Maps of Music

"O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006)

Where the lyrics of "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. take you, and where it was really made.

The title is built on Hegel's thesis, antithesis and synthesis, and is written in Chinese characters as 正.反.合.

Place unknown

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Third Korean studio album (fourth overall) by South Korean boy group TVXQ
Released through SM Entertainment on September 29, 2006
Also referred to as "O"-Union or simply O
Highest-selling album in South Korea in 2006, in a year when Korean music sales had slumped
Contains a balance of fast tempo songs and ballads

Title literally translates to "O"-Justice.Opposition.Solution
Based on Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's theory of thesis, antithesis, synthesis
Lead single shares the album's name; its lyrics regard global conflicts with a plea for peace and resistance
Lead single is a fast-tempo fusion of rock, hip hop, and electronic trance

Released in 4 versions and packaging: A and B promote the title song, C and D promote the fantasy theme of "Balloons"
Versions C and D each contain new songs and a DVD
Initial versions with the original track listing came out on CD and cassette
Version D came in unique box packaging with a special deck of cards showing members in costumes
Japanese release lacks the repackaged versions available in Korea

Lead single music video took several days to complete because its footage was shot in several countries

Formed in 2003 by SM Entertainment as a five-member boy band; debuted December 26, 2003 with the single "Hug" (2004).
Yunho was appointed the band's leader; the name Dong Bang Shin Ki was finalized after several alternatives.
Tohoshinki (東方神起) was the Japanese-market name adopted after signing with Avex Group in late 2004.

Current members: U-Know Yunho (leader) and Max Changmin.
Former members Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu left in 2010 and formed JYJ.

Early Korean albums Tri-Angle (2004), Rising Sun (2005), "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006) and Mirotic (2008) topped domestic charts; "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. won Album of the Year at the 21st Golden Disk Awards.
In Japan, the band became mainstream stars after The Secret Code (2009); their Best Selection 2010 was the first album to top the Oricon Albums Chart.
After a 2010 split, Yunho and Changmin returned as a duo with Keep Your Head Down (2011); later albums include Tone (2011), Time (2013), Tense (2014), Tree (2014), New Chapter #1 (2018) and XV (2019).
The duo held a three-day performance at Tokyo Dome on April 27, 2025 for their 20th anniversary.

Released in a year when Korean music sales had slumped
Highest-selling album in South Korea in 2006
Won the group several prominent awards in South Korea
Released in 4 versions and packaging: A and B for the title song, C and D with new songs and a DVD

Stayed charted within the top 50 throughout 2007
TVXQ performed songs from this third album a few times in 2007, since no fourth Korean album had been released
Sold over 480,000 copies in South Korea by 2022

The title is based on Hegel's theory of thesis, antithesis, synthesis
In 2011, Five Fingers leader Lee Doo-heon noted that a line of the original song had been changed without permission, and jokingly requested 10 autographed CDs from TVXQ
The music video footage was shot in different cities: U-Know Yunho's in Tokyo, Micky Yoochun's and Max Changmin's in Prague, Hero Jaejoong's in Bangkok, and Xiah Junsu's in South Korea
In Hong Kong and Taiwan the album came out under different names, and in Japan under a third name
The music video also featured younger versions of Astro's Moonbin, iKon's Chanwoo and SF9's Chani