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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!

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K-pop

As virtual idol groups multiply, can any match PLAVE's success?

The virtual idol market is expanding fast, and the field is getting crowded. A string of new groups have debuted in recent months, staking a claim in a space that one act has come to define — and none of them are close to catching it yet. OWIS, a five-member girl group under All My Anecdotes, the label founded by Kiss of Life creative director Lee Hae-in, debuted on March 23 with EP "Museum." While the real identities behind the virtual avatar members — Serene, Haru, Soi, Summer and Yuni — have not been officially confirmed, it is widely reported to include former NMIXX member Jini, former Lovelyz member Ryu Su-jeong, BigHit Music producer Adora, "Produce 101" contestant Lee Ruri and Lee Hae-in herself. B:DAWN under Duri Entertainment followed on May 6 with debut single "Beom." The group's five members — Dojin, Ion, Kangho, Woorim and Hansol — are built around the concept of former competitive athletes. The latest entry is MiiWAN, a five-member boy group under Abyss Company, whose debut album "Middle.i" drops Tuesday. A pre-release track, "Pluma," is already out. Emulating PLAVE

Jun 15, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
As virtual idol groups multiply, can any match PLAVE's success?
K-pop

EVAN drops snippets of debut solo single 'RIDE OR DIE'

Former ENHYPEN member EVAN dropped snippets of his upcoming debut solo single "RIDE OR DIE" on his official social media channels Saturday, giving fans their first listen ahead of the June 22 release. The digital single includes two tracks, "Ride or Die" and "Overflow." Through an official press release Sunday, his label Belift Lab said EVAN wrote, composed and produced both songs and took part in visual creative work across the project. "Ride or Die" is an alternative rock track that blends pop-rock and hyperpop elements. The song deals with longing and overwhelming emotion directed at another person. Belift Lab said the track also carries a message to fans. The single's second track, "Overflow," is a quieter indie-pop song. The title refers to the image of water brimming at the edge of a glass, which EVAN used as a metaphor for layered, complex emotions. Belift Lab said the song leaves its emotional direction open, allowing listeners to interpret it as comfort, sadness or empathy depending on their own circumstances. The single's title, "RIDE OR DIE," is an English idiomatic expression

Jun 14, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
EVAN drops snippets of debut solo single 'RIDE OR DIE'
K-pop

BTS celebrates 13th anniversary with return to Busan

BUSAN — K-pop juggernaut BTS marked its 13th anniversary with a massive celebration, bringing the group's ongoing "ARIRANG" world tour to Busan's Asiad Main Stadium on Friday and Saturday for a two-night run that felt much bigger than a concert. The timing was no accident. The second show landed squarely on June 13, the group's debut anniversary, sending fans worldwide into a frenzy well before the first note dropped. Busan, too, carries deep meaning for the group — it is the hometown of members Jimin and Jung Kook, and the site of "Yet to Come," the sprawling farewell concert that preceded the members' hiatus due to mandatory military service in 2022. The group's return had been anticipated for weeks. "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG BUSAN," a large-scale urban festival running since early June, transformed the city's landmarks into extensions of the "ARIRANG" album's themes, stretching from a grand welcome at Busan Station to a drone light show above Gwangalli Beach. By Saturday evening, 55,000 fans packed the stadium. The crowd had already endured a roughly 75-minute delay the night before a

Jun 13, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS celebrates 13th anniversary with return to Busan
K-pop

Busan: More than tour stop for BTS

BUSAN — K-pop sensation BTS is heading back to Busan. Three years and eight months have passed since the group last stood on a stage in Korea's second-largest city, and the place has not been forgotten. On June 5, about a week before the group's concert, the city was already restless with anticipation. The seven-piece K-pop juggernaut — composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — is set to hold the Busan leg of its ongoing "ARIRANG" world tour at Busan Asiad Main Stadium scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The shows come roughly three months after the group's comeback performance at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, held to mark the release of its fifth studio album, and about two months after the tour's opening run in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Both Busan dates have long since sold out. For BTS and its fans, Busan is not simply a tour stop. Few cities in the world carry the kind of weight for BTS that the port city does, and the group has chosen its concert dates here carefully. The finale of the two-night Busan show will fall on Friday, the exact date BTS debuted in 2013

Jun 12, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Busan: More than tour stop for BTS
K-pop

BTS in Busan: City guide for visiting fans

BUSAN — The large LED screen on the outer wall of the Grand Josun Busan hotel has been playing the music video of "SWIM," the title track of BTS' latest album, every 30 minutes since last Friday. Standing in front of it, fans from all around the globe were glued to the display, with phones raised and the Haeundae seafront glistening in front of them. It was a scene that would have been unimaginable years ago — but then, a lot has changed since BTS last performed in Busan. The group returns to Busan Asiad Main Stadium Friday and Saturday for two concerts as part of its "ARIRANG" world tour. Scheduled to span 34 cities and 85 dates, the tour is BTS' first as a group after the members' return from mandatory military service, a nearly four-year absence that only seemed to sharpen the appetite of the fandom. The show on Saturday also will fall on the group's 13th debut anniversary, adding a layer of meaning that has not been lost on organizers. That performance will be broadcast live in cinemas worldwide. For the city itself, the concerts are the centerpiece of "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG BUSAN

Jun 12, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS in Busan: City guide for visiting fans
K-pop

KATSEYE reflects on AMA wins as group prepares new release

Girl group KATSEYE is having its moment. It recently swept all three of its nominations at the 52nd American Music Awards (AMAs) on May 25: New Artist of the Year, Best Music Video for "Gnarly" and Breakthrough Pop Artist. "We never expected to go home with all three awards that night," Sophia said in a written interview with The Korea Times. For a group that debuted less than two years ago, the achievement marks an important milestone in the group's rapid rise. KATSEYE was formed through the 2023 competition reality show "The Debut: Dream Academy," and the members went through the K-pop trainee system, involving months of vocal and dance training under a survival format. Signed jointly under HYBE Labels and Geffen Records, the group debuted in August 2024 with its first EP "SIS (Soft Is Strong)," positioning itself as a bridge between the K-pop world and Western pop audiences. While KATSEYE was conceived as a global pop act, its connection to Korea remains strong. Korea is often among the first stops on the group's promotional schedule, and its members credit the country's music industry

Jun 11, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
KATSEYE reflects on AMA wins as group prepares new release
Music

Violist Kim Sang-jin, pianist Kim Kyu-yeon to share stage in duo recital

Violist Kim Sang-jin and pianist Kim Kyu-yeon will come together for a duo recital on June 20 at 8 p.m. at the IBK Chamber Hall of Seoul Arts Center, offering audiences an evening of intimate musical dialogue on the cusp of summer. The program spans three centuries of repertoire, featuring Robert Schumann's "Märchenbilder, Op.113," Joseph Haydn's "Divertimento" and Johannes Brahms' "Sonata Op. 120, No. 1." The centerpiece of the evening will be the world premiere of composer Ryu Jea-joon's revised Sonata for Viola and Piano — a work that bridges classical tradition and contemporary lyricism. Kim is one of Korea's most decorated violists. The first viola player ever to win the Dong-A Music Competition, he went on to study at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and The Juilliard School before performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Wiener Musikverein, among hundreds of stages across more than 50 countries. He currently serves as music director of the Seoul Chamber Orchestra and is a professor at Yonsei University College of Music. Kim Kyu-yeon has built an eq

Jun 3, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Violist Kim Sang-jin, pianist Kim Kyu-yeon to share stage in duo recital
K-pop

K-pop turns up early summer heat with packed June comeback lineup

Summer has a way of shaking K-pop out of its slumber, and June 2026 is no exception. This month alone sees the long-awaited reunion of one of the genre's most beloved girl groups, a debut studio album from one of its hottest young acts and no fewer than a dozen releases spread across four weeks. Whether it is a rock band or global headliner easing listeners into the season, June has something for every corner of the fandom. Rock band N.Flying returns on June 2 with a new digital single, "In Between Seasons," the group's first release since its second studio album "Everlasting" in May 2025. Two days later on June 4, four-piece girl group MAMAMOO returns as a full group for the first time in almost four years with "4WARD." The track "4 Flowers" celebrates the quartet's reunion after members returned from pursuing solo careers. On June 8, BOYNEXTDOOR releases its first full-length studio album, "HOME," led by the lead single "VIRAL." The six-member group, formed by rapper Zico under HYBE subsidiary KOZ Entertainment, debuted in May 2023 and has cultivated a significant global following, incl

Jun 3, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop turns up early summer heat with packed June comeback lineup
K-pop

Inside Inspire Arena's skybox, where K-pop meets 5-star hospitality

Picture a typical K-pop concert. You wake up early to join a ticketing queue, refresh a browser until your hands go numb and, if you are lucky, land a seat. Then comes the day itself, lining up outside the venue for an hour or more, shuffling through security and finally settling onto a hard plastic seat pressed close against strangers on both sides. If the show is at an outdoor stadium, add weather to the list of things to endure. For years, this was simply the deal. Fans accepted it because the alternative, missing the show, was worse. The discomfort was treated as proof of devotion. Real fans did not complain about sore feet or soaked jackets. They endured, and they called it love. But as ticket prices climb sharply in recent years, reaching well above 200,000 won ($132) for premium seats at major concerts, a quiet question has started surfacing among some concertgoers. Why should watching live music still feel like a test of endurance? Outgrowing venues The scale of the K-pop live performance market makes the infrastructure gap harder to ignore. Korea is now one of the most active co

Jun 2, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Inside Inspire Arena's skybox, where K-pop meets 5-star hospitality
Law & Crime

Police seek exit ban on Morse Tan over defamation allegations

Police on Monday applied to the Ministry of Justice for an exit ban on Morse Tan, a Korean American professor and former U.S. ambassador at large for global criminal justice under the first Trump administration, amid an ongoing investigation into defamation charges tied to false claims he made about President Lee Jae Myung. Tan, also known by his Korean name Dan Hyun-myung, returned to Korea on Thursday, citing intentions to personally monitor and verify the June 3 local elections for irregularities. Officers traveled to Incheon International Airport on the day of his arrival, formally notifying him to appear for questioning the following day. Tan declined to comply, submitting a written statement explaining his rejection of the summons and filing a separate request to have the assigned investigating officers replaced. Police determined that his refusal to cooperate, combined with the circumstances of his visit, indicated a credible risk that he might attempt to leave the country before the investigation concludes. Park Jeong-bo, head of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, addressed the ma

Jun 1, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Police seek exit ban on Morse Tan over defamation allegations
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