The Korea Times

K-POP REPORT CARD Dead or alive? K-pop chooses both in September, October

Nobody expected September and October to be this much fun, at least for K-pop. Over the same two months, one K-pop heavyweight confessed his belief that the genre had run its course, while another stormed back onto the scene with a shiny, wildly ambitious new project. That's K-pop for you — just when you think you know which way the ball is bouncing, it ricochets somewhere else entirely. In between, BLACKPINK members dropped solo singles back-to-back, three of the industry’s biggest names faced off on the same Monday, and a brand-new girl group topped Melon a day after its debut. As always, these verdicts are just one critic's opinion, not a ruling. Please feel free to disagree, loudly if you must. Kwon Eun-bi, “DEJAVU” (digital single) released Sept. 3 Verdict: Nearly there Kwon Eun-bi's first release since switching agencies is a lovely gift for fans. It peels back the piercing high notes and flashy performances that usually steal the spotlight, letting you hear how softly she murmurs through each line and how pretty her tone really is. The problem is that K-pop has far, far too ma

NowBy Pyo Kyung-min

K-pop

TWS turns members' fears into fan anthem on 'TO US'

Before K-pop boy band TWS began work on its new single album, each of the six members sat down for a one-on-one interview with their agency about what frightened them most and who helped them back on their feet. Those answers, the members say, became the backbone of the upcoming record. "TO US," which drops Monday at 6 p.m. with the lead track "Call My Name," arrives just over a week after the group wrapped its first Asia tour, and finds the members looking back on the trial and error of their early years while turning their attention to "42," the group's official fandom. Introduced in January 2024 as Pledis Entertainment's first boy group since Seventeen, TWS — Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon and Kyungmin — debuted with "plot twist," a breakout hit that made the group one of the most sought-after rookies of the year. The group calls its sound "boyhood pop," a label it uses for songs about the experience of growing up. "This album is precious to us," Jihoon said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in eastern Seoul on Wednesday. "It started with interviews with

23h agoBy Pyo Kyung-min

TWS turns members' fears into fan anthem on 'TO US'

K-pop

2026 MAMA AWARDS to travel across time, space with 'A Music Interstellar'

This year's MAMA AWARDS will take audiences on a journey between the stars, where music transcends the boundaries of past and present, here and there, organizers said Thursday as they unveiled plans for CJ ENM's flagship K-pop ceremony. The theme, “A Music Interstellar,” was introduced at a media day held at the Eliena Hotel in Gangnam District, Seoul, ahead of the 2026 MAMA AWARDS, set for Nov. 20 and 21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. The event was attended by Shin Hyung-kwan, head of CJ ENM's music content business division; Yoon Shin-hye, head of its Mnet business division; and Park Chan-uk, head of its convention business division. Yoon said the theme captures 2026 as a moment when older songs find new life amid fast-changing trends and audiences around the world enjoy the same music as K-pop expands. Launched in 1999 as Mnet's music video awards, the ceremony was renamed the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2009 and rebranded as the MAMA AWARDS in 2022. The idea of crossing boundaries carries into a series of collaborations. K-pop boy band ENHYPEN will team up with Hollywood sci-fi b

Oct 29, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

2026 MAMA AWARDS to travel across time, space with 'A Music Interstellar'

Shows & Dramas

EXO's choreographer wins 1st title after fearing his time was over

For the past few years, choreographer Back Koo-young had quietly begun to wonder whether his time was passing, watching pitches from directors far younger than him getting picked over his own. When he was named the winner of Mnet's "Street World Fighter: Director's War" last week, his 24 years of work in the industry meant the trophy was not a sign of a triumphant comeback but as something closer to a "perfect attendance award" — a reward for refusing to stop even when he believed his star was dimming. "There was a time when it felt like everyone in the industry was looking for me. Then I started to feel that I was fading, too," Back said during an interview with The Korea Times at CJ ENM Center in western Seoul, Tuesday. "I think of this trophy as a reward for the effort I never let go of, even in the middle of that." The title is the first competition win of a career spent shaping some of K-pop's most recognizable work, and it came four years after he fell one step short of the final on the show's predecessor, "Street Man Fighter." He built much of his career as a performance director

Oct 28, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

EXO's choreographer wins 1st title after fearing his time was over

K-pop

ILLIT does math on one-sided love in 5th EP 'BREAK EVEN'

After years of singing about charging toward a crush, ILLIT has finally run the numbers and found that the feelings were never reciprocated. The HYBE girl group turns that realization into a playful "arrest warrant" on its fifth EP, "BREAK EVEN," released Monday. The EP follows the group as it comes to terms with how one-sided its devotion had been. It likens the frustration of getting back far less than it gave to a "break-even point," and the lead track, "You're Under Arrest," puts that frustration on trial. Four of the group's five members, Wonhee, Yunah, Minju and Iroha, talked about making the album at a media showcase held the same day at Blue Square's Woori WON Banking Hall in Yongsan District, Seoul. Moka, who has been on hiatus since June due to health issues, is sitting out promotions for this EP as well. "Since we're coming back after 'It's Me' did so well, we wanted to show an even better side of ourselves," Wonhee said. "I worked on this album with so much conviction that I can call it my all-time favorite." "Because the song has such a distinct concept, we paid attention to

Oct 26, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

ILLIT does math on one-sided love in 5th EP 'BREAK EVEN'

K-pop

ENHYPEN to close 'THE SIN' series with spinoff single in November

K-pop boy band ENHYPEN will close its "THE SIN" series with a spinoff single in November, marking its third release of the year after its first Billboard 200 No. 1 this summer. The group's agency, Belift Lab, announced Monday through Weverse that "THE SIN : PARALLEL WORLD" will arrive on digital platforms at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20. A physical edition will follow at noon on Nov. 23. The single serves as an epilogue to the series, which began with the seventh mini-album "THE SIN : VANISH" in January and continued with the eighth, "THE SIN : BLISS," in August. It follows a pair of lovers who, having realized in the previous album that simply being together is a blessing, come to believe that they are bound by fate in a parallel universe. Belift Lab said the release expresses the members' desire to "repay the unwavering love and support" of their fans, known collectively as ENGENE, through music. Formed through Mnet's survival show "I-LAND," ENHYPEN debuted under Belift Lab in November 2020. The group has built its musical identity around a unique vampire narrative, exploring genres ranging from

Oct 26, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

ENHYPEN to close 'THE SIN' series with spinoff single in November

K-pop

Eric Nam bares lonely heart on 1st full album in 3 years

Many of the songs on Eric Nam's new album took shape in solitary moments — on flights, in taxis and in hotel rooms — which is why the singer-songwriter says releasing them now feels a little like letting people read his diary. "Confessions of a Lonely Heart," Nam's fourth full-length album and his first in about three years, came out Oct. 16 with nine tracks about love, breakups and loneliness. The release also marks a new chapter at home, as Nam recently signed with a Korean agency, all my anecdotes, and plans to perform more often in Korea before taking the album on a world tour in 2027. Born and raised in Atlanta to Korean immigrant parents, Nam was invited to compete on the second season of MBC's "Star Audition" after his YouTube covers drew attention, and his top-five finish led to his Korean debut in 2013 with the EP "Cloud 9." He went on to build a wide fan base as a TV personality before turning increasingly to English-language music and touring abroad. "These are songs I held on to by myself for a long time," Nam said in a written Q&A provided by his agency on Friday. "I hop

Oct 23, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

Eric Nam bares lonely heart on 1st full album in 3 years

Books

Thriller master Jeong You-jeong trades terror for tenderness in 'Bonobo'

Korean novelist Jeong You-jeong has carried the nickname "Stephen King of Korea" for more than a decade, thanks to her psychological thrillers that probe the darkest corners of human nature. But when the novelist, who was wearing a bright yellow cardigan and an even brighter smile, arrived for an interview in eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong on Thursday, she looked nothing like the writer behind some of the country's most unsettling bestsellers. The cheerfulness, Jeong explained with a laugh, comes from long stretches of solitude. Once she begins a novel, she rarely leaves home, so the rare occasions that bring her out into the world tend to leave her in high spirits and full of things to say. "Once I start writing a book, I'm the type who holes up at home and never goes out," she said. "I'm alone all day for a year or two, so whenever I do come out, I can't stop talking." This time, the occasion was "Bonobo," the English translation of her 2019 novel, published in Britain by Honford Star this month. Translated by Brother Anthony, also known by his Korean name An Seon-jae, it is the first of

Oct 23, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

Thriller master Jeong You-jeong trades terror for tenderness in 'Bonobo'

K-pop

Lee Soo-man's boy band A2O SOUL to release debut album Nov. 9

A2O SOUL, the 15-member boy group launched by K-pop mogul Lee Soo-man, will release its debut album "SUPERSTAR" on Nov. 9, less than a month after unveiling a prerelease single of the same name at its global debut showcase. The new album will be available at 6 p.m. on music platforms in Korea and abroad, according to the group's agency A2O Entertainment, Thursday. The five-track EP is led by "SUPERSTAR," which also serves as the prerelease single, and a second lead track, "Dancing in the Dark." The agency describes all five songs as "new synthwave," a genre label the group coined to define its musical identity. Lee, the founder of SM Entertainment, set the album's musical direction and personally picked songwriters he had never worked with before, the agency said. "SUPERSTAR," released Oct. 13, was co-written by longtime SM producer Yoo Young-jin, along with HAAN, who worked on The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber's hit "Stay," and GENT!, whose credits include songs for Drake and Doja Cat. The single climbed to No. 18 on YouTube's trending music chart and made a strong showing on China's QQ Mu

Oct 22, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

Lee Soo-man's boy band A2O SOUL to release debut album Nov. 9

K-pop

COVER STORY Kids on stage: How young is too young to debut in K-pop?

A2O LITE, a K-pop act that debuted last week, gained attention not only because its debut single "Neon" topped Melon's Top 100 chart about 29 hours after its release, but also due to the fact that three of the nine members — Ayune, Oa and Aijing — are 13 years old. The group, launched by former SM Entertainment chief producer Lee Soo-man through A2O Entertainment, held its debut showcase on Oct. 12 and released its first single the following day. All nine members are minors. The lineup, which notably consisted of members born in 2013, has revived a question K-pop has long left unresolved — whether Korea's protections for child performers, built largely around weekly hour caps and contract clauses, are adequate for children who reach the stage before finishing middle school. Early debuts are nothing new, least of all for Lee. Solo singer BoA debuted under him at the age of 13 in 2000, while SHINee's Taemin and f(x)'s Krystal were 14 when they debuted in 2008 and 2009, respectively. NCT DREAM debuted in 2016 with its youngest members at 14. Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said Lee's app

Oct 22, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

Pyo Kyung-min

Read more

K-POP REPORT CARD Dead or alive? K-pop chooses both in September, October

TWS turns members' fears into fan anthem on 'TO US'

2026 MAMA AWARDS to travel across time, space with 'A Music Interstellar'

EXO's choreographer wins 1st title after fearing his time was over

ILLIT does math on one-sided love in 5th EP 'BREAK EVEN'

ENHYPEN to close 'THE SIN' series with spinoff single in November

Eric Nam bares lonely heart on 1st full album in 3 years

Thriller master Jeong You-jeong trades terror for tenderness in 'Bonobo'

Lee Soo-man's boy band A2O SOUL to release debut album Nov. 9

COVER STORY Kids on stage: How young is too young to debut in K-pop?

Top 5 stories