In Korea, they are better known instead as Dong Bang Shin Ki (often abbreviated as DBSG or DBSK) while the Japanese equivalent of the group's name is Tohoshinki (abbreviated as THSK). Although their origin is pure Korean, their name on all official non-japanese advertisements and merchandise is scripted as "TVXQ", the chinese version of their name. Although in all three languages, it roughly translates to "Rising Gods of the East."
TVXQ made their first appearance on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears Showcase. They performed their debut song Hug as well as an acappella rendition of O Holy Night alongside BoA. The group eventually released two physical singles (Hug and The Way U Are), accompanied by photo books, before their first album in 2004. TVXQ reached #1 on Korean music charts in three months after their debut.
An official fan club was created, named after the Cassiopeia constellation near the Big Dipper. TVXQ's fans chose the name "Cassiopeia" for their fan club because the constellation has 5 stars in its galaxy, and TVXQ has 5 members. When traced on a computer keyboard, "TVfXQ" makes the constellation Cassiopeia.
They were the first Asian group to win two Thailand Music Awards for both Best Music Video (Rising Sun) and Favorite Asian Artist. Their seventh Japanese single Sky hit #6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, with their eighth single Miss You reaching #3 in Japan. They have topped both the Japanese and Korean charts on the Malaysian radio show "988" twice with their singles "Begin" and "The Fighting Spirit Of The East". The show has an audience of about 4.2 million listeners, reaching as far as Singapore.
At the 2006 MKMF Music Festival, the group won four awards, including Best Group and Artist of the Year. At the 16th Music Seoul Festival, which was held on the 1st December, the group won a total of three awards which included "Daesang," equivalent to 'Artist of the Year' award.They also won the Daesang at the 21st Golden Disk Awards 2006, held on December 14th, in addition to a Bonsang. At the SBS Gayo Awards 2006, held on 29th December, the group won another Daesang in addition to a Bonsang, making the group the king of the awards show sweeping four Daesangs in four major Korean music awards.
Here are some of my favorites photos of the group:
