今日のK-POPニュース

Hyolyn returns to her 1st love — era of divas who inspired her

Before Hyolyn became K-pop's official "summer queen," before debuting as part of girl group SISTAR and before the stage name, there was a teenager in awe of Destiny's Child. "Those sounds shocked me even back then," the singer said during an interview with The Korea Times at a quiet cafe in Seoul's Seongdong District, Thursday. "Artists I loved back then and still listen to now: Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney, Missy Elliott. Even without seeking them out, old songs were always on my playlist. I wanted to bring back that feeling." That feeling is the engine of "OriginaLyn," Hyolyn's fourth mini album. Slated for release at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the seven-track set arrives through ReH Entertainment, the singer's self-founded agency. Its title fuses "original" with "Lyn," and the mission statement is in the wordplay — this is not a reinvention but a restoration. It's her first mini album since "iCE" in July 2022, and her first physical release in four years. "As a soloist, I've worked across a lot of genres. Before, I projected my character onto whatever concept the music

Hyolyn

Sistar

Hyolyn channels Y2K nostalgia on ‘OriginaLyn’

Sixteen years after debuting as Sistar’s powerhouse vocalist, Hyolyn says she no longer feels the need to reinvent herself. Instead, with her fourth EP, “OriginaLyn,” the singer chose to strip away the layers she had built over the years and return to the artist she was before the arrival of concepts, expectations and labels. The seven-track album, her first physical release in four years since 2022’s “Ice,” revisits the music that first inspired her while embracing the confidence she has gained

Sistar

U-KISS member Lee Jun-young begins military service, shares photos shaving his head

Actor and singer Lee Jun-young temporarily stepped away from the spotlight Tuesday as he began his mandatory military service. Lee, 29, entered an Army training center on Tuesday. His arrival was kept private, with no official farewell event, according to his agency, Billions. After completing basic training, he will serve as an active-duty soldier. Before leaving, Lee gave fans a glimpse of his military buzz cut, posting photos of himself shaving his own head on social media. He had earlier shared the news of his enlistment in a handwritten letter. “I will return healthy and as myself,” Lee wrote. “Until the day I greet you again, I sincerely hope you all stay healthy and spend happy and meaningful time wherever you are. Thank you for always caring for and supporting me.” Born in 1997, Lee made his debut in 2014 when he joined the K-pop group U-KISS. He began acting in 2017 and gradually established himself as a leading man through appearances in "A Special Meal of the Weirdo 'Nara'," "Avengers Social Club,” “D.P.,” “Mask Girl,” “The Impossible Heir,” “When Life

IU fights false online claims in US court

Korean singer and actor IU has asked a U.S. federal court to authorize the release of identifying information from Meta in a move seen as an intention to take strong action against malicious posts and the spread of false information online. IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment, said Monday that it filed a discovery application on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to identify a person behind a Threads account. The agency said it needs the information for an ongoing defamation lawsuit in Korea. The agency directly targeted an unidentified Threads user, alleging the person published 52 posts between March and October last year containing false claims. The posts included plagiarism allegations and other claims the agency described as false. According to the application, the posts made false assertions related to China, misrepresented IU's overseas achievements and included allegations that she manipulated public opinion and exploited a deceased person for publicity, as well as content linking national disasters to song lyrics. Saying the Korean lawsuit i

'Never too old to be a superfan'

For years, Lim Su-hyun believed the happiest days of her life were behind her. Then, six years ago, she found joy again — in the voice of trot singer Lim Young-woong, whose popularity rivals that of many K-pop stars. Every morning after saying her prayers, the 82-year-old opens YouTube to listen to his songs, a daily ritual she says has given her life new meaning. Lim began losing her eyesight in 2018 after being diagnosed with glaucoma and macular degeneration, forcing her to give up many of th

BTS

Mamamoo expands world tour to Tokyo

Mamamoo added a Tokyo stop to its tour, according to agency RBW Entertainment on Tuesday. The foursome kicked off its “4Ward” tour in Seoul last month with a three-show sold-out run and will resume it in Singapore on July 31. After stopping in Manila, Philippines, the group will begin the US leg of the trip, hopping around seven cities in the country until the end of August. In September, Mamamoo will visit Jakarta, Indonesia, and two cities in Australia. Shows in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, Mal

Mamamoo

Katseye

Pentagon

Katseye to drop single Friday

Katseye set fans abuzz Tuesday with a teaser video for their new single “Animal.” The video is awash in black and red, with the five members dressed up in suits and killer heels. The single is set to drop on July 24, ahead of the release of the group's third EP “Wild,” due out Aug. 14. Expectations are high for the group, which set the bar high with the success of its previous releases. Its second mini album “Beautiful Chaos” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and has been on the chart for a y

Katseye

Pentagon

RIIZE

Giselle of aespa celebrates Japanese producer's birthday amid dating rumors

Giselle of K-pop girl group aespa posted a photo with producer and songwriter Shintaro Yasuda on Saturday, reviving dating rumors from May. She shared the photo on social media showing the pair wearing helmets and masks obscuring their faces. Giselle captioned the photo "Hbd" — an acronym for happy birthday — with a black heart emoji. Yasuda has produced for K-pop acts including STAYC, Yuju and Le Sserafim. He co-wrote and produced Giselle's solo songs "Dopamine" and "Tornado." Dating speculation Similar social media posts fueled speculation in May that the two were dating. Online users pointed to photos of slushies that appeared to be from the same store, as well as cherry blossom pictures uploaded around similar times last spring. Although the posts provided no confirmation of a romantic relationship, the claims drew mixed reactions online. While some dismissed the speculation as groundless, fellow aespa member Ningning previously drew attention by leaving a laughing-and-crying emoji on a community post discussing the rumors. Online users interpreted the emoji in different ways, not

Pentagon to return as septet for 10th anniversary

Pentagon surprised fans Tuesday with the news that it will return as a group and drop a single as part of a project to celebrate its 10th anniversary, its agency Naked said Tuesday. The group will also embark on a tour featuring seven members of the nine-member act. The single will be Pentagon’s first new song in about three years since their digital single “Promise” in 2023. The bandmates have gone their separate ways since then, finding new agencies and pursuing individual careers. Wooseok rel

Riize to celebrate 3rd anniversary with fan meetup

Riize is set to host a two-day fan meeting this fall to mark the third anniversary of its debut, label SM Entertainment announced Monday. The group invited fans to the event, “Ch. Riize: On Air,” themed after a broadcasting channel dedicated to the six members and their official fandom. The idea was pitched at a fan party Riize held in May to mark the 1,000th day of its debut. The event is slated for Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. and Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. at Inspire Arena in Incheon. The six-member act return

RIIZE

Kiss Of Life

NCT WISH

July Individual Idol Brand Reputation Rankings Announced

The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for individual idols! The rankings were determined through an analysis of the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes of 1,735 idols, using big data collected from June 22 to July 22. RESCENE’s Woni shot to the top of this month’s

BTS

TXT’s Yeonjun And CORTIS Earn Double Crowns On Circle Weekly Charts

Circle Chart has revealed its chart rankings for the week of July 5 to July 11! Album Chart TXT’s Yeonjun achieved a double crown on this week’s charts, topping both the physical album chart and the digital download chart with his new solo ini album “NO LABELS: PART 02” and its title track “Ice Cream.”

TXT’s Yeonjun Scores 2nd Solo Entry On Billboard 200 With “NO LABELS: PART 02”

TXT’s Yeonjun has entered the Billboard 200 for the second time as a soloist! On July 21 local time, Billboard officially announced that Yeonjun’s new solo mini album “NO LABELS: PART 02” had debuted at No. 16 on its Top 200 Albums chart, its weekly ranking of the most popular albums in the United States

Yeonjun

TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Kep1er And CLC’s Yujin Releases Gorgeous Profile Photos After Signing With New Agency

Choi Yujin of Kep1er and CLC has released official profile photos under her new agency! Earlier this month, ELSE Entertainment announced that Yujin had signed an exclusive contract with the agency. On July 21, ELSE Entertainment unveiled a stunning new set of profile photos of Yujin to signal her fresh start under new management. Check

Kep1er

CLC

Watch: KATSEYE Unveils New Teasers For Pre-Release Single “Animal”

KATSEYE is dropping a new single this week! On July 21 local time, KATSEYE unveiled a new set of teaser photos for their upcoming pre-release single “Animal.” “Animal” is due out on July 24 at midnight ET (1 p.m. KST), while the rest of the group’s upcoming EP “WILD” will drop on August 14. Check

Katseye

Watch: NewJeans Announces Return As 4-Member Group With “2026 Summer Of NewJeans” Films

The wait is nearly over: NewJeans is back! On July 22 at midnight KST, NewJeans rang in the fourth anniversary of their debut with several “2026 Summer of NewJeans” films and photos signaling their return as a four-member group. Following Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni’s return to ADOR last year and the termination of Danielle’s contract,

tripleS Announces Dates And Cities For 2026 World Tour “ANDLESS”

tripleS is heading abroad on a world tour this fall! On July 21, tripleS officially announced the stops for their upcoming 2026 world tour “ANDLESS.” After kicking off with two nights of concerts in Seoul on October 10 and 11, tripleS’s “ANDLESS” tour will take them to Macau on October 24 and Tokyo on October

TripleS

SEVENTEEN’s “Super” Becomes Their 2nd And Fastest MV To Surpass 300 Million Views

SEVENTEEN has hit the 300 million mark for the second time on YouTube! On July 21 at around 8:24 p.m. KST, the music video for SEVENTEEN’s 2023 hit “Super” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube, becoming the group’s second music video to reach the milestone following “Don’t Wanna Cry.” “Super” also set a new personal

Seventeen

Cha Woo Min, CIX’s Hyunsuk, EPEX’s Baekseung, And More Transform Into Fictional Idol Group In “My Bias, My Boss”

tvN’s upcoming drama “My Bias, My Boss” has released new “concept photos” of its fictional idol group D.N.X! Based on a webtoon, “My Bias, My Boss” tells the story of the romance between Nam Da Reum (Kim Hye Joon), who joins a company to meet her longtime idol bias Lee Chan (Cha Woo Min), and

Hyunsuk

CIX

EPEX

Hyun

ATEEZ’s Agency Shares Update On Legal Action Against Malicious Posts

KQ Entertainment has released a notice regarding the protection of ATEEZ’s rights. On July 21, KQ Entertainment released an official notice on the protection of their artist ATEEZ and legal action against malicious posts. Read the full statement below: Hello.This is KQ Entertainment. We continuously monitor the spread of false information, defamation, insults, sexual harassment,

ATEEZ

Watch: Car, the Garden, Dowoon, Tarzzan, And Lee Chae Min Face Brutal Reality Of A Snowy Mountain Climb In “Take A Hike!” Teaser

Netflix’s upcoming variety show “Take A Hike!” has unveiled new teasers featuring Car, the garden, DAY6’s Dowoon, ALLDAY PROJECT’s Tarzzan, and Lee Chae Min! “Take A Hike!” is a “self-hiking” variety show about four involuntary hikers who have never had an interest in mountaineering as they embark on their first-ever midwinter expedition up a snow-covered

Jun Hyun Moo And Lim Yoona To Reunite As Hosts For 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards

Jun Hyun Moo and Girls’ Generation’s Lim Yoona will once again serve as hosts of this year’s Blue Dragon Series Awards! Since serving as the inaugural MCs in 2022, Jun Hyun Moo and Lim Yoona have participated in the Blue Dragon Series Awards every year without missing a single ceremony, continuing their record as hosts

Jun

Hyun

Girls' Generation (SNSD)

Jang Gyuri Is Song Kang’s Childhood Friend With A Remarkable Musical Gift In New Drama “Four Hands, Two Sonatas”

tvN’s upcoming drama “Four Hands, Two Sonatas” has unveiled the first glimpse of Jang Gyuri in character! “Four Hands” is a piano term that refers to a technique where two people play a single piano together. The drama “Four Hands, Two Sonatas” will depict the friendship, love, rivalry, and growth of youths who meet at

Lee Jun Young Enlists In The Military

Lee Jun Young is enlisting in the military today! Previously, Lee Jun Young personally shared his plans to enlist as an active duty soldier on July 21. Ahead of his enlistment, Lee Jun Young took to Instagram to share photos of him preparing to enlist by getting a military buzz cut. In the photos, he

Super Junior

Jun