入伍的韓國流行偶像：他們讓軍隊變時髦

GYERYONG, South Korea — The audience applauded politely as the honor guard twirled its rifles, and oohed and aahed at the acrobatic taekwondo demonstration. But the real excitement began when the army band appeared.

韓國雞龍——在觀看儀仗隊耍步槍，以及“哼哼哈哈”地進行炫目的跆拳道表演時，觀眾禮貌地報以掌聲。但直到這支軍中樂隊現(xiàn)身，他們才真正興奮起來。

The big draw: Jung Yun-ho, a soldier otherwise known as U-Know Yunho, one of South Korea’s most famous K-pop stars. He burst onto the stage of a military runway here in the mountains south of Seoul, wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with “Korea Army” on the back.

吸引眾多目光的是士兵鄭允浩(Jung Yunho)，或稱瑜鹵允浩(U-Know Yunho)——韓國最有名的歌星之一。他突然登上在首爾以南山區(qū)一條飛機跑道上搭建的這個舞臺，身上的黑色T恤背面印有“韓國陸軍”的字樣。

“This is the band I organized in the army,” Mr. Jung shouted, gesturing to the other soldier-musicians behind him as 2,500 civilian fans quivered and shrieked in delight.

“這是我在軍隊里組建的樂隊，”鄭允浩指著他身后的其他幾名士兵樂手高聲喊道。2500名平民粉絲在下面興奮地顫抖和尖叫著。

The audience waved red balloons and paper fans with pictures of Mr. Jung’s face as the group launched into “Mirotic,” one of many hits by TVXQ, the pop act in which U-Know performed before he began serving his mandatory term in the army.

樂隊開始演唱《魔咒》(Mirotic)，觀眾們揮舞著紅色氣球和印有鄭允浩頭像的紙扇?！赌е洹肥橇餍袠穲F東方神起(TVXQ)的諸多熱門曲目之一。在服兵之役前，鄭允浩是這個樂團的一員。

While armies around the world have marching bands and musical troupes, South Korea may have the trendiest ones of all.

雖然世界各國的軍隊都有軍樂隊和樂團，但韓國軍隊可能是最時髦的。

In South Korea, where every able-bodied man 18 to 35 years old must complete a 21-month stint in the armed forces, the rules make no exceptions for pop idols, no matter how much their fans may miss them and how much income they stand to lose while enlisted. And in a nation where powerful talent agencies routinely recruit new singers and dancers to create pop groups, there is a constant stream of celebrities eligible for military duty.

在韓國，所有18至35歲的健全男子都必須在軍隊里完成21個月的訓練，流行偶像也不例外——不管粉絲多么想念他們，不管他們在入伍期間會少賺多少錢。在這個國家，強大的經(jīng)紀公司經(jīng)常招募新歌手和舞者，組建流行團體，所以符合兵役條件的明星源源不絕。

Currently, about 630,000 soldiers are serving active duty, a vestige of the Korean War and a continuing reminder of the country’s vigilance against the hostile nation to the north.

目前，韓國約有63萬現(xiàn)役軍人，這是朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭遺留的后果，也是在不斷提醒人們，該國對北方敵國保持警惕。

The corps includes a handful of K-pop celebrities whose prime performing years fall within the conscription window. The stars used to be routinely assigned to a separate celebrity unit, but the army disbanded it three years ago, after a string of public scandals involving K-pop soldiers.

韓國軍隊中有幾個正好處在演藝黃金時期被應(yīng)征入伍的韓國流行樂(K-pop)明星。這些明星過去通常被安排在一個單獨的明星小隊里，但是三年前軍隊遣散了這個小隊，因為之前出現(xiàn)了一系列涉及韓國流行樂明星士兵的公開丑聞。

Today, most of the stars serve in military bands that perform periodically for their fellow soldiers. But once a year, the army hosts a six-day propaganda bonanza where civilian fans can see their favorite pop idols free of charge. The fans are also treated to hand-to-hand combat drills, parachute landings and displays of tanks, rocket launchers and Chinook helicopters.

如今，大部分明星在軍中樂隊里服役，定期為其他士兵表演。不過，軍隊每年舉行一次為期六天的宣傳活動，這是平民粉絲的幸事，他們可以免費看到自己最喜歡的流行偶像。粉絲們還能觀看徒手搏斗演習、跳傘，以及坦克、火箭發(fā)射器和奇努克直升機的展示。

Many citizens resent military service as an unwanted interruption to the education and careers of the country’s young men. With some politicians also debating whether the military should convert to a voluntary service, the K-pop bands serve as syrupy agitprop and a potential recruiting tool.

很多韓國公民怨恨兵役，認為它是對該國年輕男子教育和事業(yè)的不必要干擾。有些政治人士也在討論是否應(yīng)該改為志愿兵役制，韓國流行樂隊則充當了煽情的政治宣傳和潛在的征募工具。

“The military can come across as a scary organization,” said Col. Lee Jong-eung, the director of the annual festival, which drew more than a million visitors this month. “But when these celebrities come to the army, everybody knows them, and we are asking them to unleash their talent to soften the image of the army.”

“軍隊可能看上去是個可怕的組織，”本次年度活動的負責人李鐘應(yīng)上校(Lee Jong-eung，音)說。本月，這場活動吸引了100多萬名觀眾。“但是當這些名人參軍時，誰都認識他們，我們正讓他們發(fā)揮自己的才華，軟化軍隊的形象。”

K-pop has also been used in the campaign of psychological warfare that South Korea has waged against North Korea. Last year, South Korea blasted pop songs by acts like Apink and BigBang over loudspeakers in the Demilitarized Zone, leading the North to threaten “all-out war” if the broadcasts did not cease.

韓國流行樂也被韓國用在向朝鮮發(fā)起的心理戰(zhàn)中。去年，韓國在非軍事區(qū)(Demilitarized Zone)通過擴音喇叭播放Apink和BigBang等演出團體的流行歌曲。對此，朝鮮威脅稱，如果不停止廣播，將發(fā)動“全面戰(zhàn)爭”。

At the same time, K-pop music has been one of South Korea’s most successful exports, helping to link fans across Asia and beyond. Fans traveled from Japan, China, Germany, Hungary and Morocco to see the K-pop performers at the military festival this year.

與此同時，韓國流行樂已成為韓國最成功的出口產(chǎn)品之一，把亞洲各地甚至全世界的粉絲聯(lián)系在一起。粉絲們從日本、中國、德國、匈牙利和摩洛哥趕來觀看今年軍隊活動中的韓國流行樂表演者。

“It’s easy sociocultural currency for Koreans to transmit outside of their borders,” said Katharine H. S. Moon, a professor of political science at Wellesley College. “In the north, it’s used as a weapon to stick it to the enemy, and within its own nation and among friends and fans, it’s a very positive bonding tool.”

“它是韓國人在國境之外易于傳播的社會文化通貨，”衛(wèi)斯理女子學院(Wellesley College)的政治學教授文馨善(Katharine H. S. Moon)稱，“在北部，它被用作刺向敵人的武器，而在韓國國內(nèi)，在朋友和粉絲之間，它是非常正面的聯(lián)系工具。”

Yet K-pop stars have had a checkered record in the army, with some trying to evade conscription and others taking advantage of their celebrity status to flout army rules. Although military service may be unpopular in South Korea, the public expects all men to fulfill their civic duty and harshly judges those who do not. (Women are not required to serve.)

不過，韓國流行樂明星們在軍隊中的表現(xiàn)參差不齊，有些試圖逃避兵役，還有些利用自己的明星地位公然藐視軍紀。雖然兵役在韓國可能不受歡迎，但公眾期待所有男性履行自己的公民義務(wù)，嚴厲批評那些不履行義務(wù)的人(女性不必服兵役)。

In 2002, Yoo Seung-jun, one of South Korea’s biggest-selling pop artists, obtained American citizenship just a few months before he was scheduled to enlist in the army. He was barred from South Korea and just last month lost a lawsuit in which he demanded the right to re-enter the country.

2002年，韓國最暢銷的流行藝人劉承俊(Yoo Seung-jun)在原定入伍時間的前幾個月取得了美國公民身份。韓國禁止他入境，就在上個月，他輸?shù)袅艘笾鼗仨n國的訴訟。

Two K-pop performers were jailed for 10 days two years ago after they were arrested during their military service for visiting massage parlors that also sold sexual services. Another star soldier was disciplined after he sneaked out to visit his girlfriend, a famous actress, while on duty.

兩年前，兩名韓國流行樂藝人因在服役期間去提供色情服務(wù)的按摩店而被捕，被判入獄10天。另一位明星士兵因在公務(wù)期間溜出去看望自己的著名演員女友而受到處罰。

Many in the public suspect the stars are still afforded privileges denied the typical soldier. At the festival this month, the five celebrity performers retreated to an air-conditioned tent for bottles of green plum juice after the show, while the backup band members sat backstage on the asphalt eating snacks.

很多民眾懷疑，這些明星依然享受普通士兵沒有的特權(quán)。在本月的活動中，五位明星表演者在演出結(jié)束后退到一個有空調(diào)的帳篷里喝瓶裝青梅汁，而伴奏樂隊成員們則坐在后臺的柏油路上吃快餐。

An army spokesman denied repeated requests to interview any of the celebrities, saying their images were still protected by the talent agencies that represent them as civilians. A spokeswoman for SM Entertainment — the agency that represents U-Know Yunho and three members of the K-pop band SuperJunior who are currently in the army and performed at the festival — said that because of their army service the pop artists would not be available for interviews.

一位軍隊發(fā)言人多次拒絕了要求采訪這些明星的請求，稱他們的形象仍受經(jīng)紀公司保護，而那些經(jīng)紀公司是把他們作為平民來代理的。SM娛樂公司(SM Entertainment)是瑜鹵允浩以及韓國流行樂團Super Junior的經(jīng)紀公司，后者有三名成員正在服役，且在本次活動中做了表演。該公司的一位女發(fā)言人稱，由于這些流行藝人正在服兵役，所以不接受采訪。

Cho Gae-hyuk, a soldier who composed a short musical about the Korean War for the festival and shared a barracks room with five of the K-pop stars for four months, said he was surprised by their work ethic.

士兵趙開赫(Cho Gae-hyuk，音)為本次活動創(chuàng)作了一部關(guān)于朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭的音樂短劇，他和五名韓國流行樂明星在一間營房里共住了四個月。他說，他們的職業(yè)道德令他感到吃驚。

“We were with them every day,” he said. “They are very disciplined and are more like soldiers than the younger soldiers.”

“我們每天都跟他們在一起，”他說，“他們非常遵守紀律，比年輕一些的士兵更像士兵。”

Observers of the K-pop scene say some of the stars shrewdly use army service to their advantage. Although South Koreans may not like the military draft in reality, they romanticize the army culturally, gobbling up pictures of their idols in uniform. “Descendants of the Sun,” a TV melodrama about a special forces captain and his doctor girlfriend, was a huge hit when it aired this year.

韓國流行樂的觀察者稱，有些明星聰明地利用兵役為自己服務(wù)。雖然韓國人可能不喜歡現(xiàn)實中的兵役，但他們在文化中把軍隊浪漫化，貪婪地欣賞偶像們穿軍裝的照片。電視劇《太陽的后裔》講述的是一名特種部隊軍官和他的醫(yī)生女友的故事，今年播出時引起極大轟動。

Lee Seung-gi, a solo pop artist who served as master of ceremonies at the festival, went further than most of his peers and is serving in a special forces unit. He told fans that he had overcome his fear of heights during a parachute jump in army training.

單飛的流行藝人李昇基(Lee Seung-gi)是本次活動的主持人，他比大部分同伴更進一步，在特種部隊服役。他對粉絲們說，他在軍隊的一次跳傘訓練中克服了恐高癥。

“Outside the military, I would not have challenged myself to do these things,” Mr. Lee said.

“在軍隊之外，我不會挑戰(zhàn)自己去做這些事，”李說。

Some fans who had come primarily to see their idols — without the typical $100-plus cost for concert tickets — came away impressed by the more overtly military demonstrations.

有些粉絲本來主要是來看自己的偶像——不必花費通常需要100多美元的音樂會門票——離開時，令他們印象深刻的卻是活動中更加明顯的軍事展示。

“Normally we don’t know what the soldiers do, and we always thought the image of the soldiers were so dry and scary,” said Park Eun-kyung, 36, a fan of U-know Yunho. “But they seem to be so hard-driving. I felt like my impression of them had softened.”

“通常我們不知道士兵們都做什么，我們一直以為士兵的形象枯燥可怕，”瑜鹵允浩的粉絲、36歲的樸恩卿(Park Eun-kyung，音)說，“不過他們似乎充滿進取精神。我感覺他們的印象在我心目中變得溫和了。”