Beast: A sensation in Germany

Beast received a warm welcome in Germany ahead of its show on Feb. 12, as it was introduced by one of the nation’s top dailies, the Berliner Zeitung. The band appeared in the paper on Feb. 11, one day before the “Beautiful Show” concert held at Columbia Hall in Berlin.

“No longer just a producer of automobiles and machinery, South Korea can now boast K-pop as one of its biggest exports,” the article said. “Beast has come to Germany to show the potential of the Korean Wave.”

The boy band’s six members were also described as “Korean missionaries to Europe” in the feature article that discussed Beast’s music and choreography.

“Currently, Beast’s songs are some of the most popular songs sung by German youth at karaoke. The band’s style is something that German teenagers look up to,” the article said.

K-pop groups like Beast are now leading the way for other musicians around the world, the article argued. Bill Kaulitz from German boy band Tokio Hotel was listed as one of the European entertainers influenced by Beast.

The newspaper explained the Korean Wave to its German readers and previewed Beast’s first concert in the country.

“Within 30 minutes of going on sale, 600 tickets were sold. This is rare, even for popular German artists.”

The band’s agency said that press from France, Austria, Switzerland and Spain also covered the performance in Germany.

By Carla Sunwoo [carlasunwoo@joongang.co.kr]