A TikTok Korea and Kearney study projects K-culture on TikTok will boost global economic impact to about 40.64 trillion won (~$30.4B) by 2030, with K-beauty leading direct demand and K-tourism the fastest-growing sector as creators convert online interest into real-world spending
SF9 marked its 10th anniversary with a full-length album, TENACITY, and lead single “Without Wings,” and will hold two October anniversary concerts while members Zuho and Yoo sit out promotions for military service. Stray Kids’ EP THIS & THAT debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — their ninth consecutive chart-topping debut — a milestone an academic attributes to JYP’s system and organized fandom. OneUs will begin an international tour Oct. 24 with two Seoul shows, returning as a full group after Seoho completed military service. BTS earned a gold certification in France for “Swim,” and Seoul police have referred a woman accused of buying and reselling about 2,600 K-pop concert tickets to prosecutors.
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Soyeon, leader and producer of (G)I-DLE, will release her first full-length solo album The Awesome Life on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m.; an intro film dropped on her birthday and previews two unreleased tracks, “STAR” and “I Hate Vegetables Song.”
KATSEYE landed four simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 entries — “Animal” rose to No. 24, “Hootie Frutti” debuted at No. 31, “Pinky Up” reached No. 81 and HYBE collaboration “Iconic By Mistake” hit No. 94 — while their EP Wild became their first No. 1 on the Billboard 200; one report says Wild opened with 170,000 equivalent album units, a female-group record under current tallying methods
SF9 celebrates its 10th anniversary with the full-length album TENACITY and lead single "Without Wings," vowing to keep performing for decades; members Zuho and Yoo are sitting out promotions for military service and the group will hold two anniversary concerts in October
Haerin reappeared on NewJeans’ official account in new Dior photos, signaling her ambassador relationship with Dior remains intact even as NewJeans’ group activities stay suspended amid the members’ legal dispute with agency Ador
Stray Kids' EP THIS & THAT debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — their ninth consecutive chart-topping debut — earning 369,000 equivalent album units; an academic argues the streak reflects JYP's production system, 3RACHA's creative role and organized STAY fandom rather than luck
Cortis' debut single "What You Want" surpassed 100 million Spotify streams, Big Hit Music said, becoming the group's fourth track to hit that milestone; their debut EP Color Outside the Lines sold about 440,000 copies in its first week and totaled roughly 1.7 million by year-end
A woman in her 30s allegedly used a macro program to buy about 2,600 K-pop concert tickets and resold them for roughly 442 million won (~$319,000), including nine tickets to BTS’s Gwanghwamun show; Seoul police have referred her to prosecutors on multiple charges
BTS earned a gold certification in France for the Arirang focus track "Swim," marking the group's tenth French gold and reaching the milestone in about five months — the second-fastest after "Dynamite." The group also holds an MTV VMA Song of the Year nomination and is touring Chicago this week
CLOSE YOUR EYES canceled their Jakarta 'BEYOND YOUR EYES' concert scheduled for August 30 after local promoter Maryhouse Media cited safety and security advisories, road closures, and movement restrictions around Senayan and DPR RI as the reason for the last-minute cancellation
ENHYPEN earned their first music show trophy for "Bloody Paradise" on the August 26 episode of Show Champion, beating nominees including BIGBANG, KiiiKiii, OURBIRTHDAY, and Red Velvet on the special replay episode
KiiiKiii will perform at the opening ceremony of the 2026 LCK Finals on September 13 at Seoul’s KSPO Dome, where they’ll sing their LCK tracks “Leave Your Mark pt. 2” and “Pain in the Dark.”
ZEROBASEONE member Kim Tae Rae will become the new DJ of MBC FM4U’s long-running radio show Close Friend — retitled ZEROBASEONE’s Close Friend — premiering August 31 and airing Mon–Wed 10 p.m.–midnight KST, with a visual broadcast on Idol Radio Universe’s YouTube
Soompi spotlights seven K‑pop it girls — including Red Velvet’s Joy, (G)I‑DLE’s Miyeon, LE SSERAFIM’s Huh Yunjin, BABYMONSTER’s Chiquita, aespa’s Winter, Sunmi, and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo — showing how each interprets a summer ‘mermaid chic’ fashion trend
Son Dong Pyo's exclusive contract with DSP Media expired on August 26, 2026, and both parties have agreed not to renew it; he will conclude his time with the agency after promotions that included X1 and MIRAE. DSP Media thanked fans and wished him well as he begins a new chapter
Hyunjae of THE BOYZ signed with Management SEESUN to pursue acting under his legal name Lee Jae Hyun, with the agency pledging full support while he continues group activities as Hyunjae. THE BOYZ will continue group promotions as a nine-member lineup while members handle individual contracts with separate agencies
RESCENE remained No. 1 on the Korean Business Research Institute's August Rising Singer Brand Reputation rankings with a 6,955,486 index (an 18.71% rise), while ATEEZ, CORTIS, Stray Kids, and ENHYPEN placed among the top five
Singer Song Ha Yea announced she's marrying YouTuber Charming Jo in a handwritten Instagram letter, asking fans for their blessing and promising to continue making music for her Kkamae. She previously appeared as a guest on his YouTube channel five months ago
Girls' Generation subunit HRS — Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sooyoung — released first teaser images for their debut single "Skibidi," with the digital single (featuring B-side "Lowkey In Love") set to drop Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. KST
Rookie boy group VAYONN announced their official fan club name, VENA — which the agency says in Latin signifies a source of artistic talent, deep inner heart, and the group's central core. VAYONN debuted last month with the EP Youth Today and the title track "MUAH!."
KATSEYE hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Artist 100 after their EP WILD debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200; title track "Hootie Frutti" entered the Hot 100 at No. 31 and the Global 200 at No. 19 while several of their and collaborator tracks re-entered multiple charts
PENTAGON released the first teaser for their 10th-anniversary single "Coward" on Aug. 26 (KST), with no exact comeback date yet announced as the group's debut anniversary approaches on Oct. 10
