Taesaja (), meaning "four big men," was a South Korean boy group which debuted in 1997 and disbanded in 2001. It consisted of four members: Hyung-jun, Dong-yoon, Jun-seok, and Young-min. Wearing suits and kendo uniform inspired outfits, Taesaja gained prominence with their hit songs "The Way" (also known as "Do") and "Time," and rivaled the boy group NRG. Each of the members had their own representative Chinese character: Hyung-jun was ("heaven"), Dong-yoon was ("rain"), Jun-seok was ("cloud"), and Young-min was ("wind"). Over the span of four years, they released four studio albums and a compilation album. Taesaja disbanded early, only four years after their debut. In 2019, the group came back into the spotlight by performing on Two Yoo Project Sugar Man 3.
History
1997: Taesaja, Vol.1 Taesaja debuted with "The Way" in the October of 1997. Not long after, the group released their debut album Taesaja, Vol. 1 on November 27, 1997. It featured two of their most popular songs: "The Way" and "Time." The former was composed by Jang Young-jin, who also composed "Candy" by H.O.T..
1998:Taesaja, Vol. 2 Taesaja's popularity took off in 1998. On the KMTV show Power Chart, interviewed teenagers ranked "The Way" as the third most popular song among rookie group releases. Additionally, Taesaja performed "The Way" on Gayo Top 10 with the song peaking at the #6 spot. Later that year, their second album was released, titled Taesaja, Vol. 2. "Time" won the group their first award this year, and they won two rookie awards from SBS Gayo Daejun and Golden Disk Awards for video album. In May, Taesaja's popularity won them a spot on the Dream Concert lineup.
On October 17, Taesaja performed at 'Love Concert,' a charity event for children facing food insecurity. The concert lineup was abundant with popular artists, such as H.O.T., Fin.K.L, Sechs kies, Kim Kyung-ho, and Kim Hyun-jung. Another charity effort by the group was featuring on a collaborative Christian gospel album. Titled "Save Our People," the album served to raise funds for assistance for North Korean defectors. Taesaja's contribution was a cover of "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" with their own pop twist to the Christian worship song.
1999-2001: 2000-1, Leap and Forever History After a 7 month hiatus, Taesaja released their third album titled 2000-1 July 1999. The following year, the group's forth album, Leap (also translated as Leaping Out), was released. Alongside this release, the group had a brand deal with the streetwear brand 1492 Miles. Taesaja announced their disbandment November 2001 and released a compilation album titled Forever History.
2002-present: After Taesaja In 2019, Taesaja reunited to perform on Two Yoo Project Sugar Man 3. In 2020, the members got back together, save Dong-joon who was in the United States, to perform "The Way" on Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend. The same year, member Dong-yoon was accused of bullying and theft as a middle schooler. He released an official statement apologizing for his actions. In 2024, Taesaja performed "The Way" and "Time" on Open Concert for "Back to the 90's." The group performed there again in 2025 with the same songs.
Members +MembersStage nameReal nameChinese characterBornPositionHyung-jun (형준)Kim Hyung-jun (김형준)天May 4, 1977Leader, vocalist, rapperDong-yoon (동윤)Lee Dong-yoon (이동윤)雨May 25, 1978Vocalist, rapperJun-seok (준석)Park Jun-seok (박준석)雲October 30, 1978Rapper, vocalistYoung-min (영민)Kim Young-duk (김영득)風January 10, 1980Main vocalist, Maknae
Discography
Studio Albums Taesaja has a total of four studio albums.
Taesaja, Vol. 1: Released November 26, 1997 Taesaja, Vol. 2: Released August 1, 1998 2000-1: Released July 1, 1999 Leap: Released June 20, 2000
Compilation Album Taesaja released one compilation album at the time of their disbandment titled Forever History. It was released on November 1, 2001.
References