Soshified has had large organized gatherings before: 2010’s SMTOWN LA meetup, and the 2011 meetups in both LA and London, among others. But an unprecedented project was put together in the summer of 2011, as approximately 100 Soshified members from all over the world traveled to South Korea on an officially sponsored and tour-guided field trip. The trip coincided with a two-day concert by Girls’ Generation in Seoul, which represented the start of the “2011 GIRLS’ GENERATION TOUR” around Asia. Field trip members ultimately left Korea with countless memories, new and lasting friendships, and a heightened appreciation for Korean culture as a whole.
The Media Attention
A significant number of field trip members met up in San Francisco in order to fly out to Korea together. Nobody was truly prepared for what awaited them after the 10 hour plane flight and a quiet trip through customs at Incheon International Airport: a swarm of reporters, camera crews, and reporters’ flash bulbs popping repeatedly. The Korean news media had heard about the field trip and they were eager to talk to this large group of foreigners who put forth such a strong effort to travel to Korea together in order to learn more about Korean culture and to attend the Girls’ Generation concert. This first experience with the media was a taste of things to come, as three out of the five days on the trip featured encounters with Korean reporters: the first day at Incheon International Airport, the second day while at the Korean Tourism Organization, and the fourth day at the Girls’ Generation concert.
Reporters from all of the major Korean news outlets interviewed Soshified members about a variety of topics: their love for Girls’ Generation, Korean culture, and how the trip became possible in the first place. The media was curious to find out what different parts of the world that the various Soshified members came from, and how such a large group of unique individuals could be so united in their love for Girls’ Generation. They wanted to capture how excited the group was to be at the concert, and used several takes to film Soshified members cheering and waving the Global Generation towels. For some reason, they always seemed to have an interest in seeing Soshified members sing and dance to Girls’ Generation’s songs. The various news stories and videos featuring Soshified members attending the field trip have been compiled and attached below:
Soshified members being interviewed at Incheon International Airport.
Interview outside the Korean Tourism Organization.
Interview outside the Korean Tourism Organization.
News Articles and Videos Featuring Soshified
Interviews at Incheon International Airport and KTO
Footage of the Soshified field trip members arriving at Incheon
YTN story featuring several interviews with Soshified members conducted at the KTO
Korea Times article about the concert that mentions Soshified towards the end
Article about Soshified members attending MBC Music Core
KBS news story about the concert. They run a short interview with a Soshified member at the 0:32 mark.
Indonesian news story about the concert. Features a short interview with a Soshified member at the 1:58 mark.
KBS news story about our group and the trip. Two interviews with Soshified members start at the 0:43 mark.
SBS CNBC news story featuring Soshified members at the concert.
SBS news story about the concert. This one especially highlights the Global Generation effect, as they get a wide variety of people attending the concert to state where they’re from.
xinmsn news clip of the concert press conference. A group picture of Soshified members at the concert is shown at 2:19.
Sightseeing and Culture
But for most of the trip, the media was nowhere to be found, and it was an incredible adventure containing an unusual combination of historical sightseeing and experiences that were tailor-made for the Soshified group’s specific interests. Field trip members visited culturally significant destinations such as the Cheonggye stream which cuts through downtown Seoul, the ancient royal palace, and Namsan Hanok Village. More modern places of interest were also on the schedule, as visits were made to shopping hot spots such as Insadong, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, and Myeongdong (home of SPAO and Everysing). The thrill seekers found their adrenaline rush on the various rides at Lotte World Adventure, screaming through roller coasters like the French Revolution and the Gyro Drop.
Cheonggye Stream.
Cheonggye Stream.
Banquet Hall at the Royal Palace.
Inside the Royal Palace.
Scenery at the Namsan Hanok Village.
Dongdaemun night market.
Food stall at Dongdaemun.
Lotte World Adventure.
Gyro Drop.
Several Soshified members recreated Soshi’s Scream mask picture at Lotte World Adventure (photo courtesy of [email protected]).
Near the top of many people’s “precious memories” list are the recording sessions for Music Core and Immortal Song 2. The opportunity for Soshified members to see a number of their favorite (non-Soshi) idols perform was an absolute treat, and the cherry on top was when they got to personally meet both 2PM and T-ara after recording finished at Music Core. Both 2PM and T-ara were friendly and gracious enough to take group photos with the Soshified members, and several people in the front of the group got to shake hands with some of the idols. The Immortal Song 2 recording was also an unforgettable experience, as many had their expectations of the show shattered when essentially every performance was a high-energy upbeat song, rather than the slow-moving ballads that some were anticipating. The Soshified group stood up and offered loud cheers for much of the recording, and they were told afterwards that they were one of the most energetic audiences the show has ever had. If you have a chance to watch the full episode of Immortal Song 2, which was broadcasted on August 6, you’ll see them show the Soshified members in the audience quite often.
MBC news clip that shows Soshified members meeting 2PM.
Group picture with 2PM (Click image to see a higher-res version. Photo courtesy of [email protected]).
Group picture with T-ara (Click image to see a higher-res version. Photo courtesy of [email protected]).
The Concert
Of course, the absolute highlight of the entire trip was the Girls’ Generation concert itself. The weeks and days of anticipation leading up to the trip finally brought everyone to the moment they had been waiting for. The Soshified group arrived at the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium early to get in line to buy concert goods, and after approximately five hours of waiting in line, buying goods, and waiting in line again to get into the stadium, they began filing into the arena itself and spread out amongst the standing B section. Before the actual concert began, the two side screens were looping UFO messages sent in by fans, and several messages from Soshified were displayed, drawing raucous cheers from every field trip member in attendance. By the time the lights went out and the concert started, everyone was packed tight in a giant mosh pit of fanchanting, lightstick-waving SONEs.
Some of the major memories from the concert included: the girls acknowledging all of their international fans from various countries (Tiffany thanked fans in English multiple times), a fangirl fainting after seeing Sunny’s incredibly hot new outfit for her solo stage (the fainting was witnessed by several Soshified members, and she was carried out safely by security), the tears from both the girls and the fans during “Complete” and “Forever”, and the absolutely perfect “Run Devil Run” sequence. That particular sequence began with a video showing the girls transitioning from all-white outfits to their all-black “Run Devil Run” outfits with “Swan Lake” playing in the background. Following the video, Taeyeon was raised up onto the main stage from a hidden platform while she performed a truly breathtaking rock intro that led seamlessly into a rock remix of “Run Devil Run”.
The girls roamed around every part of the stage and surrounding walkways and gave plenty of fanservice to everyone in attendance. Soshified field trip members who were spread out amongst the standing B section have a multitude of stories to tell about various members’ fanservice: Hyoyeon blowing a kiss to the crowd, one Soshified member sending a heart to Yuri and receiving one in return, and members waving at people in the audience wearing their SPAO birthday number caps. By the time everyone left the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium, each and every Soshified field trip member knew that he or she had just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it was made all the more special since it was shared with 100 other Soshified members and thousands of other SONEs from all over the world.
Officially, cameras were not allowed into the concert venue, so there won’t be any pictures/videos from inside that were taken by Soshified members. The Rocker Taeng fancam, however, has been attached below. Be sure to check out this thread in the Soshified Photo Section and the Fancam Downloads Section for photos and fancams.
Soshified members waiting in line at the concert venue.
Vita500 standees outside the concert venue.
Rocker Taeng.
Final Thoughts/Fanaccounts
The field trip was an historic moment in the history of Soshified, and the diverse group of attendees highlighted the Global Generation effect. On a more personal level, it was five days of fun and unforgettable memories for everyone who attended, and the friendships created during the trip will last long after the trip is over. It served as a testament to the power of Girls’ Generation that such a large group of people were able to meet each other (most were meeting for the first time in person) and become friends with each other so easily because of their common bond. Ask anyone who attended the field trip whom he or she met and will remember forever, and everyone will be mentioned: roommates, friends, the trip coordinator, and even the tour guides and helpers. Hopefully, the first Soshified field trip is not the last, and the next field trip will be just as successful and enjoyable, if not more!
If you’re starved for even more details about the field trip, this has merely been a general overview of the major things that happened to the Soshified field trip group. There are even more goodies for you to watch and read if you want to know even more about what the group saw and did.
Soshified project leader taeyeonsheart has put together a beautiful recap video of the trip, and it has been attached below for your viewing pleasure.
For more detailed fanaccounts of the concert and all that went on during the field trip, check out the links below!
michaelroni’s fanaccounts from Day 0/1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 – Concert day, Day 5.
Article Sources: mbn.mk.co.kr, Korea Times, NTN24, Nate, YTN – article 1, YTN – article 2
Video Sources: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Photos by: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Written by: [email protected]
Edited by: [email protected]
Contributors: [email protected], [email protected]
Have a news item that you think Soshified should know about? E-mail us at [email protected].
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