Yup, Perfume are Japanese and in their early 20s. AKB48 are a pretty interesting Jpop phenomenon, they have 60+ members who perform daily in their own theater. Although their ages range from early teens to mid twenties, so they're questionable eye candy, not that that seems to bother the Japanese.
Back to the Korean pop.
Secret - 'Poison'. Seems to me the producer had been listening to Ameri & Beyonce. Secret have been around a few years, they're don't seem to have the biggest fan base, but their first lp sold a shit load in Korea.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/TP56DuUpKBE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Afterschool - Flashback. definitely an eye candy group, they go for the sexy rather than cute look.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/bSWzdj_LgjI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Hello Venus - Venus. a fine example of the cute approach, they only just debuted but are already pretty popular. Koreans seem kinda obsessed with the word "venus" despite the fact that a lot of them struggle with pronouncing 'V's commonly replacing them with 'P's.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/zU3Ug5pw7sw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Glam - Party(XXO). Another new group, this one is put together by the same company as the Wonder Girls. There were about 60 new acts, groups and sub-groups in 2011, the trend has continued in 2012 with an additional 70.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/5T62b-FxzxA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Sistar - Alone. This was a big hit for Sistar this year, propelling them into the upper echelons of kpop girl groups. They've only been around a few years but that kinda makes them veterans. The lead singer Hyorin has imho one of the best voices in kpop.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/E0ZHXVp_wUE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Spica - Painkiller. Another new group for 2012, put together around Boa (the one with short red hair) who used to be a vocal coach for other acts. They're one of the few female kpop groups who really focus on the singing, with all members having strong voices.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/mkiLNi0fA-Y?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2NE1 - I love you. Label mates of Psy & Big Bang, and one of the biggest girl groups in Korea. They're currently dipping their toe into the US market with a small tour. Radio 1 played this song once, and Edith Bowmen kinda slated it - seems Radio 1 is too cool for straight up pop these days. They're meant to be bringing out a English language lp produced by Wil.i.am.
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http://www.youtube.com/embed/LUrUPzLm5SI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
That's probably enough for now.