Yoo Seung Joon's single Chatgil Barae (I Will Be Back) [ReaAudio] went straight to the top of the charts as I predicted. It's a decent song, but it is really made better by the video [RealVideo]. The video is over 7 minutes long, so be prepared for a download wait. Steve (Yoo Seung Joon) makes pretty cute hijacker, especially when he covers his mouth after he realizes the cop car chasing him has done a rollover worthy of an old "CHiPs" show. Things go downhill from there for Steve and his smalltime criminal buddies due to a case of mistaken identity and accidental murder. Intentional or not, the video serves as a warning to Korean youth hell-bent on emulating the life of LA gangstas. It's not a coincidence that the damning piece of evidence that sends these kids down is a leather jacket with "California" emblazoned on the back.

I gave Papaya's Iteul Ddae Jalhagi (Take Care of My Heart) [RealAudio] fairly decent marks in September, writing that although the group is cutesy-cutesy, its also has some fun songs. One of those is Smile Smile. The song opens with a quasi-Dixieland jazz style, and continues in a more rock-n-roll vein after the opening. The Smile Smile [ASX] video is characterized by vibrant colors and bright scenery. A lot of cute faces here. Interested fans can also download a live performance of Nae Yaegil Deuluhbwah (Listen to Me) [ASX], Papaya's reggae-based single.

Diva is obviously going for the "we're all grown up and ready to have sex" look in their video for Up & Down [RealVideo]. Do you remember the bubblegum bounce cover art for Diva 2, all light and airy and pastel with the girls in white shirts? By Diva 3, the girls had graduated to wearing black and looking tough. Now, with Diva 4 (Naughty Diva), they're up to flashing their leather bras on the album cover. By Diva 5, we should be seeing some real skin.

And speaking of sexy, Jaurim has the look going in the video for Snake [RealVideo]. This is partly a concert video, but the dance club scenes are squished between shots of Kim Yoon Ah looking enticing. I'm not sure if that's an opium den or a harem, but it doesn't really matter, because either setting is appropriate for languid, lounging figures. I look forward to the day more groups like Jaurim find success on the Korean pop charts.

The S#arp haven't disappointed me yet, and I thought their third album was worth the ten bucks. Do You Really Want Me [RealVideo] is a little uncharacteristic of the group--their music is usually a lot more rapid fire. This song is on the lighter side, and it actually reminds me of the video for H.O.T.'s Candy with a little Jack Daniels added in for flare.

Park Jung Hyun (aka Lena Park) has another hit on her hands with You Mean Everything To Me [RealVideo]. This song is from her latest (third) album, Naturally, and I think this song and video exemplifies the sound of her current work. There aren't any gimmicks in this video, no fancy effects or bright lights, but it's still pretty and pleasant to look at. It fits well with the music.

I don't know anything about the group Wave, but I thought their video Damage [WMV] made for pretty compelling viewing. It's based on a vampire story, but it's not all that creepy. The music is light and at times even delicate, and the video isn't at all dark. Even the sexuality exhibited by the players is fairly subdued (if tragic). So, it's not scary, but there is something about it that made me want to finish watching it once I started. And it's completely cool the way the boys hang out upside down.

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