The Daebak Interns' Favorite Picks of 2020!

Even though it was really hard to condense our favorite moments of the year in both K-Pop and Korean entertainment, all of the interns at The Daebak Company have found some type of solace throughout the year, whether it was watching our favorite Korean TV show or listening to our favorite K-Pop songs. Check out our favorite picks of 2020 below!

 

Olivia

My Top 10 Songs of the Year:

 

 

My Top 5 Albums of the Year:

1. Stand By You -- A.C.E.
2. D-2 -- Agust D
3. ZERO: FEVER Part 1 -- ATEEZ
4. BE -- BTS
5. Delight -- Baekhyun

 

 

My Top 5 K-Pop MVs of the Year:

 

K-Dramas and/or Korean TV Shows That Helped Me Get Through 2020:

I always watch new episodes of The Return of Superman 슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다; it’s been my favorite show for a few years now. 😊

 

My Top 3 Highlights of the Year in Korean Entertainment and/or K-Pop:

1. BTS gets #1 on Billboard Hot 100
2. Taemin’s solo work — all of them! 😄
3. Stray Kids’ "God's Menu" choreography -- and the group getting more recognition in the K-Pop community

 

 

 

Norma

My Top 10 Songs of the Year:

 

 

My Top 5 Albums of the Year:

1. MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 -- BTS
2. <12:00> -- LOONA
3. Through Love -- HYUKOH
4. D-2 -- Agust D
5. Tellusaboutyourself -- Yerin Baek

 

 

My Top 5 K-Pop MVs of the Year:

 

K-Dramas and/or Korean TV Shows That Helped Me Get Through 2020:

• It’s Okay To Not Be Okay - Netflix (tvN)
• Run On - Netflix (JTBC)
• Meow, The Secret Boy - Rakuten Viki (KBS2)
• Home Alone - Rakuten Viki (MBC)
• Village Survival, the Eight - Rakuten Viki (SBS)

 

 

My Top 3 Highlights of the Year in Korean Entertainment and/or K-Pop:

1. BTS being the first K-Pop group to be nominated for a Grammy
2. LOONA’s <12:00> album entering the Billboard 200 Chart
3. Parasite winning Best Picture at the Oscars

 

 

Donna

My Top 10 Songs of the Year:

 

 

My Top 5 Albums of the Year:

1. NUNA -- Jessi
2. Fatal Love -- Monsta X
3. BE -- BTS
4. IN LIFE -- Stray Kids
5. ALL ABOUT LUV -- Monsta X

 

 

My Top 5 K-Pop MVs of the Year:

 

 

K-Dramas and/or Korean TV Shows That Helped Me Get Through 2020:

• What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim - Rakuten Viki (tvN)
• She Was Pretty - Rakuten Viki (MBC)
• Hwarang - Rakuten Viki (KBS)

And what do these shows listed above all have in common? They have PARK SEO JOON in them! And I would love to catch up on Itaewon Class soon. I feel that any drama that has Park Seo Joon in it, it will always be amazing.

I love watching Weekly Idol (MBC), and I am a huge fan of the show! I love seeing our favorite idols interacting with each other, and there are so many funny moments on that show too.

I also really love watching Dingo FreeStyle on YouTube, where the artists are just performing with no frills. This is a great way to get into K-Hip Hop as well.

I also really enjoyed watching BTS' In the Soop. It was so calming and so interesting to see them doing whatever they wanted to do.

My Top 3 Highlights of the Year in Korean Entertainment and/or K-Pop:

This year was a good year in K-Pop! I was super proud of BTS and the many achievements that they had this year. There’s nothing more to explain other than that they KILLED it. Also, Parasite winning at the Oscars was a big moment in Korean history! It was such a great movie, and I am proud of it’s success here in the States. In addition, I was really happy about the highly anticipated BLACKPINK album that finally came out! It took a long time for them to come out with a full-album, but I am glad that they finally did it this year! “Love Sick Girls” is definitely my anthem of the year.

 

 

Brianna

My Top 10 Songs of the Year:

 

 

My Top 5 Albums of the Year:

1. BE -- BTS
2. Breath of Love: Last Piece -- GOT7
3. D-2 -- AGUST D
4. MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 -- BTS
5. NCT #127 Neo Zone - The 2nd Album -- NCT 127

 

 

My Top 5 K-Pop MVs of the Year:

 

K-Dramas and/or Korean TV Shows That Helped Me Get Through 2020:

• Ask Us Anything - Rakuten Viki (JTBC)
• Cool Kiz on the Block (Volleyball) - YouTube (KBS)
• Master in the House - Rakuten Viki (SBS)
• The Return of Superman - YouTube (KBS)

• Designated Survivor : 60 Days - Netflix (tvN)
• Kingdom (Season 1 & 2) - Netflix
• One Spring Night - Netflix (MBC)

• BTS Content:
  • Bon Voyage - V Live & Weverse
  • In the Soop - Weverse
  • BTS Gayo - V Live
  • Run BTS - V Live & Weverse
• GOT7 Content:
  • GOT7ing - YouTube
  • Hard Carry (Season 1, 2, & 2.5) - YouTube (Mnet)
• NCT Content:
  • NCT 127 BKLYN BOYS - YouTube (Mnet)
  • NCT World 2.0 - YouTube (Mnet)

 

 

My Top 3 Highlights of the Year in Korean Entertainment and/or K-Pop:

1. BTS scores their first #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart
2. BTS scores their first Grammy nomination
3. BTS and GOT7 release self-produced albums

 

 

2020 has been a really rough year for everyone.

How has K-Pop and/or Korean entertainment helped you get through this past year?

From watching Korean ASMR cooking videos to Korean cafe vlogs, as well as watching videos on the Seoul Walker YouTube channel, these particular types of videos have calmed me down during the pandemic, especially because of their great sense of aesthetics. Even though I’ve never been to South Korea, these types of YouTube videos has given me a sense on what it could be like to explore Seoul, while being in the comfort of my own home.

And to be honest, K-Pop and Korean entertainment shows have truly been my safe haven this year. Whether it was BTS’ vocal line releasing their new self-produced singles on SoundCloud, or Min Yoongi showing his genius musicality as SUGA, MinPD, and Agust D, it was stuff like that that has kept my emotions and mentality at bay during the pandemic. From being able to catch up on “The Tablo Podcast” and other Dive Studios podcast shows, to finally having enough time to read WEBTOON comics, discovering new K-Pop artists and their music, as well as discovering new Korean TV shows to watch, I would say that staying at home this year has been a blessing in disguise, in various ways. I love exploring new things within Korean entertainment, Korean culture, and K-Pop, so any time that I had off, during the pandemic, it was me discovering new things. I've learned a lot throughout the year, and yet, there is still so much content that is left to be discovered -- I love it!

Even though 2020 has been a really rough year for everyone, I am still really happy that both K-Pop and Korean entertainment has had a tremendous year -- and to be living in this era in Korean pop culture is truly incredible. For example, BTS’ countless groundbreaking achievements in many different areas of music -- this year alone -- to being named honorary leaders of the youth and bringing hope to ARMYs, is truly heartwarming to see. And with other Korean artists and K-Pop idol groups gaining more recognition globally, as well as seeing Parasite's global success as the film won multiple awards at the Oscars (and other film awards around the world), truly makes me happy. To see many Korean idols and actors this past year breaking new grounds and breaking down existing barriers that kept them out of the running in various fields around the world, is truly inspiring. Seeing all of them happy this past year because of their historical and monumental moments is really what has kept me happy throughout this whole year. They saved my 2020, and I hope that their year was saved by the love and support of their true fans.

 

 

There are a lot more songs, MVs, and albums that we weren't able to list on this article, but we hope you can discover something new, if you haven’t heard some of the songs and/or TV shows that were listed above. And there are so many other monumental moments within K-Pop and Korean entertainment that I wish we could list...but all in all, 2020 has been a truly incredible and extraordinary year for South Korea, and I couldn't be more proud to see the Hallyu Wave becoming more globalized.

As 2020 comes to an end, all of us at The Daebak Company wish you a safe, healthy, and a happy new year. 🥳