[ARTICLE] Backstage with B.A.P in London - Dazed&Confused

To celebrate the launch of our new Korean sister site which went live this weekend, today we're investigating the cultural influence and innovation of the country's most exciting creatives. Explore the world of K-pop with new interviews with B.A.P, Taeyang and 4minute, meet Snowpiercer actress Ko Ah-sung and get a furtive glimpse at North Korea's life online. Check back here for more throughout the day.

Bang Yongguk is attempting a behind-the-back pool table shot in the Brixton Academy green room. It doesn't quite go to plan but his fellow members of B.A.P – Korea's most progressive hip hop boyband – make encouraging noises anyway. The six-piece are in town to play the 5000-capacity venue and shoot the video for their new single "Where Are You? What Are you Doing?" along the Thames. They got soaked, but, as 20-year-old Youngjae says, they weren't bothered but excited.

[ARTICLE] B.A.P in Dazed Digital Online's Top Ten K-Pop of 2013

The craziest year ever for Korean pop, with punchy, progressive tracks from CL, T.O.P and EXO

Ropey debuts, drug busts, flops, scandals, sasaeng fans raising hell, and losing your favourite singer to the mandatory Korean military service. That's a fraught year in K-Pop. But it's also music videos that inspire, songs which transcend language barriers, heart-wrenching and deserved comebacks. The sheer volume of material makes summarising a lip-chewing nightmare. Ten places just isn't enough to truly capture the year and the following, in no order, need smashing high fives for being damn awesome. Put your hands together for SPICA's “Tonight”, TEEN TOP's “Miss Right”, BTS' “No More Dream”, HENRY's “Trap”, VIXX's “Voodoo Doll”, SHINEE's “Why So Serious”, BLOCK B's “Very Good”, EVOL's “Get Up”, and SISTAR19's “Gone Not Around Any Longer”.

10. B.A.P- "Hurricane"

Five singles, an American and Japanese tour – B.A.P have been 2013's unstoppable machines. To some they lost their way after February's superior “One Shot” and truthfully the Badman LP was, in parts, incoherent and misguided. But you had to relish its ballsy experimentation and "Hurricane" stood out as loud, squalling and dripping with gold like an Argos loving, 37 year old grandmother of two. It was vicious; uncaring that B.A.P's strongest vocalist was bent double to compete with the heavy production, or that it ruthlessly defiled every music genre in existence. Months later it's still spectacularly precocious and demented – the sound of growing pains from an idol group reluctant to be merely categorised as such.