15. [C-JeS's insight] The traces and achievements of JYJ's world tour

From the Fall of 2011 to the Spring of 2012, JYJ held a true world tour. It was a world tour that took them across the main continents, from Asia to North and South America, and Europe, to meet their fans. In the process, JYJ created a new record for the becoming the first Korean singers to hold a solo concert in Europe and South America.

Not only does JYJ's world tour have such 'historical' meaning, but it also allowed them to become pioneers of K-pop. South America was an area that others couldn't easily go to because of time and cost issues. But JYJ toured the South American region and performed. Only after their South American leg did other K-pop singers hold concerts there as well.

"Europe and South America. It was quite hard to hold concerts in countries that others didn't perform in. Not only did we not have any concert-related data to work off of, but we had no idea how many fans would actually come either. If we were to hold a concert in China, we would be able to hire local agents to estimate the number of fans who would come, but because there hadn't been any K-pop concerts held in South America, we had no way of estimating at all. We weren't in a position to receive help from others either. It might have seemed impossible to others. So we went out and did field surveys ourselves. We believe that if we hadn't shown others that holding a concert in that region was possible, other singers couldn't have dreamed of going there. We were the pioneers. We were the ones who reached out to all the continents."

Like CEO Baek Chang Joo said, C-JeS Entertainment, which was in charge of planning JYJ's world tour, had no help from any outside sources and took control of everything about the world tour, from start to finish.

"There's a difference between seeing your favorite singer on an online video and seeing them in person. We wanted the fans to meet JYJ in person. And there are some people who just go to famous overseas singers' concerts, even if they aren't fans. They go to these concerts and become fans. It was important for us to go and show them who we were and what we could do. Even if there were only 3,000 people who would be coming now, we knew that in the long run that number would increase. Because we tried it first, other companies and other singers followed us. That's what was most rewarding."

Like this, JYJ's world tour looked to the long run, even if there weren't many fans or profit in the short run, and left an important trace in South America.

"It was when we visited Chile. The first time we went, 1,000 fans greeted us at the airport but the second time we went, 3,000 people were there. Though there weren't as many fans in Brazil as there were in Chile or Peru, we still went there. We believe that if we keep going back once or twice, the number of fans will keep increasing. If we had only been focusing on getting money from the concerts, it would have been a place we should have never gone to."

These efforts by C-JeS Entertainment won the local fans over. When C-JeS Entertainment began planning their second South America performances, agents in the region agreed to work with them without a moment of hesitation.

But wouldn't it be right to earn a certain amount of profit so as to create a possibility for reinvestments in the next concerts?

"It was a concert we could have never done if we were in it for the money. We have to look at it in the long run. For JYJ, if the trust they placed in their work is broken, they can't work. We believed that it couldn't end with one concert, we have to keep visiting the fans again and again. The process of preparing for our second concerts in South America was much easier than the first time."

Did the members have no worries of going to South America, the opposite side of the globe?

CEO Baek Chang Joo emphasized, "We didn't have any alternatives. I think if we were actually given a choice, it would have been harder for us. Because we only had one path that we could take, we were able to put all our efforts into making it happen."

------------------------

16. Traversing the globe and finding new hope

For JYJ, their European tour was a new challenge and an adventure. Though they were already quite famous overseas during their days as members of TVXQ, it wasn't easy for them to hold a concert in Europe. It wasn't only because of the obstacles that surrounded a European concert. It was also because of the external influences that blocked their path, even when they were pursuing overseas performances. But nothing could hold down JYJ's passion. They overcame all the obstacles that seemed impossible to face and stood on stage in Barcelona, Spain on October 29th, 2011.

It's true that they were still on the fence about the possibilities of success of their European concerts, up to the moment they stood on stage.

Kim Junsu said, "We knew we were quite popular overseas, but we honestly didn't really know just how popular we were because we'd never visited these countries. We wanted to hold concerts in the UK and France, but we were blocked by unseen forces. We didn't even know if our concert in Spain would take place. But we were determined to go, and that we had to go, no matter what."

They were no longer afraid of taking on a challenge anymore. Most of all, they thought of the local fans who were waiting for them. The Palau San Jordi stadium was overflowing with the passion of 3,000 fans from all over Europe. The members reciprocated their fans' cheers with a better performance than ever. Europe is the place where dedicated fans gathered to create a solid fanbase for JYJ. Kim Jaejoong reminisced about the cheers of JYJ's fans as he said, "The concert went well and we worked hard. When we sincerely work hard, the fans and the audience are able to feel that."

The European tour gives them another goal

Through their interaction with their European fans, JYJ became more mature. Park Yoochun said, "We were so happy to receive the cheers and support of our fans, but we never let it get to our heads. All we thought about was ending the concert well, no, actually just being able to perform, because we had gone with a challenge to fulfill. So we were very solemn about it all."

On November 6th, JYJ met with 3,000 fans in Berlin, Germany and held another concert. The members all said, "We found new hope there." Kim Junsu looked back on their Europe tour and said, "We were so surprised that more people came to our concert than we'd expected, but what surprised us most was that the audience was singing along with us in Korean. They helped us see hope in our desperate situation. We began to really buckle down and get back on our feet."

The title of 'First Korean singers to hold a Europe Tour' led to a bigger goal, and a new purpose for them. Their goal was "to keep doing better." Because they had overcome so many difficulties and obstacles, such an obvious goal struck a chord in them.

Kim Jaejoong looked back on the difficulties of JYJ's concerts as he said, "When we were preparing for our Europe Tour, we were so grateful to even have promoters who were willing to join us," and stated that such difficulties helped shape a more positive outlook. Because of this, he added, "I've learned to live a more humble and hard-working life."

Park Yoochun said, "It reminded me of when we first started promoting in Japan. It made us realize once more just how precious the stage is. I think that our Spain performance was the one that showcased the best teamwork we'd shown in a long time. We worked hard and promised that we'd meet 10,000 fans the next time we went back. We found a new goal for JYJ to take on."

A welcome from passionate South American fans

The South American leg of JYJ's tour in Chile and Peru in March, 2012 are still remembered by the members as a very special experience.

South American fans passionately greeted the artistes who had flown in from halfway across the world. The presence of fans who met them with such an explosive response in the South American region, which had always been deemed to be too far, shocked everyone. The concerts in Santiago, Chile on March 9th, and in Lima, Peru on the 11th attracted a total of 3,000 and 6,000 fans respectively.

Park Yoochun looked back and said, "I was amazed by the forward expressions of affection by our South American fans," and "They enjoyed the concert like it was a club, not a concert." Kim Jaejoong said, "I was amazed by their passion. When Chile's first lady visited Korea, she told us, 'Do you know how popular you are in Chile?' We finally understood what she meant. We worked hard and it drew the applause of our fans, and this gave us the ability to communicate with the people who already had a taste of our music."

The Peru concert, which was the last stop in JYJ's year-long world tour, was said to have drawn more fans than the concert of world star Justin Bieber. Fans from South American countries that JYJ couldn't visit held protests to express their wish for JYJ to perform in their countries.

An unforgettable happening, that perilous moment

CEO Baek Chang Joo and the members of JYJ remember a happening that could have ended very badly on their to Santiago, Chile for their South American performance. At the time, they had flown from Seoul to LA, USA and were waiting for their connecting flight to Santiago, Chile. They were only able to board the plane eight hours after their scheduled departure time, and these eight hours were spent sitting on uncomfortable airport chairs. The plane sped along the runway and was about to take off when it suddenly hit the runway and began shaking.

Smoke starting rising from the plane's engines and began seeping into the back of the seats, sparking an alarm that the plane might explode. One of the flight attendants saw that there was something wrong with the engine and alerted the captain, who decided to land the plane back on the runway rather than keep going. The analysis that had the plane taken off and continued, it would have blown up in the sky, still makes the members' hearts skip a beat.

The plane in question was a South American airline vehicle that had flown from Santiago to LA, and was returning to Santiago. It had already been delayed because it had required repairs after a bird strike (Caused by a bird flying into the engine, and is a main cause of airplane accidents) on the runway. However, it seemed like the repairs were not completed properly as they rushed to check the engine and prepare for the next flight.

CEO Baek Chang Joo sighed as he said, "If they plane had risen a little higher in its ascent, we might have all died. Thankfully, the plane landed back on the runway as soon as the wheels lifted off of it."

Though it's something that they can look back on as just another memory, it was a dizzying moment that had them paralyzed in fear.

After the end of their South American tour...

After going through such a perilous journey to reach Chile and Peru, JYJ's South American fans greeted them with cheers of love that rivaled that of fans from any other part of the world. For JYJ, the way to repay the fans for their cheers and shouts was, "Not tiring down, and doing the best that we can" (Kim Junsu), and "Working harder" (Park Yoochun). After finishing their Peru concert, the three of them stayed up all night making these promises to each other.

Kim Jaejoong looked back and said, "We talked a lot about what had gone wrong during the tour and how our sound system had been like. We also talked about our feelings too. And through that, we fostered hope and were determined to do better." They also shared their thoughts about the time they had spent together. Kim Junsu stated, "We spent the last three years to the fullest of our capabilities. We told ourselves to be proud and congratulate each other for one day of what we had achieved."

Park Yoochun said, "We still feel a sense of pride about the fact that we were the first Korean singers to hold a tour in Europe and South America," and "We didn't have high expectations for ourselves. All we wished for was to end our concerts without any accidents. We didn't really find the title of 'the first' to be that important." He also added, "It was great to stay up all night talking to the other members, who I hadn't seen often because of all our individual activities. I can still remember us thanking each other and promising to work harder and do better after the world tour was over."

When JYJ became the first Korean artistes to successfully hold concerts in Chile and Peru, broadcasting companies and idol groups fought to get there as well. Regarding this, Kim Junsu said, "There were times when I felt ambiguous about the fact that we had been the ones who had suffered, but others were the ones who were gaining from it. But it also made me feel a sense of responsibility. A responsibility that we would succeed in things that others hesitated over. Because being able to do that is one of our many capabilities." The South American leg of their tour became a precious stage for JYJ, as it gave them such confidence.

17. The records of giving, the meaning of giving
(T/N : this part is done in JPGs because it makes more sense with pictures!)