"O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (stylized as "O"-正.反.合.), sometimes referred to as "O"-Union or just O, is the third Korean studio album (fourth overall) by South Korean boy group TVXQ, released through SM Entertainment on September 29, 2006. In a year when Korean music sales had slumped, it was the highest selling album in South Korea in 2006 and won the group several prominent awards in South Korea. The album stayed charted within the top 50 throughout 2007, and sold over 480,000 copies in South Korea by 2022.

The album's name "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap, literally translated to "O"-Justice.Opposition.Solution, is based on Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's theory of thesis, antithesis, synthesis. The album's lead single of the same name has lyrics that regard global conflicts with a plea for peace and resistance. The album contains a balance of fast tempo songs and ballads.

Versions and repackaging The album was released in 4 versions and packaging, versions A and B, C and D. Versions A and B promote the title song "'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap", while versions C and D promote the fantasy theme of the song "Balloons" and contain new songs and a DVD in each. The initial versions of the album with the original track listing was released in CD and cassette formats. For the version D, the label company did a unique box packaging, with special deck of cards with members' pictures wearing costumes included with the CD and DVD specials.

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, the album was released under the names "O"-Jing.Fan.Hap. and "O"-Zheng.Fan.He. respectively, while in Japan the name of the album is "O"-Sei.Han.Go.. The Japanese release does not contain the repackaged versions that are available in the Korean release.

Singles

'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap The lead single is a fast-tempo fusion of rock, hip hop, and electronic trance. The music video took several days to complete as its footage was shot in several countries. U-Know Yunho's footage was shot in Tokyo, Micky Yoochun's and Max Changmin's in Prague, Hero Jaejoong's in Bangkok, and Xiah Junsu's in South Korea. The music video showcases intense and unique dance choreography with stylized outfits.

Balloons In drastic contrast to the lead single, "Balloons" (Pungseon in Korean) is a bubbly song that features TVXQ members in animal costumes, made to directly appeal to the younger generation, as well as older generations familiar with the original "Balloons" by Five Fingers (an old Korean band). The lyrics talk about innocent childhood dreams and memories and how people tend to forget the importance of those dreams as they grow older. In 2011, the leader of Five Fingers, Lee Doo-heon, noted that the song's "yellow balloons" line was changed without permission to "red balloons" to coordinate with the color representing TVXQ's fanbase, Cassiopeia. Because this change was done prior to receiving permission, Lee jokingly requested 10 autographed CDs from TVXQ in exchange. The music video also included younger versions of several group's notable members, including Astro's Moonbin, iKon's Chanwoo and SF9's Chani.

Performances In three short months after the album's release, TVXQ were invited to perform on many stages of music shows, award shows, and concerts. TVXQ performed their third album's songs a few times in 2007 as well, since a fourth Korean album had not been released.

Accolades +Awards and nominationsCeremonyYearCategoryNomineeResultMTV VMA Japan 2007 Best Buzz – South Korea"'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap" (song) Mnet KM Music Festival2006Song of the Year Best Dance Performance Best Group Album of the Year"O"-Jung.Ban.Hap (album) Golden Disc Awards2006Album Daesang Album Bonsang SBS Gayo Daejeon Grand Prize (Daesang) Main Prize (Bonsang)

+Music program awardsSongProgramDate"'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap"InkigayoOctober 15, 2006October 29, 2006November 5, 2006M CountdownOctober 26, 2006November 9, 2006"Balloons"December 7, 2006

Track listing

Notes "White Lie" is track number 6 on versions C & D and the Japanese version, so all subsequent songs are pushed by one. The Japanese version does not include songs "You Only Love" and "Balloons".

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2006) Peakposition Taiwanese Albums (G-Music) 5 Chart (2010) Peakposition South Korean Albums (Gaon) 5

Monthly charts Chart (2006) Peakposition South Korean Albums (RIAK) 1

Year-end charts Chart (2006) Position South Korean Albums (RIAK) 1 Chart (2007) Position South Korean Albums (MIAK) 22

Sales

Release history + Country Date Version Format(s) Label South Korea September 29, 2006Version A & B SM EntertainmentVersion C & D Taiwan October 12, 2006Taiwanese editionCDAvex TaiwanJapan October 23, 2006Japanese edition CD + DVD

References