Running Man Brothers

Running Man Brothers
Running Man Brothers, Haha and Kim Jong-kook in Dallas, December 14, 2014
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop, electropop, hip-hop, reggae fusion, Dance, Ballad, Trot
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Urban Works ENT (2014-Present)
Members	Kim Jong-kook, Haha

Running Man Brothers is a South Korean pop duo, which is named after the South Korean television show Running Man. The group is composed of Kim Jong-kook and Haha and was formed in 2014.

Kim and Haha are regular cast members on the Running Man show, which started airing in 2010, and they have been called it's favorite "duo." Although Yoo Jae-suk is the star of the show, Kim and Haha have been written of as the "spice" of the show, with references to Kim's "boyish likeability, upbeat personality and masculinity" and Haha for "his insatiable sense of humor and free spirit," and together are called "the musical duo."

The two have been friends for a long time. Haha said he first met Kim when he was 19, when Kim was "super famous", "a legend" in Turbo and which Kim responded, "I was in Turbo, and he was nothing, so…" and then said, "I love him. He is literally like my real brother."

In addition to their individual musical careers, with Haha's "reggae style music" and Kim's "melancholic and soothing ballads," the two have performed together during their work for the Running Man show, at fan meet gatherings and concerts.

Kim's 2012 comeback, break from his hiatus from the music industry album, "Volume 7 - Journey Home" included the track "Words I Want To Say To You" featuring his Running Man members Haha and Leessang's Gary.

On July 12, 2014, the two variety show stars debuted together in concert at the Fantasy Springs Resort, Palm Springs, California, singing their hit songs, which was noted as a "return" to their musical roots.

Again, in December 2014, they collaborated with Tune Entertainment for a second leg of their concert tour in the United States, for concerts on December 12, at Queens College Colden Auditorium, New York City and on December 14, at Gilley's in Dallas. These two concerts, advertised in posters as "2014 Kim Jong Kook and Haha Running Man Bros' US Tour," started off with a video shoutout from Running Man fellow cast members Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwang-soo, Ji Suk-jin, Gary, and Song Ji-hyo with their congratulations for the duo's first U.S. tour. The concerts included some of their songs like Haha's "You're My Destiny," Kim's "Lovable," and older hits from Turbo; along with English covers of Bruno Mars's, Just the Way You Are, and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's Empire State of Mind, to interest the American audience. The two exhibited their Running Man friendship, where they call each other "My Dongsaeng” and “Our Hyung," and showed off their close friendship, "often man-hugging it out to the delight of the concert crowd." The two-hour-long concerts included songs and fan interactions, "pioneered by fluent English (Jongkook) and adorably simplistic English (Haha)."