Big Ocean breaks new ground as K-pop’s first deaf group

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance — one beat at a time.

When Big Ocean takes the stage, they seamlessly incorporate sign language into their performances. But their polished shows are built on extensive preparation using high-tech tools born from necessity — vibrating smartwatches that pulse with musical beats and LED visual metronomes that flash timing cues during practice sessions. This technological approach represents significant progress in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where career opportunities for people with disabilities have historically been limited.

The trio, PJ, Jiseok and Chanyeon, made their debut in April 2024 and recently wrapped a solo European tour marking their first anniversary. The band performed in four countries, including France and the U.K., while promoting their second mini-album, “Underwater,” which dropped on April 20.

PJ rose to prominence as a YouTuber who educated viewers about hearing disabilities. Chanyeon previously worked as an audiologist. Jiseok was a professional ski racer.

To achieve the precision crucial in K-pop’s demanding choreography and music, Big Ocean relies on technologies rarely seen in the genre. Members wear modified vibrating smartwatches that deliver rhythmic cues to their wrists and practice with visual metronomes — flashing light guides displayed on monitors — to help stay in sync when audio alone isn’t enough.

Chanyeon uses a hybrid hearing device with Bluetooth that streams music directly from mobile devices. The group also uses a pitch-checking app and AI voice conversion technology to support vocal training and enhance audio output after recordings.

“We each felt rhythm differently when dancing,” PJ told The Associated Press. “So when we’d play the same song and dance in front of the mirror, one of us would move faster while another would move slower. To solve this timing issue, we decided to memorize everything together and create our own cues with each other.”

This precision becomes critical during live performances, where unexpected disruptions can derail even experienced performers. “When we performed in France, our fans were cheering so loudly we lost the beat,” said Jiseok. “But we looked at each other and quickly handled the situation — just like we practiced.”

Stage effects and certain musical styles create additional obstacles. “When a lot of smoke comes up, sometimes we momentarily can’t see the stage movements in front of us,” PJ said. “Our concentration gets disrupted instantly in those moments.”

“When there’s no clear beat in a song, it’s really hard for us to stay synchronized,” Jiseok said. “When the bass is overwhelming, it’s difficult for us to catch it accurately.”

Despite these challenges, Big Ocean’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion has inspired their global fanbase. Big Ocean’s global fanbase — known as PADO — has responded with similar commitment.

“While communicating with PADO, we’ve heard that they’re actually learning Korean sign language for us, or learning various sign languages to communicate with us,” Jiseok said. “When we see how much they’re preparing and putting in that effort, we feel so grateful.”

The group uses English for basic communication with international fans and incorporates Korean Sign Language, American Sign Language and International Sign to promote accessibility and inclusion.

Jiseok credits BTS’s RM with inspiring his musical journey. He said RM’s donation to his former school — a private institution for deaf and hard of hearing students — gave him access to music and dance for the first time. “Without those learning opportunities, I probably never would have dreamed of becoming a K-pop idol,” he said.

Looking ahead, Big Ocean hopes to build on its growing global profile.

“We recently saw Justin Bieber’s Instagram post asking for music collaborators, so we sent him a DM,” PJ said. “All of us would love the opportunity to work with him. And personally, I’d also love to work with Billie Eilish.”

As the band reflects on its first year, Chanyeon said their biggest growth has been internal.

“I’ve always liked playing it safe — even with food, I only ate what I was used to,” he said. “But through Big Ocean, I’ve gained confidence in trying new things. That’s what I’m most satisfied with.”

Members of K-pop band Big Ocean, from left to right, Jiseok, PJ and Chanyeon, participate in an interview with The Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Members of K-pop band Big Ocean, PJ, left, and Chanyeon, participate in an interview with The Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Members of K-pop band Big Ocean, Jiseok, left, and PJ, participate in an interview with The Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Members of K-pop band Big Ocean, Jiseok, PJ and Chanyeon, from left to right, participate in an interview with The Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor,” died Monday. He was 74.

Ahn, who had suffered blood cancer for years, was pronounced dead at Seoul's Soonchunhyang University Hospital, his agency, the Artist Company, and hospital officials said.

“We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members," the Artist Company said in a statement.

President Lee Jae Myung issued a condolence message saying Ahn provided many people with comfort, joy and time for reflection. “I already miss his warm smile and gentle voice,” Lee wrote on Facebook.

Born to a filmmaker in the southeastern city of Daegu in 1952, Ahn made his debut as a child actor in the movie “The Twilight Train” in 1957. He subsequently appeared in about 70 movies as a child actor before he left the film industry to live an ordinary life.

In 1970, Ahn entered Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies as a Vietnamese major. Ahn said he graduated with top honors but failed to land jobs at big companies, who likely saw his Vietnamese major largely useless after a communist victory in the Vietnam War in 1975.

Ahn returned to the film industry in 1977 believing he could still excel in acting. In 1980, he rose to fame for his lead role in Lee Jang-ho’s “Good, Windy Days,” a hit coming-of-age movie about the struggle of working-class men from rural areas during the country’s rapid rise. Ahn won the best new actor award in the prestigious Grand Bell Awards, the Korean version of the Academy Awards.

He later starred in a series of highly successful and critically acclaimed movies, sweeping best actor awards and becoming arguably the country’s most popular actor in much of the 1980-90s.

Some of his memorable roles included a Buddhist monk in 1981’s “Mandara,” a beggar in 1984’s “Whale Hunting,” a Vietnam War veteran-turned-novelist in 1992’s “White Badge,” a corrupt police officer in 1993’s “Two Cops,” a murderer in 1999’s “No Where To Hide,” a special forces trainer in 2003’s “Silmido” and a devoted celebrity manager in 2006’s “Radio Star.”

Ahn had collected dozens of trophies in major movie awards in South Korea, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times, an achievement no other South Korean actors have matched yet.

Ahn built up an image as a humble, trustworthy and family-oriented celebrity who avoided major scandals and maintained a quiet, stable personal life. Past public surveys chose Ahn as South Korea’s most beloved actor and deserving of the nickname “The Nation’s Actor.”

Ahn said he earlier felt confined with his “The Nation's Actor” labeling but eventually thought that led him down the right path. In recent years, local media has given other stars similar honorable nicknames, but Ahn was apparently the first South Korean actor who was dubbed “The Nation's Actor.”

“I felt I should do something that could match that title. But I think that has eventually guided me on a good direction,” Ahn said in an interview with Yonhap news agency in 2023.

In media interviews, Ahn couldn’t choose what his favorite movie was, but said that his role as a dedicated, hardworking manger for a washed-up rock singer played by Park Jung-hoon resembled himself in real life the most.

Ahn was also known for his reluctance to do love scenes. He said said he was too shy to act romantic scenes and sometimes asked directors to skip steamy scenes if they were only meant to add spice to movies.

“I don’t do well on acting like looking at someone who I don’t love with loving eyes and kissing really romantically. I feel shy and can’t express such emotions well,” Ahn said in an interview with the Shindonga magazine in 2007. “Simply, I’m clumsy on that. So I couldn’t star in such movies a lot. But ultimately, that was a right choice for me.”

Ahn is survived by his wife and their two sons. A mourning station at a Seoul hospital was to run until Friday.

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki smiles for a photo on the red carpet at the 56th Daejong Film Awards ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)