[Today’s K-pop] Riize’s Seunghan to rejoin next month

Seunghan of Riize will return and the band will reorganize as a seven-member act from November, said label SM Entertainment Friday. The management company broached the subject with a lengthy statement, telling fans how the band was originally planned as a septet and how deeply repentant he has been. Seunghan suspended activities about a year ago after a series of scandals followed him from debut. After the announcement, he uploaded a handwritten letter apologizing again for letting fans and ba

K-popOct. 11, 2024

BTS’s V and RM celebrate Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in literature win

BTS members RM and V have expressed excitement and congratulations in response to South Korean novelist Han Kang's Nobel Prize in literature win on Thursday. RM took to his social media to celebrate the news with a heart and crying emoji, showing his joy for Han Kang’s achievement. V followed suit, writing, "I read ‘Human Acts’ while in the military. Congratulations!" showing his admiration for the author. RM has previously recommended Han's works on multipl

K-popOct. 11, 2024

NewJeans’ Hanni to attend National Assembly audit as witness

Hanni, a member of the K-pop group NewJeans, said she will attend the upcoming National Assembly audit regarding workplace bullying and ostracism as a reference witness. The audit will take place Oct. 15. Hanni, on Wednesday, shared her decision on the fan communication app "Phoning," saying, "I will attend the audit alone. I’m doing this for myself, the NewJeans members and our fans." "Neither my manager nor the company (Ador) knows yet, but after much thought, I

K-popOct. 10, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez adds dates to Europe tour

Ateez will expand the European leg of its tour to 14 concerts, with two more performances in London and Berlin, according to agency KQ Entertainment Thursday. The band of eight originally planned to visit nine countries in the continent for 12 shows, for the Towards the Light: Will to Power tour. The tour took them to 10 cities in the US and Canada this summer and will resume January next year in France. Ateez also dropped its fourth Japanese single album “Birthday” on Oct. 2, claimi

K-popOct. 10, 2024

Infinite announces 15th anniversary concert tour

Infinite, one of the best-known second-generation K-pop groups, are set to hold a concert tour from December to March, in celebration of the boy band's 15th anniversary. Via Infinite Company’s social media, the group announced the upcoming tour by revealing a teaser image containing the list of countries where concerts will be held. The six-piece group will kick off the tour with three days of performances from Dec. 6-8 at KSPO Dome in Seoul. They will continue the tour in Taipei, Tai

K-popOct. 10, 2024

Jay Park returns with quintessential R&B album after 8 years

K-pop singer-rapper Jay Park returned Tuesday with a studio album his fans will want to own. Park's sixth full-length album, "The One You Wanted," features 20 tracks, including nine new songs alongside 11 previously released singles. It marks his first R&B album in eight years. The number of tracks is unusually large, given that most K-pop studio albums feature no more than 10 songs. "Since 'Everything You Wanted,' I had planned to release more R&B albums. B

K-popOct. 8, 2024

K-pop merchandisers punished too lightly for unfair consumer practices: lawmaker

Punishments for unfair consumer practices by K-pop merchandise producers are too light compared to their profits, a lawmaker argued in the National Assembly audit. Rep. Kang Yu-jung of the main opposition Democratic Party said Monday that entertainment giant Hybe was fined only 3 million won ($2,200) for violating the rights of K-pop product consumers while earning over 1 trillion won over a period of three years from selling such products, raising questions over the punishments’ effective

K-popOct. 8, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to host encore concert

NCT Dream will return to Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul for a three-date concert that will close its world tour, label SM Entertainment announced Tuesday. The seven-member NCT subunit will host the encore concert "Finale in Seoul" from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. The group will be hitting the same stage where it launched its tour “The Dream Show 3: Dreamscape” in May. The band has visited eight cities in Asia, 11 in North and Latin America, and it will begin touring five across Europe fr

K-popOct. 8, 2024

Baby Monster to release first full-length album in November

Rookie girl group Baby Monster will release its first full-length album, “Drip,” on Nov. 1, seven months after its April debut, YG Entertainment said Monday. The title track, "Drip," composed with the help of Big Bang’s G-Dragon, is expected to be a dance anthem for all ages. The other eight tracks include "Clik Clak," a hip-hop track described by YG Entertainment Chief Executive Producer Yang Hyun-suk as “unlike anything YG has ever presented before,&

K-popOct. 8, 2024

K-pop CEOs sidestep key issues at National Assembly audit

K-pop agencies on Monday denied or sidestepped responsibility for major issues in the industry during a National Assembly audit in Yeouido, Seoul. YG Entertainment CEO Yang Min-suk, SM Entertainment CEO Jang Cheol-hyuk and JYP Entertainment CEO Jimmy Jeong appeared to answer lawmakers’ questions about chart manipulation, album bundling with photo cards, fair trade law violations and choreography copyright issues. Hybe was represented by Joon Choi, CEO of its subsidiary Weverse Co. Rep. Lim

K-popOct. 7, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to return with 7th EP next month

Tomorrow X Together will make a comeback on Nov. 4 with seventh EP, Big Hit Music announced Monday. EP “The Star Chapter: Sanctuary” will be the first of its fourth series, which follows “chapters” of dream, chaos and name. The mini album comes about seven months since the band put out previous EP “minisode 3: Tomorrow,” which sold over a million copies on the day of release and swept music charts at home. The sixth EP debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 and

K-popOct. 7, 2024

[Herald Review] 2NE1 returns better than ever

“Come Back Home” echoed through the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul, on Sunday evening, sparking ecstatic cheers from fans as all four members of the iconic K-pop girl group 2NE1 took to the stage for their first concert in over a decade. The group, comprising Sandara Park, CL, Park Bom and Minzy, dazzled in their signature eclectic outfits that have long defined their unique style. CL sported a striking red jacket with a large red ribbon, while Sandara Park showcased a bold bole

K-popOct. 7, 2024

Can Jennie break the K-pop solo artist slump?

All eyes are on Jennie of Blackpink as she prepares to release her new solo single, "Mantra," on Oct. 11 -- her first release since "You & Me" came out a year ago. Amid the recent struggles of her fellow female K-pop solo artists, many wonder if an idol as successful as Jennie can break the current slump. Several female K-pop soloists, such as Chungha, Somi and Sunmi, have recently been unable to replicate their past chart successes domestically and internationally. Chu

K-popOct. 6, 2024

Korean bands get their day in the sun, finally

Bands are dominating local charts at the moment, led by JYP Entertainment's pop-rock sensation Day6. With four of their old and new tracks among the top 10 on Melon’s music chart as of Friday -- “Happy” and “Welcome to the Show” claiming the No. 1 and No. 3 spots and “Melt Down” and “Time of Our Life” holding strong at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively -- it’s clear the Korean music scene is in the midst of a band craze. Day6 is no new

K-popOct. 4, 2024

BTS-themed moon jar to be unveiled on Hangeul Day

Cultural objects like a white porcelain moon jar will be reimagined with a BTS theme, Hybe, the label behind the K-pop superstars, announced Friday. Fourteen items decorated with BTS lyrics and designs linked to the seven-member boy band have been created in the latest collaboration between Hybe and the state-run National Museum Foundation of Korea, Hybe said. A white porcelain moon jar and a seated pensive bodhisattva and are some of the items to be made public Wednesday, which is also Hangeul

K-popOct. 4, 2024

Coldplay to celebrate release ‘Moon Music’ with Han River drone show

To celebrate the release of "Moon Music," a drone light show featuring 1,000 drones will light up the night sky at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul on Friday to celebrate the release of British pop band Coldplay's latest LP, "Moon Music," the same day. Music producer Max Martin, who has been working with Coldplay as a co-writer and producer since Coldplay’s 2014 album “Ghost Stories,” also took part in producing the 10-track album. The track listing inclu

K-popOct. 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] aespa floats teaser for 5th EP

A series of teaser content for aespa’s upcoming fifth EP has been uploadedto promote the new mini album. Short-form clips for “Whiplash,” including snippets of the six tracks and a website dedicated to the mini album, allowed fans to mix and download parts of the titular track. The EP will be fully unveiled on Oct. 21. The album release comes amid the group’s ongoing second international tour “Synk: Parallel Line” which expanded to include North and Latin Am

K-popOct. 4, 2024

Seventeen to take over Apgujeong

Seventeen is set to unveil a revamped “Seventeen Street” event from Oct. 16-25 in Apgujeong, southern Seoul. Pledis Entertainment on Thursday shared a guidebook on the global fan platform Weverse detailing the offline event, which it is calling "Seventeen Street in Apgujeong." This year, the space will embrace themes of "Feel" and "Fill," aligning with the release of Seventeen's upcoming album, "Spill the Feels." Visitors can expect a vari

K-popOct. 4, 2024

Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military

A wave of major K-pop artists are gearing up to reenter the music scene after completing their mandatory military service. Monsta X’s Minhyuk was the first of the bunch, officially concluding his military service on Thursday. Of the six bandmates of Monsta X, only Shownu and Minhyuk have completed their duties thus far, with the group expected to be fully reunited next year. Ong Seongwu, a singer and actor known for his debut via season two of Mnet’s "Produce 101" as part o

K-popOct. 4, 2024

K-pop star lip-syncing controversy flares up again

As K-pop stars continue to gain global popularity and greater recognition in the music industry, fans have come to hold higher expectations for their live performances. Many K-pop fans now expect impressive vocal performances during live shows, with little tolerance for lip-syncing. However, music insiders explain that it is nearly impossible for K-pop idols to sing perfectly while performing dynamic choreography. The challenge lies in how well they combine prerecorded vocals with live singing o

K-popOct. 3, 2024