 5,000 copies back then. In February 2004, TVXQ made their first official television on Mnet and KM cable music program, Music Tank. From then on, TVXQ’s popularity sped up. Hug won three awards in 2004. TVXQ’s two studio albums, Tri-Angle and Rising Sun, also boosted their popularity all over Korea and across the world.

In Japan, they were under Avex Entertainment and had their first Japanese album Heart, Mind, and Soul in 2006. Tohoshinki was their Japanese name, though many people still call them DBSK. And in 2009, they released their fourth Japanese album, The Secret Code, after winning the Album of the Year Award in Golden Disk Award.

TVXQ Internal Conflict

Unfortunately, in 2010, they had an internal conflict. Three of the members decided to quit the group due to unfair payment. The three members were Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu. Before they end the group, they released their last Japanese album as a quintet Best Selection 2010, which was on the first chart of Oricon Album. One of the most popular singles was “Share the World/We Are!” which became opening song of One Piece.

TVXQ is Back!

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‘아시아 톱클래스’ 동방신기, 日 네 번째 돔 투어 화려한 피날레! 동방신기가 일본 투어 ‘東方神起 LIVE TOUR 2019 ~XV~’누적 관객수 554만명을 돌파하며 굳건한 위상과 인기를 재입증했습니다! 4월 25~26일 도쿄돔에서 개최될 추가 공연도 기대 많이 해주세요! _ ‘Asia Top class’ TVXQ once again proved their unwavering popularity by putting a grand finale to their fourth Japan dome tour ‘東方神起 LIVE TOUR 2019 ~XV~’, accumulating more than 5.5 million audiences! Stay tuned also for the additional show being held on April 25~26th at the Tokyo Dome! _ #동방신기 #TVXQ! #東方神起 #東方神起LIVETOUR2019_XV @yunho2154 @changmin88

A post shared by 동방신기(TVXQ!) Official (@tvxq.official) on Jan 19, 2020 at 5:50pm PST

In 2011, after a one-year hiatus, Cassiopeia (South Korean Fandom name) and Bigeast (Japanese Fandom name) could see TVXQ again. This time, they were back as a duo consists of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. As a duo, TVXQ released their fifth album Keep Your Head Down in 2011. This album was on top charts in most major Asian countries. They also released their Japanese albums Tone in 2011, Time in 2013, and Tree in 2014.

The Kings of KPop

Happy White Day! pic.twitter.com/DOey9naZup
— TVXQ! (@TVXQ) March 14, 2020

Undeniably, TVXQ is popular over generations. They have been selling over 100 million physical records in their first ten years. This achievement makes them worth having the title of “Asia’s Star” and the “Kings of KPop.”

In 2017, TVXQ officially announced their comeback as a series of projects. They held several tours across Asia. As the first Korean Pop group who held a three-day concert in Nissan Stadium, Japan, they broke a new record with a total of one million tickets sold.

For their fifteenth anniversary, they released a special album entitled New Chapter #2: The Truth of Love in December 2008. In this album, there are seven songs from different genres. It also has solo songs by members. One of the most famous singles is “Truth.”