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| Kakao characters Ryan, left, and Choonsik dance to IVE's song, "LOVE DIVE" (2022). Captured from YouTube |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Ryan and Choonsik, the animal-like characters that were created as emojis for Korean messenger app KakaoTalk, are basking in immense popularity as "K-pop influencers," with their fun covers of K-pop dance choreography, hitting high views on YouTube.
The lion and cat duo ― also known as the "Ra Choon" duo ― shared their cover of NCT 127's "2 Baddies" on their official YouTube channel on Sept. 21, five days after its release. As of Thursday afternoon, the clip has surpassed 130,000 views.
The video is part of the second season of the "Ra Choon Dance" series. The first season, which featured the two characters' adorable yet skillful performances of popular K-pop songs like aespa's "Next Level" (2021), accumulated 87 million views on YouTube and TikTok. On TikTok, the duo has more than 1 million followers.
Numerous online users and K-pop fans say they love watching Ryan and Choonsik's cute facial expressions, outfits and dance moves, as well as the videos' visual aesthetics.
"The quality of these videos is so high and I love seeing the details of the characters' cute moves," an internet user commented.
The second season of the "Ra Choon Dance" series kicked off last month, and is seeking to broaden its horizon by joining hands with different K-pop record labels.
Ryan and Choonsik first teamed up with Starship Entertainment, unveiling their own music video featuring girl group IVE's song "LOVE DIVE" (2022) and covering the dance choreography of their debut single, "ELEVEN" (2021). In September, they collaborated with aespa, NCT and their record label SM Entertainment.
"We are aiming to make Ryan and Choonsik the influencers of the next generation by promoting them to the young generation," a Kakao Friends official said. "We want to raise their profile with the help of K-pop."
