Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
K-pop rookie group Illit has continued to stand strong on the Billboard charts for five consecutive weeks with its debut single, “Magnetic,” despite questions being raised about the group's originality. “Magnetic,” the lead track of Illit’s first EP, “Super Real Me,” landed at No. 8 and No. 21 on Billboard’s Global (Excl. US) and Global 200 charts dated May 4, according to Billboard. The two charts rank the top songs based on streaming and sal
K-pop May 1, 2024
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The KingDom opens new chapter with EP ‘Realize’
K-pop group The KingDom is off to a fresh start with its new EP, “Realize,” for which it changed its from Kingdom to The KingDom. “We decided to change our name for this comeback as we are opening a new chapter with this album. We added the definite article ‘the’ in front of our original group name because we wanted to be the only ones to be represented by such a name,” said Dann, the leader of The KingDom, during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. The Ki
K-pop May 1, 2024
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K-pop executives recognized on Billboard’s 2024 International Power Players List
Several executives of the K-pop companies SM Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment and Hybe have been recognized on Billboard’s 2024 International Power Players List. This annual list complied by Billboard names executives who made remarkable business achievements outside the US and contributed to the growth of the global music record industry. Joseph Chang, Co-CEO of Kakao Entertainment, Co-CEOs of SM Entertainment Jang Cheol-hyuk and Tak Young-jun, and SM Chief A&R officer Lee Sung-su m
K-pop April 30, 2024
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TXT to embark on world tour next month
K-pop boy group TXT is set to kick off its third world tour, “Act: Promise,” with a three-day concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul May 3-5. According to Big Hit Music, TXT is expected to offer an immersive experience in its show with a set list and videos that convey a story, and special stage effects. The group will turn the main stage of the KSPO Dome into a circular stage surrounded 360 degrees by the audience. They also implemented twice as many LED screens, stage props and light ef
K-pop April 30, 2024
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Seventeen shows who is the ‘Maestro’ of K-pop in greatest hits album
Seventeen unveiled its greatest hits album, “17 Is Right Here,” on Monday to celebrate its ninth debut anniversary and promise forever with its fans. “We tried to go over our experience as Seventeen from the day of our debut to this day. This album wraps up our past chapters and announces a new beginning for Seventeen,” Dino of Seventeen said when introducing the group’s new album during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. The 33-track album includes some of the
K-pop April 29, 2024
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What is Hybe’s next move?
In the increasingly vicious brawl between K-pop powerhouse Hybe and the CEO of its sublabel Ador, Min Hee-jin, public sentiment seems to have turned favorable towards Min following her emotional press conference Thursday, during which she claimed that all she wants is the best for NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl group she produced. Her counterattack against Hybe’s claim that she attempted a takeover of Ador, one of Hybe's sublabels, certainly attracted the public’s interest in
K-pop April 29, 2024
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
K-pop powerhouse Hybe’s multilabel system is being tested as it has locked horns with one of its sublabels, Ador. Executives of Ador, the agency housing popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, began sending complaint emails to their parent company on April 3, about a week after the launch of Illit, a new girl group, by another Hybe sublabel, Belift Lab. Shin Dong-hoon, vice president of Ador, demanded that Hybe CEO Park Ji-won and Belift Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho address the conflict of interest surro
K-pop April 24, 2024
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
K-pop giant Hybe has initiated an audit of its subsidiary Ador, home to NewJeans, claiming that Ador CEO Min Hee-jin attempted a takeover of the sublabel. This is the first time that Hybe, the parent company for multiple smaller K-pop labels, has taken such a move against a subsidiary. Min, who is also the producer of popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, has denied the allegation, arguing that Hybe took action against her after she pointed out that the entertainment monolith's new K-pop girl
K-pop April 23, 2024
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Virtual K-pop idol group Plave to go global this year
Plave, the virtual K-pop boy group launched by Vlast, aims to expand its reach overseas this year. “Our goal for Plave this year is to go global. We are currently in negotiations with an agency abroad for the group’s launch in foreign music markets. We are close to inking the deal,” said Lee Sung-gu, CEO of Vlast, during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Vlast is a virtual intellectual property startup that created and manages Plave. “We are creating a whole new genr
K-pop April 23, 2024
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K-pop reality audition shows transform, strive to appeal to fandom culture
The fever for reality TV audition programs featuring K-pop idol singers continues unabated, with South Korean broadcasters launching more, similar programs but with new formats to keep viewers entertained. Local music channel Mnet, which produced the most successful K-pop audition show franchise “Produce,” launched “I-Land2: N/a” earlier this month. It is a sequel to the 2020 reality audition show “I-Land.” Next month, the national broadcaster KBS 2TV is set t
K-pop April 22, 2024
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Ateez to drop 10th EP ‘Golden Hour: Part.1’ on May 31
Ateez is returning to the K-pop scene with their 10th EP, “Golden Hour: Part.1,” which will be released on May 31. KQ Entertainment dropped a poster and announced the promotion schedule for the new album on Monday. From this week, more concept photos, a track list poster, an album preview and a music video teaser will be revealed, the agency said. The K-pop group teased their comeback on stage during their performance at the Coachella Valley Music Festival performance on April 19. Th
K-pop April 22, 2024
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Aespa to release 1st LP ‘Armageddon’ on May 27
K-pop girl group aespa is releasing its first studio album, “Armageddon,” on May 27. SM Entertainment said the LP will be led by two title tracks: “Supernova” and “Armageddon.” “Supernova” will be released on May 13 before the official album release. The album carries a total of 10 tracks with diverse genres including hip-hop, dance and ballad music. The agency hinted that the studio album will serve as an introduction to the second chapter of the
K-pop April 22, 2024
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[팟캐스트] (577) 카카오, ‘AI 얼라이언스’ 가입…국내 기업 중 처음
진행자: 홍유, Elise Youn Kakao joins AI Alliance, promotes safe, responsible AI 기사요약: 카카오는 인공지능(AI) 연구·개발의 개방형 혁신과 인공지능 생태태 확장 협력을 위해 출범한 글로벌 오픈소스 커뮤니티 ‘인공지능 얼라이언스’(AI Alliance)’에 가입했다. [1] Korean IT giant Kakao joined AI Alliance, the global open-source community dedicated to the responsible development of artificial intelligence, becoming the first Korean firm to do so, the company said Friday. *dedicated to: ~에 전념하는, 헌신하는 [2] “We will work together with the AI
Podcast April 22, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Doyoung of NCT to share his story of ‘youth’ in 1st solo album
Over the past nine years, Doyoung has built a career as the vocalist of the popular K-pop boy group NCT. But it was just a year ago, as NCT embarked on a world tour and released various albums, when Doyoung realized he was ready to debut as a soloist. “Last year, I released three albums as a member of NCT when one of our vocalists Taeil took a break due to health concerns. I felt pressure in having to fill in his void. But after having overcome such challenges, I thought I had improved my
K-pop April 22, 2024
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Seventeen unveils track list for upcoming album
K-pop boy group Seventeen unveiled the track list for their upcoming album, “17 Is Right Here,” to be released on April 29. The album will not only carry the group's most loved songs, but also four new singles -- “Maestro,” “Lalali,” “Spell” and “Cheers to Youth,” according to Pledis Entertainment. Woozi of Seventeen and K-pop producer Bumzu, who is behind several Seventeen hits, took part in producing "Maestro." The othe
K-pop April 19, 2024
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