Today in K-Pop

Massive Attack's tribute to Seo Taiji draws censorship fight of its own in Incheon
Korea Times

An Incheon city councilor has called for an administrative audit of the Pentaport Rock Festival after Massive Attack’s Aug. 1 cover of Seo Taiji & Boys’ 'Regret of the Times' — which included footage of the 1980 Gwangju uprising — sparked accusations over alleged false historical claims

The daily briefing

Stray Kids released an eight-track mini album THIS & THAT, described by members as genre-fluid and more relaxed; all tracks were written/produced by in-house unit 3RACHA as the group continues its RUN IT world tour and will headline the STRAYCITY Latin America festival. A Korea Herald industry piece highlights that Rescene unexpectedly topped a chart with "Love Attack" while ATEEZ cracked South Korea's charts with "Bad" eight years in, cites a study finding the average idol group survives just 4.12 years, and reports new government support for smaller agencies. THE BOYZ finalized a group contract to continue activities as a nine-member act under a newly established label; New is not part of the agreement, members will sign individual contracts for solo work, and an April court injunction suspended their exclusive contracts with their former agency amid an ongoing legal dispute. BLACKPINK marks its 10th anniversary after debuting Aug. 8, 2016, having transformed K-pop into a global force with milestones like Billboard 200 and U.K. chart-topping Born Pink, a 2023 Coachella headline, and 100M+ YouTube subscribers; members have expanded solo brands (Jennie earned her second music-show trophy for "Less than a Lover" on M Countdown on Aug. 6) while reuniting for the DEADLINE comeback; however, fans are frustrated by the lack of full-group activity — so far only commemorative merchandise with the National Museum of Korea has been announced, and supporters are still hoping for a livestream, offline event, or other four-member celebration. An Incheon city councilor has called for an administrative audit of the Pentaport Rock Festival after Massive Attack's Aug. 1 cover of Seo Taiji & Boys' "Regret of the Times" — which included footage of the 1980 Gwangju uprising — sparked accusations over alleged false historical claims.

Explore today's news

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Hyunjin vs. Felix? Stray Kids stars steal the spotlight in contrasting suits
Korea Times

Hyunjin and Felix turned heads at Stray Kids' press conference at the Conrad Seoul, delivering contrasting black-suit looks—Hyunjin with a dark, fashion-forward satin double-breasted style and mullet, and Felix in a clean, refined single-breasted silhouette—ahead of the THIS & THAT comeback

Stray Kids returns with genre-fluid mini album 'THIS & THAT'
Korea Times

Stray Kids released an eight-track mini album, THIS & THAT, which members describe as a genre-fluid, more relaxed sound; all tracks were written/produced by in-house unit 3RACHA as the group continues its RUN IT world tour and will headline the STRAYCITY Latin America festival

Why BLACKPINK fans feel disappointed ahead of group's 10th anniversary
Korea Times

BLACKPINK’s 10th anniversary is drawing near but fans are frustrated by the lack of full-group activity — so far only commemorative merchandise with the National Museum of Korea has been announced, and supporters are still hoping for a livestream, offline event, or other four-member celebration

BLACKPINK marks decade of rewriting K-pop's global playbook
Korea Times

BLACKPINK celebrates its 10th anniversary after debuting Aug. 8, 2016, having transformed K-pop into a global force with milestones like Billboard 200 and U.K. chart-topping Born Pink, a 2023 Coachella headline, and 100M+ YouTube subscribers; members have expanded solo brands while reuniting for the DEADLINE comeback

Stray Kids shifts from intense energy to 'chill' mood for new EP 'This & That'
Yonhap News

Stray Kids say their 10th EP This & That shifts from their trademark intense energy to a more relaxed, hip-hop‑based 'chill' sound, with all eight tracks produced by member unit 3Racha; the group also announced upcoming Straycity festival dates in Latin America

Girl group Tuide announces debut single
Korea Herald

Tuide, the first girl group from Hybe’s new affiliate ABD, unveiled its debut single “Sun Kiss” and will release the EP Tune & Play on Aug. 24; the seven-member multinational lineup includes Seoyeon, who is the youngest sister of Twice leader Jihyo

The Boyz to continue group activities as 9-member act
Korea Herald

THE BOYZ will continue group activities as a nine-member act — Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Q, Sunwoo and Eric — after finalizing a group contract to promote under a newly established label; New is not part of the agreement. The members said they will sign individual contracts with separate agencies for solo work while coordinating future group plans, noting that in April a court granted an injunction suspending their exclusive contracts with their former agency amid an ongoing legal dispute

2 Sources
Katseye stores to pop up in Seoul, Tokyo for 3rd EP
Korea Herald

Katseye will open fuchsia-themed pop-up stores in Seoul (Aug. 14–19) and Tokyo (Aug. 14–23) to promote their third EP Wild, which drops Aug. 14. Prerelease “Animal” debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100

I-dle’s Miyeon to release single in Japan, group hits 400m views with ‘Nxde’ video
Korea Herald

Miyeon of (G)I-DLE will release her Japanese digital single "Run Away" on Monday, and (G)I-DLE's music video for "Nxde" has surpassed 400 million YouTube views

Nowz ventures into disco with new single ‘Achilles’
Korea Herald

Nowz returned with digital single "Achilles," leaning into an ’80s-inspired disco sound and a new "zero sexy" concept as the quintet marks its first Korean comeback in 10 months; members say the track signals a more mature chapter in the group’s musical evolution

K-pop's toughest stage comes after debut
Korea Herald

Rescene unexpectedly topped a chart with “Love Attack” while ATEEZ finally cracked South Korea’s charts with “Bad” eight years into their career, highlighting a study that finds the average idol group survives just 4.12 years and prompting new government support for smaller agencies

BTS tops 4b Spotify streams with ‘Arirang’ album
Korea Herald

BTS' fifth studio album Arirang has surpassed 4 billion Spotify streams, becoming the fifth-fastest album overall and the fastest by an Asian artist, giving the septet eight albums with 4B+ streams as their world tour continues; Jungkook also topped 1.3 billion plays on YouTube Music with 'Seven.'

Soompi

BLACKPINK’s Jennie earned her second music show trophy for “Less than a Lover” on M Countdown (Aug. 6), beating Young K’s “Shut The Door” with 7,253 points; the episode also featured performances from Red Velvet, SEVENTEEN’s Dino (Picheolin), BABYMONSTER, Kep1er’s Xiaoting, and more

2 Sources
Soompi

Suyun has left Woollim Entertainment after her exclusive contract ended, meaning every Rocket Punch member has now officially departed the agency; Woollim said the split was mutual and wished her well for future activities

Soompi

Park Ji Hoon's Shanghai stop of his 2026 fan-con tour RE:FLECT, originally set for Sept. 26, has been canceled, YY Entertainment announced on Aug. 5, apologizing to fans and citing unavoidable circumstances

Soompi

AEN announced their official fan club name 'Aneee' via an August 6 YouTube video, describing it as fans who will be together with the group now and in the future. The seven-member STARSHIP rookie — Jiyong, Bomin, Kyuhyun, Haru, Haruto, Junseo, and Kaira — debuted Aug 5 with EP "A NEW ERA OF NOW."

Soompi

Ong Seong Wu shared the poster for his 2026 fan meeting Asia tour “Let’s go-ONG!,” bringing the tour to Yokohama, Jakarta, Taipei, Bangkok, and Hong Kong after a successful Seoul show; he’s currently starring in the drama Spooky in Love

Soompi

KATSEYE will make their U.S. late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Aug. 12, performing and sitting down for an interview to promote their upcoming EP WILD and new single “Animal.”