[INTERVIEW] Girl group A PINK - Part 1

Park Cho-rong [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Park Cho-rong.
March 31, 1991 was when I was born. I'm from the North Chungcheong Province.
Of the members of A PINK, I'm the only one in my twenties. It felt strange when I got roses on my coming-of-age day. A good but strange sort of feeling. (laugh)
I'm both the leader and the eldest of the group but I'm not the type that'll speak before I'm asked to so I was worried about a lot of things and had a hard time when I first became leader. But a lot of people around me also said that our team won't function unless I put my foot down on things so that's when I started to nag.
I've been wanting to become a singer since I was in first grade. And that dream has never changed since then. I imitated S.E.S and BoA a lot when I'd dance for school trips.
My father is director of a hapkido studio so I learned hapkido for eight years. Some people ask who wins when Bo-mi and I fight since she learned taekwondo but we don't fight like that. (laugh) And she's actually strong to the point that when we recently went on a sports show for idol groups, other teams held her in check. So I don't think I'd be able to win her either.
I like cooked chicken feet.Both with bones and without them! I like it so much that my fans have given it to me a lot as gifts too. They usually come seasoned already so that I can eat them as soon as I open up the packages.
Everybody is actually on a diet but we're at that age where we're growing so we have a hard time controlling what we eat. I think my growth plates have closed because I'm done growing. Or maybe I should check...
The scariest thing in the world are frogs. They're so slimy. I hate their stomachs too. Ugh, my seniors in my middle school once threw a frog out a window which landed on my thigh. I was so startled that I knocked over my desk and cried out loud.
Of monsters, Godzilla is my favorite. He's very nice... but the movie was so sad. I think I watched it about 20 times.
If there's anything our group's members are disappointed about in each other, we talk it over and get over it right away. I think it helps us to figure out each other's personalities better and be more careful.
But girls, I'm warning you, there will be no food from now on if I see the skin of fruits and cookie wrappings left about anywhere.

Yoon Bo-mi [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Yoon Bo-mi.
August 13, 1993 is when I was born.
I used to attend Youngshin Girls' High School but transferred to Korea Art High School.
I used to attend a dance academy when I was in elementary school which is how I came to dream of becoming a singer. I was also a cheerleader in high school and a trainee for three years, the longest time amongst the members of our group. That's why I thought I'd be extremely happy when my debut got decided but I was much more worried than I thought I'd be.
My back kick for taekwondo is my specialty. I did that, along with singing and dancing for when I auditioned for my agency and they said they picked me because of that move. (laugh) I used to think I was good back in the days that I won awards and all but it's been such a while that I've practiced that I've lost a lot of confidence now.
I like comfortable clothes so I wear oversized clothing more often than skirts. That's why I also sometimes ask Cho-rong what she thinks of what I'm wearing when we go to do radio shows and on a number of occasions she has told me it might be better to change into something more feminine.
When I first saw Yoo-kyung I was surprised because she's smart and very good at dancing. I thought, 'Wow, she's amazing! She's the so-called perfect girl that I had only heard of.' I thought that Ha-young looked like she would be a good dancer because she is tall. And Na-eun, her body is truly...! (laugh)
My favorite food is spicy sausage stew. There are a lot of times when our fans give me ingredients for the stew as a gift so I'm eating those with a thankful heart.
I like scary movies like "Saw" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I scream while watching movies where people's eyeballs get eaten and their skins get ripped off. Of movies released these days, I'm dying to watch "Pirate of the Carribean: A Stranger Tide." I love Jack Sparrow!
One day, I'd like to be given the chance to perform at my old school. It would be great if I could leave a message for my juniors as well.

Son Na-eun [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Son Na-eun.
February 10, 1994 is when I was born. I'm a junior at Apgujeong High School.
Most of my family majored in art so I studied art as well for about 13 years. I was interested in dance a lot too but my mom told me I could pursue it once I go to an art college so I was going to focus on art first. Then I auditioned [for my agency] when my cousin did, which is how I got lucky and made the audition.
While practicing dance moves before our debut I ripped a muscle in my shoulder. I felt bad because it affected my group and I was agonized by having to just watch since I couldn't practice anymore.
Cho-rong and I share a room, Bo-mi with Eun-ji, Yoo-kyung and Nam-joo and Ha-young with our manager. Cho-rong and I understand each other well because we have similar personalities in the sense that we're not good at expressing what we feel inside.
At first, I didn't tell the members of my group that I was having a hard time. I used to say such things only to my mom but I think we're starting become more lke family now.
I get dizzy when I don't eat so I always make sure to eat breakfast. I become weird when I'm on an empty stomach... a cold sweat will break out and my lips will turn purple.
Hearing that I look better in person than on television is something that happens often through remarks people leave on the Internet as well. I'm a bit disappointed because it may be a compliment yet celebrities should look good on TV so...
Recently, I've been very interested in self-development. I'm stll a student so there are a lot of things I still don't know about working in a group and as a member of society. There are things I'll do because I think they're right but think that I'm wrong and I've been trying to read a lot of books because I think they'd help me understand things that are different from what I think.
I recently went to Vincent Van Gogh's exhibition which left a very strong impression on me. There was something that stood out merely from his autograph 'Vincent' as well. I also like Millet and Kandinsky. There are different things I like about each artist which I try to show in my artwork so I have a hard time with it. I'm sad because I haven't been able to go exhibitions at all.
The members of my group sometimes ask me about their fashion. Bo-mi in particular. Yesterday I was really tired but she kept coming to me to ask, "What do you think of this? Is this okay?" So I responded to her but she ended up not wearing it in the way she had asked about but in a different way.

Hong Yoo-kyung [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Hong Yoo-kyung.
September 22, 1994 is when I was born. I have one older brother.
I'm a junior at Hyundai High School. I recently met TV personality Roh Hong-chul, from our school, in person. It was amazing and great!
I've liked to sing and dance since I was young but becoming a singer wasn't my dream. My parents made me study and I didn't watch a lot of TV either so I didn't know too much about singers but it was my friend's dream so I made an audition after attending an academy with her.
The most energizing person on our team is Eun-ji. Her nickname is 'happy virus' because she's always cheerful.
The seven of us all live together so we sometimes have a lot of trash and dishes to do. So much trash that we wouldn't have enough hands to throw it out even if each of us carried a trash bag.
When I go to the sink to wash my hand the skin of fruits are sometimes in it. But there's more than one person who does that so it's hard to figure out who's responsible for it. (laugh)
When it comes to doing the dishes and laundry,we have different people in charge for each day. Cho-rong and I do them on Monday, Eun-ji, Ha-young and Na-eun on Wednesday and Bo-mi and Nam-joo on Friday.
When I go to college I'd like to major in applied music. I'm going to keep doing music anyway and I want to stay with the members of our group.
I'm not good at watching horror movies. I recently watched a movie called "Sanctum" where people die because they can't breathe in the water but I'm a bit claustrophobic so I kept hitting my chest while watching it. I was amazed at how Bo-mi was having so much fun while watching it.
I'm a bit scared of animals as well. That's why I'm much more afraid of puppies running about freely than tigers in their cages. When we first debuted, I went over to Cho-rong's home but a puppy ran out and started chasing after me. I was so scared that I stopped short and started crying. That's not the first time I've cried because of a puppy.

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Reporter : Hwang Hyo-jin seventeen@
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@, Jang Kyung-Jin three@