K-Pop News Archive | KpopVisage.com

Kpop Visage

Today in K-Pop

Direct from Korean news and other sources

Seoul city gov't conditionally allows BTS comeback show in Gwanghwamun

The Seoul metropolitan government on Thursday approved K-pop megastar BTS's request to hold a comeback show in the central Gwanghwamun Square on the condition it meets safety standards. The decision was reached at a meeting of a relevant advisory panel in response to a request from Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, and the group's label BigHit Music to allow the concert — "BTS 2026 Comeback Show @ Seoul" — to be held in Gwanghwamun in March, the city government said. The approval is conditional on safety conditions being met, including preventing overlaps in the exit times of performers and audience members and minimizing traffic disruptions. In addition, the city government plans to conduct thorough on-site inspections in advance against inflated hotel prices and other unfair business practices in neighborhoods surrounding Gwanghwamun Square. BTS will release its fifth full-length album "Arirang" on March 20, its first new album in three years and nine months since the anthology album "Proof" in June 2022. Hybe has applied to host a concert for about 18,000 people at Gwanghwamun Sq

BTS

Watch: ENHYPEN Takes 1st Win For “Knife” On “M Countdown”; Performances By EXO, ONEUS, And More

ENHYPEN has won their first music show trophy for their new title track “Knife“! On the January 22 episode of M Countdown, the candidates for first place were ENHYPEN’s “Knife” and ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s “FREAK ALARM.” ENHYPEN ultimately took the prize with a total of 9,408 points. Congratulations to ENHYPEN! Watch the winner announcement and encore… The post appeared first on .

Exo

ILLIT Announces Stops For “PRESS START♥︎” Tour In Asia

ILLIT is gearing up to greet fans across Asia! On January 22, BELIFT LAB announced ILLIT’s “PRESS START♥︎” live tour, which will kick off in Seoul on March 14 and 15 at the Ticketlink Live Arena. ILLIT will then visit Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Check out the dates and venues below!… The post appeared first on .

ILLIT

Seoul approves BTS’ comeback show in Gwanghwamun Square

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it has conditionally approved BTS’ planned comeback show at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, the group’s first performance in nearly four years. The exact date of the show has yet to be finalized. The group’s agency, Hybe, said only that it would make an official announcement once details on the venue and schedule are confirmed. The conditional approval was decided during a Gwanghwamun Square advisory committee meeting held Thursday afternoon t

BTS

Seoul city gov't conditionally allows BTS comeback show in Gwanghwamun

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul metropolitan government on Thursday approve...

BTS

Seventeen announces spring encore concert

Seventeen will wrap up its world tour, New_, with encore concerts in Incheon in April, its agency Pledis Entertainment announced Wednesday. Scheduled for April 4-5, the two shows bring Seventeen back to the venue where it first kicked off its tour in September. The performances will also be broadcast online for fans around the world. In the meantime, Seventeen will be performing at stadiums in four cities: Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and Bulacan in the Philippines. Separately, DK and Seungkwa

Seventeen

ENHYPEN’s “THE SIN : VANISH” Becomes Their 3rd Album To Sell 2 Million Copies In 1st Week

ENHYPEN’s “THE SIN : VANISH” is officially the first “double-million seller” of 2026! Last week, ENHYPEN made their return with the new mini album “THE SIN : VANISH” and its accompanying title track “Knife” on January 16. By the end of the day, the mini album had already sold over 1.6 million copies, marking the… The post appeared first on .

ENHYPEN

GOT7’s Park Jinyoung And Kim Min Ju Confirmed For New Romance Drama

It’s official—GOT7’s Park Jinyoung and Kim Min Ju will be starring in a new drama together! “Shining” (literal title) is a drama about young people who once shared a world of their own and gradually become each other’s source of trust and the light that guides their lives. The series will be directed by Kim… The post appeared first on .

GOT7

Min

Jinyoung

(Yonhap Interview) Bunjang Global offers chance for all global fans to get hard-to-find K-pop goods

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- Photocards -- often referred to as "poca" by fans -- ...

'KPop Demon Hunters' lands two Oscar nominations

Netflix's hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" has received two Oscar nominations. The animated sensation, co-directed by Korean Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang and American director Chris Appelhans, earned nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for "Golden," according to the announcement of the 98th Academy Awards nominees, livestreamed Thursday. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the film centers on Huntr/x, who live a double life, balancing their music careers with their duties as warriors who protect the world from demonic spirits, like the overlord Gwi-Ma and the soul-stealing Saja Boys. Released on June 20 last year, it became an instant hit and the streaming giant's most-watched movie of all time. Capitalizing on its immense popularity, a theatrical singalong version of the film was released for a limited time in many countries, including the United States, Australia and Britain. Earlier this month, it won best animated film and best song at the Golden Globes, along with similar success at the Critics Choice Awards. The awards ceremony will be held on March

Huntr/x

K-pop agencies fight malicious comments — why it’s not enough

In recent weeks, South Korea’s major entertainment agencies have taken increasingly visible steps to confront malicious comments and the spread of misinformation targeting their artists. On Tuesday, SM Entertainment publicly identified X accounts accused of repeatedly posting malicious comments and false claims regarding its artists through its official X account. The agency said the move followed repeated incidents of defamation, harassment and false information that caused psychological harm t

Indie singer HANRORO makes waves in Korea’s music scene

HANRORO, a 26-year-old indie singer-songwriter is reshaping Korea’s music scene by dominating streaming charts, selling out arenas and landing on bestseller lists simultaneously. Debuting in March 2022 with the single “Let Me Love My Youth,” HANRORO has seen a meteoric rise in recent months. Her 2024 track “Landing in Love” saw a strong resurgence on the charts late last year, climbing to No. 2 on Melon’s daily chart in mid-January. On the weekly chart for Jan. 12-18, she secured second place, closely trailing Hwasa’s “Good Goodbye.” Her success extends beyond streaming. In late December, her three EPs swept the top three spots on the weekly album sales chart of major online retailer Yes24 — a rare feat for an indie artist. Her literary debut, the novel "Jamong Salgu Club," even climbed to No. 4 at Kyobo Book Centre, the nation's premier bookseller. Despite its dark themes, the book’s sales surged alongside the popularity of her music. From small halls to arenas HANRORO is increasingly seen as an artist who graduated from indie star status to idol, evidenced by her e

Cha Eun-woo faces allegations of 20 billion won tax evasion

As allegations of large-scale tax evasion involving Chae Eun-woo — an actor and member of the idol group ASTRO — emerged, his agency released an official statement saying it will actively cooperate with authorities to clarify the matter. “The key issue is whether a company established by Cha’s mother qualifies as a legitimate subject of taxation,” Fantagio said in its statement regarding the allegation of 20 billion won ($13 million) in tax evasion. “The company will actively clarify its position through appropriate legal procedures concerning the interpretation and application of tax law.” The agency added, “Cha Eun-woo and his tax representatives will fully cooperate throughout the process to ensure it is concluded as swiftly as possible, and he will continue to faithfully fulfill all tax reporting and legal obligations as a law-abiding citizen.” Earlier in the day, Edaily reported that the National Tax Service had notified Cha of additional taxes — including income tax — totaling more than 20 billion won. According to the report, a company founded by Cha’s mothe

Astro

Korea, Japan, Indonesia top K-pop markets in 2025: data

South Korea, Japan and Indonesia remained the world’s three largest K-pop markets in 2025, highlighting the genre’s continued strength in Asia even as it expands globally, according to data released Thursday. The findings are based on a year-end analysis by K-Pop Radar, a global analytics platform operated by music startup Space Oddity, which tracked artists' YouTube views from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, to identify shifts in international K-pop consumption. While the top three markets remained un

X1 may reunite after 6 years: report

Project group X1 could rekindle its career through a reality show, a local media outlet reported Thursday. The 11-member group was formed through Mnet’s “Produce X 101” and debuted in 2019, bringing out the EP “Quantum Leap.” With main track “Flash,” the group picked up 11 trophies from TV music chart shows, while the music video generated 100 million views on YouTube in less than a year, in the shortest period for a debut song from a K-pop boy band at the time. X1 was slated to stick around for

Ive’s upcoming album to be 2nd LP: report

Ive, set to return late February, is expected to bring out its second studio album, according to a local media report on Thursday. Its first album, “I’ve Ive,” was released in April 2023 and featured two lead tracks: “I Am” and “Kitsch.” Both songs swept all major domestic music charts, making Ive the first fourth-generation girl group in Korea to have two tracks from one album achieve the feat. The album was also the third by a K-pop girl group to log 1 million sales in its first week, after Bl

IVE

Seungri and the shadow of 'Burning Sun': New allegations in Cambodia

Seungri, once one of the best-known K-pop stars and a former member of the idol group BigBang, was forced to retire after a massive scandal erupted in 2019. The incident came to be known as the “Burning Sun” scandal and involved several celebrities and police officers. Seungri was among those implicated, accused of being one of the ring leaders. Now allegations have emerged that he is pursuing another entertainment business in Cambodia. Journalist Oh Hyuk-jin made the claims on Tuesday on his YouTube channel. Citing multiple tips, he said Seungri was attempting to join the nightlife industry and may be holding business-related discussions in Cambodia. “He is making contacts with individuals linked to money laundering, voice phishing rings and casino operations,” Oh said, adding that there were reports of Seungri socializing with senior figures at so-called “crime compounds” in Cambodia. Those compounds are locations where organized criminal groups are believed to run voice phishing operations, luring job seekers from South Korea, Japan and China and subjecting them to coercion

Big Bang

“KPop Demon Hunters” Scores 2 Nominations For 2026 Academy Awards

“KPop Demon Hunters” is in the running for two awards at this year’s Oscars! On January 22 local time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 98th annual Academy Awards. “KPop Demon Hunters” has been nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, while its smash hit “Golden” has been nominated… The post appeared first on .

Huntr/x

ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s Agency Shares Update On Arno’s Health And Future Schedules

ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s agency has shared an update regarding member Arno’s recent absence from the group’s scheduled activities. Arno has been taking part in ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s performance-related schedules on a limited basis after sustaining a fracture from a fall on the stairs. While he continued to attend other scheduled activities—including music shows to greet… The post appeared first on .

Arno

ALPHA DRIVE ONE

Cha Eun Woo’s Agency Responds To Tax Evasion Allegations

Cha Eun Woo’s agency has released an official statement regarding recent tax evasion allegations. On January 22, a media outlet reported that ASTRO member Cha Eun Woo was investigated last year on suspicion of tax evasion by Investigation Bureau 4 of the Seoul Regional Tax Office and that the National Tax Service had notified him… The post appeared first on .

Astro

KCON Japan 2026 Announces First Lineup

The first lineup for KCON Japan 2026 has been announced! On January 22, CJ ENM unveiled the first lineup for KCON Japan 2026 including &TEAM, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, CORTIS, INI, JO1, and TWS. Ahead of the first lineup announcement, KCON announced the dates for this year’s convention in Japan and LA. KCON Japan 2026 will… The post appeared first on .

ALPHA DRIVE ONE

CORTIS

JO1

TWS

&Team