Although there was very little Korean influence on Thai music before this decade, there is one interesting link dating back to the Korean War. The famous ramwong performer, Benjamin, saw six months of service with the Thai army in Korea and when he returned he composed songs such as “Kaoli Haeng Khwam Lang” (Korea in the past) and “Siang Krueang Jak Kaoli” (sound of Korean instruments). However, it was not until 2005 that Thailand succumbed to the Korean Wave, or hallyu (pronounced hanliu). Hallyu refers to the explosive popularity of Korean pop culture in recent years. K-Pop is now all the rage in Thailand's schools and Korean girl bands such as Wonder Girls or Girl's Generation (SNSD) and boy bands such as Super Junior and Big Bang are the epitome of cool for Thai youth (Han, 2009).