Direct from Korean news and other sources
NMIXX will be performing at Brazil’s Carnival next week! Brazilian singer Pabllo Vittar has announced that NMIXX will be a special guest at Bloco da Pabllo, a massive block party at the upcoming São Paulo Carnival, on February 16. NMIXX, who will be the first K-pop artist ever to perform at Carnival, will be joining… The post appeared first on .
CORTIS is gearing up to make the first comeback of their career in April! On February 10, BIGHIT MUSIC officially confirmed, “CORTIS is currently in the midst of preparing with the goal of an April comeback.” CORTIS’s upcoming return will mark their first comeback following their official debut in August of last year, when they… The post appeared first on .
K-pop supergroup BTS' upcoming comeback concert in central Seoul is expected to draw about 15,000 ticketed fans, music industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, is coordinating with the Seoul metropolitan government on a plan to admit 15,000 fans in the standing and reserved seating sections for the "BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang" concert on March 21. The free concert will take place at Gwanghwamun Square the day after the release of BTS' fifth studio album, "Arirang," named after the famous Korean folk song. It will be its first release since "Proof" in June 2022 and the first since all members completed their mandatory military service. The septet plans to walk from inside Gyeongbok Palace, passing through the Gwanghwamun gate and the "woldae," a traditional ceremonial stage located in front of the gate, before moving onto a stage built at the northern end of the square to open the show. Applications for 2,000 standing tickets opened on Tuesday via Hybe's K-pop fan community platform Weverse for those who preordered the album. Accordin
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show carried an energy Korean audiences already recognize: the confidence of pop that does not need to translate itself to be understood. Before it became a spectacle of fireworks, choreography and the roar of the crowd, it was a statement about language as power — the idea that a global stage can be claimed without switching tongues, flattening accents or sanding away cultural specificity. The Puerto Rican singer transformed Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, into a full-scale Latin celebration on Sunday (local time), making it the most-watched halftime performance in Super Bowl history with more than 135 million viewers tuned in. This was not merely another high-impact spectacle, but a cultural statement: For 13 minutes, Spanish dominated one of the most influential stages in U.S. entertainment, treated not as a niche language but as the default. Like BTS or BLACKPINK performing in Korean at global stages, Bad Bunny didn’t code-switch for mass appeal. Instead, in a sensitive sociopolitical climate, he brought the audience into his wor
The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) has announced its latest batch of official certifications! In 2020, the RIAJ implemented a new certification system for online streaming of songs, as an addition to its pre-existing certification systems for physical album shipments and digital download sales. According to the new system, songs are certified silver once… The post appeared first on .
An increasing number of K-pop acts are leaning into electronic music, signaling what could emerge as one of the genre’s defining sonic currents this year. From rookie groups such as KiiiKiii to established acts including Ive and Blackpink, artists are selecting house or electronic dance tracks as their lead singles. Even BTS is reported to have collaborated with American DJ and producer Diplo on its upcoming album “Arirang,” due March 20, further fueling expectations around an EDM-driven directi
Girl group TripleS will begin touring Asia on Feb. 28 featuring all 24 members, agency Modhaus said Tuesday. For tour “My Secret New Zone,” the group will go live for two days in Taipei. So far, it is also scheduled to perform in Hong Kong on March 14 and two in Seoul the following month. The idol group is expected to roll out two albums this year, as per the video the agency uploaded late last month. Under the title “Assemble26,” it will show “Love Side” in the first half and “Pop Side” in the
The Seoul city government said Tuesday it will officially sponsor K-pop supergroup BTS' comeback concert to be held at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21. Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS and the organizer of the concert, had asked for the city government's official sponsorship of the event and its approval for the request was delivered to the company on Jan. 29, a municipal official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. The city government has concluded that there is no problem with the concert using the title "official sponsorship of the Seoul metropolitan government" because it is of public interest and will contribute to the city's administration, tourism and economy, the official said. Anticipating a large crowd for the concert, the city government has been working hard to ensure public safety and welcome global fans. It will also conduct special inspections of elevators in public facilities around Gwanghwamun Square. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon last week presided over a meeting to discuss crowd safety measures.
KiiiKiii, the youngest girl group from the K-pop agency behind the popular girl group Ive, has rapidly climbed domestic music charts with its latest single "404 (New Era)." Released Jan. 26 as the lead track of KiiiKiii's second EP "Delulu Pack," the song reached No. 2 on Top 100 chart of Korea's largest domestic music streaming service Melon on Monday night and topped YouTube Music's weekly chart for the period of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5. The result positions KiiiKiii among major K-pop performers, despite competition from long-running chart fixtures and older tracks enjoying late streaming-driven chart resurgences, such as Car, the Garden's "My Whole World," Hwasa's "Good Goodbye," Hanroro's "Landing in Love" and Woodz's "Drowning." Built on pulsing UK house and garage beats with powerful rap verses and airy vocals, "404" draws inspiration from the familiar internet error code "404 Not Found." KiiiKiii flips it into a metaphor for "freedom beyond boundaries." Rapper Omega Sapien of the alternative K-pop group Balming Tiger, known for his witty wordplay, contributed to the lyrics. KiiiKiii deb
A South Korean civic group has filed criminal complaints over the alleged leak of tax investigation details involving celebrity Cha Eun-woo, warning that unchecked disclosures risk repeating the kind of reputational damage seen in the case of late actor Lee Sun-kyun. The Korea Taxpayers Federation said on Tuesday it had reported a tax official accused of leaking confidential information and the journalist who first reported it to police. The federation said the complaint cites violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and criminal law provisions on disclosure of official secrets. The group said the leak concerned details of a tax investigation into Cha, a member of K-pop boy band ASTRO who is also active as an actor. It said the information could only have been known to tax investigators or officials in the approval chain, raising strong suspicions of an internal leak. “The accused parties unlawfully disclosed specific details related to Cha Eun-woo’s tax investigation, infringing on confidentiality principles guaranteed by the Framework Act on National Taxes and the rig
Jin of BTS has taken first place in a playful online poll asking which celebrity would most easily win approval at a first family meeting ahead of Korea’s Lunar New Year holiday — a result that quickly drew amused reactions from fans online. According to Idol Chart, Jin ranked No. 1 in the survey titled “With Lunar New Year approaching, who would get a free pass at a hometown family gathering?” The poll ran from Feb. 2 to 8 and saw Jin collect 9,683 votes, far outpacing the rest of the field. Trot singer Young Tak finished second with 1,199 votes, followed by actor Hong Ji-yoon with 1,029. Singer-actor IU placed fourth with 718 votes, while idols Minho from SHINee and Suho from EXO rounded out the list. In South Korea, Lunar New Year — known as Seollal — is traditionally a time for family gatherings, and “meeting the family” carries strong cultural weight. The phrase “family gathering free pass” has become a lighthearted meme on social media, referring to people whose looks, manners or public image seem universally parent-approved. Jin’s reputation for polite behav
Le Sserafim claimed the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s Weekly Single Ranking with “Spaghetti,” according to the chart published Tuesday. This is the first time in three years an international female act sat atop the chart. The five-member group nabbed the highest rung on the chart three months after the album release, notching the spot it landed in 2023 with its Japan debut single “Fearless.” The chart success owes to the quintet’s first international tour, “Easy Crazy Hot,” which saw it play the Tokyo
DK and Seungkwan of Seventeen certified gold in Japan with their first EP “Serenade,” agency Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday, citing the Recording Industry Association of Japan. The mini album logged more than 100,000 shipments, making the duo Seventeen's third subunit to earn gold certification, following Junghan and Wonwoo, and S.Coups and Mingyu. As a full group, Seventeen has achieved the feat with 18 of its albums. The EP landed atop Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking and remains at No. 1
Stray Kids will meet and greet fans in person through four days of fan meetings, JYP Entertainment announced Monday. The eight bandmates will celebrate the eighth anniversary of their debut with the event, titled “Stay in Our Little House,” at Incheon Inspire Arena. "Stay" is the group’s official fandom community. The fan meetups will be held on March 28-29 and April 4-5. The second and fourth events will be broadcast online. Separately, the group's tour film “Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience
The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for individual rookie idols! The rankings were determined through an analysis of the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes of various rookie idols, using big data collected from January 5 to February 5. ILLIT’s Wonhee held onto her spot at… The post appeared first on .
ATEEZ’s latest album is already a “million seller”! Last week, ATEEZ made their comeback with the new mini album “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4” and its accompanying title track “Adrenaline” on February 6. On February 10, Hanteo Chart announced that “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4” had already sold over 1 million copies, making it ATEEZ’s fifth album… The post appeared first on .
Hwang Minhyun is making his return as a singer after being discharged from the military! On February 11 at midnight KST, PLEDIS Entertainment announced that Hwang Minhyun’s new song “Truth” would be released online at 6 p.m. KST later that day. Notably, the song marks Hwang Minhyun’s first new release since completing his military service… The post appeared first on .
IVE has revealed what fans can look forward to in the weeks leading up to their comeback! On February 10, IVE released a detailed new schedule outlining the teasers they have in store for their upcoming full-length album “REVIVE+” and its title track “BLACKHOLE.” After dropping their pre-release track “BANG BANG” on February 9, IVE… The post appeared first on .
BOYNEXTDOOR is joining forces with Save the Children for a meaningful new campaign! Save the Children is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to improve the lives of children worldwide and to promote children’s rights in general. On February 10, BOYNEXTDOOR and Save the Children officially announced the launch of their new “OPEN THE… The post appeared first on .
Upcoming drama “Boyfriend on Demand” has unveiled new stills of BLACKPINK’s Jisoo and Seo In Guk! Helmed by director Kim Jung Sik of “Work Later, Drink Now” and “Not Others,” “Boyfriend on Demand” is a romantic comedy that follows Seo Mi Rae (BLACKPINK’s Jisoo), an overworked webtoon producer who subscribes to a virtual dating simulation… The post appeared first on .
i-dle is here with a new light stick! On February 10, i-dle unveiled the design for version 3 of their official light stick. The sleek new design features i-dle’s logo, which consists of five “i”s representing each of the unique members coming together in the shape of a star as one. Check out the design… The post appeared first on .
JTBC’s upcoming Friday drama “Shining” has unveiled a heart-fluttering new poster! “Shining” 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 newly released poster captures the dazzling moment between Yeon Tae Seo (Park Jinyoung)… The post appeared first on .
Kim Hyang Gi, Cha Hak Yeon, N.Flying’s Kim Jae Hyun, Sohn Jeong Hyuck, and Kim Dong Gyu will star in the upcoming drama “The Absolute Value of Romance” (literal translation)! “The Absolute Value of Romance” is a drama about a high school girl who writes romance novels featuring handsome teachers as the main characters. She… The post appeared first on .
