Turbo: A trio that supercharged 90s K-pop

Did you know that popular reality TV star Kim Jung Kook was a K-pop idol in the 90s? He was a part of a K-pop duo named Turbo. Kim Jung Kook and Kim Jung Nam were the members and the duo were largely dance-oriented. They debuted with GM Agency in August 1995 with their first album 280 km/h Speed. A year later, the duo returned with a second album.

 

 

But Turbo’s success was short-lived, for its label GM Agency’s CEO was revealed to have assaulted the company’s singers and also stolen millions of won worth of profits. Thus the group went into a hiatus. Later, Kim Jung Nam left the company and departed from Turbo over his differences with the management team. 

 

In 1997 though, Turbo found a new second member in the California resident Mikey. Kim Jung Kook and Mikey released Turbo’s third album Born Again… and in the same year, the duo also collaborated with Hollywood actor Will Smith, singing a Korean version of Smith’s song “Just The Two of Us.”

 

 

In the following years, Kim Jung Kook and Mikey continued their activities as Turbo. At one point, Kim Jung Kook came under fire for one particular performance at a concert. He was criticized for his lack of effort and respect and eventually Turbo was banned from performing for some time. After the ban was lifted, Turbo returned with new music in 2000. 

 

In 2001, Kim Jung Kook left the label after his contract expired. This signaled at the end of an era for Turbo as well. The duo released a farewell album revisiting its past hits. In mid-2010s, the duo was seen occasionally on reality TV shows, with Kim Jung Kook being the constant and either Mikey or Kim Jung Nam accompanying him. In 2015, all three members came together for the duo’s 20th anniversary. In 2017, Turbo released a mini-album Turbo Splash but as a trio this time. There has been no activity again after 2017 though.