Hoje no K-Pop

Prosecutors said Thursday they have again rejected a police request for an arrest warrant for Bang Si-hyuk, chairman and founder of K-pop powerhouse Hybe, citing a lack of supplementary investigation into his alleged unfair stock trading case. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it sent the warrant request for Bang, who is under suspicion of violating the Capital Markets Act, back to the police on Wednesday after it was refiled last week. "After reviewing the arrest warrant, (we)

Former K-pop star Lai Kuanlin revealed his new life as a film director in China, sharing his reflections on his past idol career during a reality show reunion with his former bandmate. On the Mnet broadcast of "Wanna One Go: Back to Base" that aired Tuesday, Lai reunited with Ha Sung-woon in Beijing. Meeting for the first time in about seven years since their activities with K-pop project group Wanna One, the two visited a restaurant to catch up. Lai quit his K-pop career and now works at a Chinese film production company. "I joined a Chinese film production company. I am working an office job. I learn about scripts and mainly work on short films," Lai said. "Because I am an office worker, it gives me peace of mind." Expressing deep satisfaction with his post-idol life, Lai emphasized his preference for steady progress. "I like right now so much. I like the way I'm moving forward slowly," he said. "Not that kind of feeling of becoming a singer too fast, but I like my slow but steady progress while putting in effort." Other Wanna One members, watching the reunion through a video recording,

KuanlinWanna One

Actor Park Ji-hoon is taking on a comedy role in Tving’s new military cooking fantasy series after his hit film “The King’s Warden” surpassed 10 million admissions. Park and director Cho Nam-hyung, whose credits include “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938,” introduced “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” Wednesday at a Seoul press conference. The series premieres Monday. The role marks a sharp shift for Park. He recently played King Danjong in “The King’s Warden” and now plays a young military cook. The series follows his roles in “Weak Hero” and “The King’s Warden,” marking a career high for the singer-turned-actor. Adapted from a popular webtoon, the series follows Kang Seong-jae, a young man who enlists to flee a harsh reality. In the military, he encounters a game-style quest window, trades his rifle for a kitchen knife and improves his cooking while navigating power struggles. Cho said the series sets itself apart from the original webtoon with vivid, appetizing depictions of food. The production team said the project brings a new spin to military dramas by bala

Babymonster is dominating YouTube rankings with the music video for “Choom,” label YG Entertainment said Thursday, citing the platform’s latest chart. The video for the title track of its third EP headed straight to the top of YouTube’s worldwide trending ranking upon release on Monday, and has cinched another day atop the chart. As of Thursday, it has generated over 36 million hits. The mini album topped the iTunes Top Albums Chart in 19 regions as well as the Worldwide Albums Chart. It sold cl

BABY MONSTER

K-pop boy band BTS met Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the presidential residence in Mexico City on Wednesday(local time), greeting the public from the palace balcony ahead of the group's three-night concert run in the capital. Sheinbaum, who confirmed the visit at a regular press briefing earlier in the day, described BTS as a band that "always carries messages of friendship, peace, and love." The meeting carries added weight given the president's longstanding support for the group. In January, she welcomed the confirmation of their Mexico City tour dates, calling it a "historic moment" and noting how long younger Mexicans had waited for the shows. BTS will perform at Estadio GNP Seguros on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. All three shows sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.

BTS

SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- K-pop supergroup BTS met Mexican President Claudia Shei...

BTS

NewJeans’ agency Ador uploaded pictures on the group’s social media Thursday celebrating Minji's birthday, triggering another wave of speculation that the idol is ready to reunite with her bandmates. The pictures showed Minji making cookies for fans, alongside the phrase: “Happy Minji Day.” She reportedly visited a cafe that fans leased to mark her birthday and shared what she made. Ador told media that the two parties “are in talks, and are moving forward positively in general.” Haein, Hyerin a

NewJeans

BTS met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ahead of its concerts in Mexico City, highlighting the group’s massive popularity and cultural influence in the country. During her regular morning press briefing, Sheinbaum confirmed to local press that BTS would visit the presidential office Wednesday and greet citizens from the National Palace’s open balcony. She described BTS as a band that “always delivers messages of friendship, peace and love.” The meeting took place ahead of BTS’ “Arirang”

BTS

SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- K-pop supergroup BTS met Mexican President Claudia Shei...

BTS

Illit's fourth mini album debuted atop Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking, agency Belift Lab said Thursday. The group released the EP “Mamihlapinatapai” on April 30. The album sold more than 410,000 copies in the first week, achieving a career-best for Illit. On Tuesday, the EP topped the album chart in Japan upon its release. On Wednesday, the group unveiled a performance video for the main track “It’s Me,” which has steadily risen on Melon’s Top 100 to No. 15. Separately, its debut single “Magnetic”

ILLIT

Jungkook of BTS has garnered 7 billion plays on Spotify from his first solo album, “Golden,” according to label Big Hit Music on Thursday. The album is the first-ever solo album from an Asian artist to reach the milestone on the platform, achieving the feat in record time for a studio album from an Asian act overall, at 904 days. The LP debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 2 and charted for 25 weeks, selling over 2 million copies in its first week. The 11-track set was listed among the "Top 20 Albums

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