K-pop boy band Big Ocean consists of three members, from left, Kim Ji-seok, Park Hyun-jin and Lee Chan-yeon, each with hearing loss. Courtesy of Parastar Entertainment Big Ocean dreams of barrier-free world Editor’s note This article is the sixth in The Korea Times' 2024 series focusing on diversity, inclusiveness and equality. — ED.
By Pyo Kyung-min In the dynamic world of K-pop, new idol groups are frequently hailed as unique or exceptional. However, Big Ocean, a boy band that debuted in April, truly lives up to these claims. Comprising Park Hyun-jin, Lee Chan-yeon and Kim Ji-seok, this trio is making waves not only for their music but also for breaking new ground as K-pop's first idol group with hearing loss.
When the group debuted on April 20, coinciding with Korea's Day for Persons with Disabilities, many questioned whether a deaf group could thrive in an industry where music is the core of their identity. However, Big Ocean has defied skepticism, evolving into a fully-fledged K-pop group with already three singles to their credit. Despite their hectic schedules as idols, the members of Big Ocean enthusiastically expressed their happiness at the opportunity to connect with fans.
"Our fans are fully aware of our hearing difficulties. During performances, they're considerate enough to hold back their cheers so that we can hear the music better and then they give us thunderous applause as soon as the performance ends. It's the most touching experience," Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times at their agency, Parastar Entertainment, in Seoul’s Gangnam District, Aug.
16. "Seeing that from our fans makes me feel like becoming an idol was the right choice." K-pop boy band Big Ocean / Courtesy of Parastar Entertainment The members’ diverse backgrounds add to the richness of their story.
Lee, who worked as an audiologist at a university hospital, joined Park, a YouTuber actively raising awareness about hearing disabilities, and Kim, a former Paralympic alpine skier, to form Big Ocean. Contrary to the stereotypes toward people with hearing disabilities, the three members conducted the interview smoothly. Using cochlear implants, hearing aids and lip-reading to communicate, they had no trouble interacting with spoken language.
However, the members revealed that entering the world of music posed a different set of challenges. "The three of us have different levels of hearing ability. During recording, we often struggle to stay on beat because we can't hear the rhythm of the track clearly.
It’s hard to fix this on our own, so we rely on the staff's hand signals to help us stay in sync," Kim explained. "Tuning our voices is also challenging," Park added. "We use an app that helps us match our pitch and then we memorize the amount of muscle effort needed to produce each note.
It’s not easy to remember the muscle tension required to hit the right notes, so we focus a lot of our training on that." To overcome these challenges, the group also received support from artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which was designed to learn and adapt to the members' voice data. For choreography rehearsals, they utilized a smartwatch-style metronome that provides pulse feedback through vibration, along with a visual metronome on a monitor that helps maintain rhythm with light cues.
The world was quick to applaud the group's efforts when its debut song "GLOW" was finally released after much hard work. The group's official YouTube channel surpassed 100,000 subscribers in less than a month, reaching 159,000 by Aug. 25.
Their debut also attracted attention from an unexpected source: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). On his official X account, he wrote, "Congratulations on your debut as the world's first K-pop group with hearing loss. I salute you for breaking barriers and challenging the stigma surrounding disabilities.
" "I felt pride in the reactions from those around me when I became part of such a groundbreaking idol group. Friends and parents sent me messages, praising my courage for taking a path no one had traveled before," Kim recalled. "I especially remember my parents encouraging me by saying that 'You are special just by being yourselves, but the fact that you're performing on stage makes you even more extraordinary.
' Receiving that kind of support inspires me to keep being a positive influence on others." K-pop fans have also showered them with praise for overcoming barriers as individuals with disabilities. One YouTube comment on the group's performance video read, "This is truly beyond just being a boy band: it will likely be a great source of strength for people [with hearing loss] all over the world.
" Another user, revealing their use of a hearing aid, also wrote, "It’s nice to see people representing a community that is a huge part of my life." K-pop boy band Big Ocean / Courtesy of Parastar Entertainment Despite their groundbreaking achievements, Big Ocean strives to be recognized beyond their disabilities, rather than being solely defined by the label of the world's first boy band with hearing loss. "While we do carry the title of the world's first idols with hearing loss, we don't want our disabilities to define our group's entire identity.
Like other K-pop groups, we want to carry out our activities just the same and we hope that when people first encounter us, they'll naturally think, 'Oh, I didn't know they are hard of hearing. That's cool,'" Park said. The decision to pursue activities no different from those of other K-pop idols reflects the inclusive message Big Ocean ultimately aims to convey — to create a barrier-free world where people with and without disabilities are not distinguished and are viewed equally.
"Honestly, I hope the term 'barrier-free' disappears altogether. Right now, the concepts of disability and non-disability are separated, but ultimately, we want to see a world where those boundaries are erased and everyone is naturally and equally accepted as just people," Park said. This vision also explains why the dreams they wish to achieve as idols are no different from those of other K-pop stars.
"I want to visit every Pado (Big Ocean's official fandom , which means 'wave' in Korean ) from around the world and hold concerts there. I also enjoy physical activities, so I'd love to participate in the Idol Star Athletics Championships," Lee shared eagerly. Park also added, "Since I can play the piano, I'd like to create and share my own compositions.
I also want to release songs where each member plays an instrument, like an orchestra. I'd also love to film a music video with our fans someday.".
