Sechs Kies

Sechs Kies (pronounced as /ˈzɛkskiːs/ ZEKS-kees; Korean: 젝스키스) is a first generation South Korean boy band. Making their debut on April 15, 1997, they are one of the first K-pop idol groups, credited with pioneering the idol scene and fandom culture. The group consists of the following members, Eun Ji-won, Lee Jai-jin, Kim Jae-duck, and Jang Su-won.

Sechs Kies formally disbanded on May 20, 2000 after 3 years of activity. On April 14, 2016, the group reunited for a performance as part of the show Infinite Challenge. On May 10, 2016, 5 of the 6 members signed a contract with YG Entertainment to continue promoting, while member Ko Ji-yong remained retired from the industry. After the release of the group's fifth full album, Another Light, member Kang Sung-hoon also left the group in 2019. The group has remained inactive since 2021, with their YG Entertainment profile being deleted in 2024.

Eun Ji-won was scouted at a nightclub by DSP Entertainment's CEO while studying abroad in Hawaii, along with Kang Sung-hoon. The agency originally planned to debut Eun Ji-won and Kang Sung-hoon in South Korea as a duo, but with the success of SM Entertainment's male idol group H.O.T., the agency shifted gears to debut a six-member male idol group instead.

Kim Jae-duck and Lee Jai-jin at the time were members of a dance crew called Quicksilver in Busan and trainees at Seo Taiji and Boys Lee Juno's company. Daesung Entertainment's CEO Lee Ho-Yeon recruited the two through recommendation of Lee Juno. Jang Su-won was cast during an open audition, and lastly, Ko Ji-yong, a childhood friend of Kang Sung-hoon, was cast as the final member of Sechs Kies.

Sechs Kies debuted on April 15, 1997 on KMTV Show! Music Tank with their first single, "School Anthem" (also known as "School Byeolgok", "School Song", or "학원별곡" in Korean). Their debut album School Anthem, named after the title track, was released on May 15.

Multiple songs from School Anthem became immensely popular, including "School Anthem", "Remember Me", and "The Way This Guy Lives - Pomsaengpomsa". OhmyNEWS reported that over 1,800,000 copies of the album were sold. The physical sales of Sechs Kies's albums remain unclear because of DSP's under-reporting and official records being unavailable for albums released before September 1998. For further information on Sechs Kies's album sales record, read Sechs Kies discography.

Shortly afterwards, Sechs Kies made their much anticipated comeback in October on KMTV's Recharge 100% Show and began promotional activities for their second album release. Their second album was titled Welcome to the Sechskies Land, featuring 20 tracks formatted as a tour around a fictional amusement park known as "Sechskies Land", and was released on November 1. They quickly began promoting the album's title track "Chivalry" (기사도) on various music programs, which gave the group their first number one spot on SBS Inkigayo on December 7.

Sechs Kies quickly achieved recognition as rookies of the year and received several awards at various music award shows. In December, they won the 12th Korea Visual and Records Grand Prize (later named Golden Disc Awards) Bonsang, the KMTV Korean Music Awards New Artist Award, the Seoul Music Awards Bonsang, the KBS Music Awards Bonsang, the Best 10 Artist Awards at the MBC and the SBS Music Awards.