my timesThe Korea Times
pzzang

Pyo Kyung-min

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Stay tuned for Pyo Kyung-min's latest K-pop stories, where she digs into the backstories that matter. She’d love to hear from you — share your thoughts at pzzang@koreatimes.co.kr. After all, every article gets better with insights from those who love the scene, just like she does!

Go to Email

Read more

K-pop

Hyolyn returns to her 1st love — era of divas who inspired her

Before Hyolyn became K-pop's official "summer queen," before debuting as part of girl group SISTAR and before the stage name, there was a teenager in awe of Destiny's Child. "Those sounds shocked me even back then," the singer said during an interview with The Korea Times at a quiet cafe in Seoul's Seongdong District, Thursday. "Artists I loved back then and still listen to now: Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney, Missy Elliott. Even without seeking them out, old songs were always on my playlist. I wanted to bring back that feeling." That feeling is the engine of "OriginaLyn," Hyolyn's fourth mini album. Slated for release at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the seven-track set arrives through ReH Entertainment, the singer's self-founded agency. Its title fuses "original" with "Lyn," and the mission statement is in the wordplay — this is not a reinvention but a restoration. It's her first mini album since "iCE" in July 2022, and her first physical release in four years. "As a soloist, I've worked across a lot of genres. Before, I projected my character onto whatever concept the music

Jul 22, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Hyolyn returns to her 1st love — era of divas who inspired her
Arts & Theater

'Dead Poets Society' brings question of good education to Seoul stage

A strait-laced American boarding school in 1959 may seem a world away from Seoul in 2026. Yet for Korean audiences who came of age amid relentless academic competition, the pressures driving "Dead Poets Society" need no translation. The first officially licensed stage production of Tom Schulman's Oscar-winning 1989 screenplay opened this month in Seoul, arriving as questions over what good education should look like cut deeper than ever. At a press call held Tuesday at NOL Theater Daehangno Woori Card Hall in Jongno District, central Seoul, director Cho Kwang-hwa was careful not to frame the production as a critique of Korean schooling. "I did not set out to make a statement about the reality of education in Korea," Cho said. "There are teachers at school, but there are also bosses at work and seniors in the military. This is a universal story about the relationships everyone encounters in life, and about the mentors whose words take on deeper meaning as time passes." Yet the questions the play raises land squarely in Korea. Set at the elite Welton Academy, the story follows new English

Jul 21, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
'Dead Poets Society' brings question of good education to Seoul stage
Music

Charlie Puth returns to Korea for 1st stadium concert

American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth still vividly remembers the night a Seoul crowd refused to stop cheering. "There was this one moment when the crowd cheered for a straight five minutes nonstop. I was stunned," Puth said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times, recalling his first concert in Korea in 2016. "It was very early into my career and I just couldn't believe what was happening. I felt like my life changed overnight." A decade later, the 34-year-old hitmaker is set to return for his biggest Korean show yet. Puth will perform at Goyang Sports Complex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., marking his first stadium concert in the country. The show, presented by Live Nation Korea as part of his "Whatever's Clever!" world tour, is his first standalone concert here in about two years. "Korea holds such a special place in my heart," he said. "Now seeing it grow to arenas and now a stadium, it's surreal. I'm so grateful for that consistent love over the years." That growth has been steady and striking. Puth's 2016 debut concert in Seoul sold out within 10 mi

Jul 15, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Charlie Puth returns to Korea for 1st stadium concert
K-pop

Sunmi returns with rainy summer single 'Forever July'

Singer Sunmi is returning with a new digital single Wednesday, betting that rain, rather than sunshine, can carry this summer's soundtrack. "Forever July," due out at 6 p.m., marks the singer's first release in about eight months following her first full-length album, "Heart Maid," released last November. Sunmi once again took part in writing and composing the track, according to her label Abyss Company. The agency described "Forever July" as an inversion of the familiar summer anthem. The song draws inspiration from Korea's monsoon season, comparing love to a sudden downpour that arrives without warning. Built around a U.K. garage beat, the track explores both the thrill and instability of unexpected romance. Summer has become one of Sunmi's strongest seasons. While K-pop has typically leaned into brighter, more upbeat concepts, the 34-year-old has carved out a distinctive niche with moodier, more sophisticated summer releases. Her 2020 single "pporappippam" reached the top 10 of the Circle Digital Chart, and "Heart Burn" followed as another seasonal hit in 2022. The comeback also follow

Jul 15, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Sunmi returns with rainy summer single 'Forever July'
K-pop

Boy band idntt expands to 20 members with new unit, album 'itsnotover'

Multi-member K-pop boy group idntt has expanded its lineup to 20, adding five new members to its two previously debuted units with the release of its new album "itsnotover" on Monday. The album marks the birth of a new unit of the same name, building on the narrative idntt established through its earlier units, unevermet and yesweare. Where the two captured the butterflies and confidence of youth, "itsnotover" unleashes a youthful spirit that refuses to end. The newly assembled 20 members gathered at BlueSquare Theater in Seoul's Yongsan District, Monday afternoon, to announce the launch of the new unit and the album's release, sharing their thoughts on debuting and their plans for the promotion cycle. The five members of itsnotover who took their first debut stage that day — Kwak Gi-woong, Kim Eun-sung, Cho Eun-chan, Yang Gyung-ho and Lee Joo-heon — revealed that, true to its name, the unit does not end at five. "Just like our team name, we wanted to give fans a sense of anticipation that never ends," Kim Eun-sung said. "The identities of four more itsnotover members have yet to be

Jul 13, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Boy band idntt expands to 20 members with new unit, album 'itsnotover'
People & Events

'Beautiful Things' singer Benson Boone to return to Korea in October

American popstar Benson Boone will return to Korea for a solo concert on Oct. 26 as part of his "Wanted Man" world tour, the show's organizer, Live Nation Korea, said Monday. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. in Hall 10 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The singer launched the "Wanted Man" tour this month, following his "American Heart" tour of North America and Europe, which ran from August last year to March and sold out across both continents. Boone rose to fame through TikTok before appearing on the 19th season of "American Idol." His breakout hit "Beautiful Things" (2024) became the most-streamed song in the world that year, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Billboard Global 200 for seven weeks. His debut album, "Fireworks & Rollerblades" (2024), reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and he earned a best new artist nomination at the 67th Grammy Awards, where he performed "Beautiful Things" with his signature backflip. His second album, "American Heart" (2025), debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and placed three tracks on the Hot 100

Jul 13, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
'Beautiful Things' singer Benson Boone to return to Korea in October
K-pop

ARMY's greatest strength is resilience: scholar on BTS

When online communities grow large enough, conflict is almost inevitable. Anonymous interactions, differing expectations and cultural divides can fracture even the most devoted fandoms. Yet one global community continues to defy that pattern, according to Lee Ji-heng, assistant professor in the Department of K-Entertainment at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) and a scholar of fandom studies. "ARMY's greatest strength is not its organization or ability to mobilize," Lee, referring to the BTS fandom, told The Korea Times in a written interview. "It is its resilience." It is a striking claim, given that organization is precisely what ARMY is best known for. Formed in 2013, shortly after BTS' debut under what was then a little-known agency, the fandom has grown from a modest local fan club into arguably the most influential fan community in popular music. Over the years, it has powered record-breaking streaming, voting campaigns and even coordinated charity drives. Yet like any other online-based community, ARMY experiences its share of conflict. For all its reputation of maturity, Lee ackn

Jul 12, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
ARMY's greatest strength is resilience: scholar on BTS
K-pop

Why is coed K-pop group KARD ending its journey?

KARD, one of the few coed groups in the current K-pop landscape, will end its 10-year run the way it spent most of it — as an exception. The quartet filled venues across Europe and the Americas for years, yet never converted that momentum into comparable recognition at home. The first full-length album of its career, out July 28, will also be its last. DSP Media announced Monday that the group will disband after releasing "Where To Now? (Part.2): NOWHERE" and wrapping a final world tour, closing a journey that began with the pre-debut single "Oh NaNa" in December 2016. "After careful discussions with all four members, we have agreed to conclude KARD's journey following these activities," the agency said, asking fans to support BM, J.Seph, Somin and Jiwoo as they move on to individual careers. That a group could tour the world for a decade before releasing a full-length album says much about how KARD operated, and about the market that barely made room for it. Modern K-pop runs on fandom. Physical album sales, music show votes and concert revenue are driven by "superfans," the deeply eng

Jul 10, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Why is coed K-pop group KARD ending its journey?
K-pop

NewJeans sued for alleged copyright infringement in US

K-pop group NewJeans' hit song "ETA" has become the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit in the United States. According to a Korean-language entertainment media, U.S. copyright management company All Surface Publishing filed the suit over "ETA" with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Tuesday (local time). The suit names not only NewJeans, its agency ADOR and ADOR's parent company HYBE, producer 250 and lyricists Beenzino and Vana as defendants, as well as Apple, the U.S. electronics maker that featured the group in its advertising. All Surface Publishing claims that "ETA" lifts instrumentals from "Samir's Theme," a 2005 dance track by producer DJ Debonair Samir to which it holds the rights. The suit alleges the unauthorized use of the track's syncopated horn melody, 16th-note rhythmic structure and bass drum pattern. Among other remedies, the plaintiff is reportedly seeking profits earned from the song and statutory damages of up to $150,000 for the alleged infringement. "ETA" is one of the tracks from NewJeans' second EP "Get Up," released in 2023.

Jul 9, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
NewJeans sued for alleged copyright infringement in US
Trends

Young Koreans find peace in palm of their hands

Walk down a narrow alley in Changsin-dong, a neighborhood in Jongno District tucked behind Dongdaemun in central Seoul, and you will find a scene that seems frozen in time. Shopfronts overflow with plastic toys, character stickers and school supplies, the same stationery and toy wholesale market that has supplied Korean classrooms for decades. Look closer at the crowd, though, and something has changed. The customers digging through bins of colorful rubbery blobs are not elementary school students. They are mostly college students or young office workers in their 20s and 30s, many of them clutching phones open to Instagram, hunting for two very specific items — "mallangi" and "wakppu ball." The two toys have become Korea's unlikeliest trend. Mallangi, derived from the Korean word "mallang," meaning soft and squishy, refers to pliable rubber toys designed to be kneaded, stretched and squeezed. Wakppu ball takes the opposite approach. The palm-sized ball hides a soft filling inside a hard outer shell made of wax, and the entire point is to crush it. Press hard enough and the shell fract

Jul 9, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Young Koreans find peace in palm of their hands
previous page
910111213
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.