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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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People & Events

Theater pioneer Yoon Suk-hwa dies at 69

Yoon uk-hwa, a leading figure in Korea's first generation of modern theater actors, died Friday after battling a brain tumor. She was 69. The Korean Actors Association said Yoon died at 9:54 a.m. at Severance Hospital in Seoul, with family members and close acquaintances at her side. Reports of her death had circulated earlier in the day before her passing was officially confirmed several hours later. Yoon had been in treatment since October 2022, when she underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor. Earlier that same year she had appeared as Ophelia in a production of "Hamlet." After publicly disclosing her illness, she made her final stage appearance in 2023 with a brief guest role in the play "Toccata" at LG Arts Center in Seoul. Gil Hae-yeon, chair of the Theater People Welfare Foundation of Korea, said Yoon was “a central pillar of Korea’s theater community and someone who recognized and put into practice the importance of artists’ welfare earlier than anyone else.” “Her dedication to laying the foundation for the foundation and to protecting the rights of theater artist

Dec 19, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Theater pioneer Yoon Suk-hwa dies at 69
  • Premature report of Yoon Suk-hwa’s death causes confusion
K-pop

BTS eyes 2026 comeback amid fan backlash

Six months after all members of the K-pop juggernaut BTS completed their long-awaited military discharge, the return of the genre's most influential group remains defined as much by uncertainty as anticipation. The seven-member act is widely expected to make a full-group comeback in spring 2026, but the period following its military hiatus has been marked by a series of personal controversies and public scrutiny. Together, they have exposed fault lines within the fandom over privacy, accountability and the pressures facing a group whose every move carries global weight. BTS' military hiatus officially ended June 21, when the group's rapper Suga completed his alternative service. The moment ended a two-and-a-half-year pause that many fans believed would clear the way for a straightforward return. With all members discharged, expectations were high that the group would smoothly transition into its next chapter. Instead, the months that followed have been turbulent. In August, optimism briefly resurfaced when all seven members appeared together in Los Angeles during a Weverse live broadcast

Dec 18, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS eyes 2026 comeback amid fan backlash
Travel & Food

Why winter is best time to enjoy seafood in Korea: From grilled shellfish to amberjack sashimi

Winter announces itself in Korea not just through its icy winds but through food, as a familiar rhythm returns to coastal towns, fish auctions and markets across the country. Fishmongers haul in crates of fresh catch at dawn, steam rises from metal pots on street corners and lines form outside small grill houses in seaside towns and cities. Winter is widely regarded as the best season for seafood in Korea, a time when shellfish grow firmer and cold-water fish develop a richer flavor. For many Koreans, it’s a moment they refuse to miss — a season defined less by temperature and more by taste. Short-form videos showing scallops popping open on a grill or shoppers racing through Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Wholesale Market spread quickly on TikTok and Instagram each year. Searches for "winter seafood trip" and "where to eat good amberjack" surge among younger users, and clips comparing cuts of amberjack or showcasing oyster dishes can gather millions of views in a matter of days. What was once a quiet seasonal tradition has become a nationwide ritual fueled in part by social media. That

Dec 6, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Why winter is best time to enjoy seafood in Korea: From grilled shellfish to amberjack sashimi
K-pop

K-pop holiday playlist: New collabs, festive singles, rediscovered classics

With Christmas only weeks away, Korea's music scene is easing into its annual wave of festive releases. Seasonal songs have always had a strong foothold in the K-pop market, and this year's lineup includes fresh collaborations and reimagined classics that are already shaping the country's winter soundtrack. From remade global hits to nostalgic favorites rising on the charts again, these K-pop selections will keep your holidays sounding both familiar and fresh. One of the season's standout releases comes from boy group ENHYPEN, who recently reinterpreted pop star Justin Bieber's holiday single, "Mistletoe." The project was produced as a collaboration between the group's label Belift Lab and Apple Music, with ENHYPEN's version premiering exclusively on the platform on Nov. 11. The original "Mistletoe" was released in 2011, when a then-teenage Justin Bieber was dominating global charts. The track reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly cemented itself as one of the most recognizable contemporary Christmas pop singles. ENHYPEN's remake honors that nostalgic familiarity while int

Dec 2, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop holiday playlist: New collabs, festive singles, rediscovered classics
K-pop

How K-pop is pushing into children's content worldwide

A genre once defined by teen and young adult fandoms, K-pop is now gradually pushing into children's entertainment, stepping into spaces traditionally filled by preschool shows and beginner book series. The expansion introduces the genre to some of the youngest media consumers yet — a development educators and analysts say could have lasting effects on how children form cultural tastes and media routines. One of the latest examples comes from five-piece girl group FIFTY FIFTY. The group's agency, ATTRAKT, said it released a seasonal single titled "Making Christmas Magical" on Nov. 28 in collaboration with Blocks Universe, a children's content IP whose characters — Numberblocks, Alphablocks, Colorblocks and Wonderblocks — are widely used in U.K. classrooms and preschools. According to brand owner Alphablocks, the project marks the franchise's first major cross-brand Christmas release uniting all four properties. The song was produced by Blue Zoo Animation Studio, a long-time Alphablocks partner and a BAFTA- and Emmy-winning, B Corp–certified studio known for its educational anima

Dec 2, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
How K-pop is pushing into children's content worldwide
K-pop

K-pop’s virtual idol boom reaches stadium scale, reshapes industry

The sight of a virtual idol group filling Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, a venue long reserved for K-pop’s most powerful performers, would have seemed implausible only a few years ago. But PLAVE, a virtual K-pop boy band under VLAST, drew 37,000 fans to the arena on Nov. 21-22, marking a breakthrough moment for the genre’s expanding virtual idol sector and redefining who — or what — can claim the country’s largest stages. The five-member virtual act closed its 2025 Asia tour with two “DASH: Quantum Leap Encore” shows, ending a run that began in August and included stops in Taipei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok and Tokyo. The Seoul encore was held at Gocheok Sky Dome, one of Korea’s largest concert venues and typically reserved for top-tier acts such as BTS and BLACKPINK. PLAVE is the first virtual group to join that roster. The two shows drew more than half a million presale ticket attempts before selling out, underscoring the commercial momentum behind virtual acts and the growing appetite for technology-driven performers. The milestone reflects broader changes in the K-pop m

Nov 30, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop’s virtual idol boom reaches stadium scale, reshapes industry
Arts & Theater

Korean Art Odyssey Connecting the dots: Towards more integrated approaches for Korean art abroad

CHICAGO/JEJU — As global interest in Korean culture reaches new heights, museums across the world are approaching Korean institutions with unprecedented frequency, seeking joint exhibitions, research partnerships and even permanent Korean galleries. But this rush of attention has also exposed structural limits of the existing system for cultural exchanges and support for Korea-related programs. Overseas, staffing shortages, conservation gaps and short-term project cycles continue to restrict what institutions can achieve, even as demand accelerates. These challenges have formed the backdrop to Korea's reorganized support system for Korean-themed collections and galleries abroad — a structure that aims not only to streamline responsibilities, but also to answer a larger question of how to turn short-term momentum into lasting infrastructure. Korean cultural heritage began appearing in overseas exhibitions as early as the 1960s, when most exchanges were limited to museum-to-museum loans. Over the decades, the Korea Foundation, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helped expand these

Nov 29, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo and Pyo Kyung-min
[Korean Art Odyssey] Connecting the dots: Towards more integrated approaches for Korean art abroad
K-pop

RESCENE bottles up berry scent on new mini-album 'lip bomb'

K-pop girl group RESCENE is extending its signature scent-themed identity with the arrival of third mini-album "lip bomb," released Tuesday. The five-member act is continuing the fragrance-inspired aesthetic that has shaped its career since debut, but with a concept that blends softness with impact. Since launching in 2024, Woni, Liv, Minami, May and Zena have built their sonic identity by connecting each release to a scent. The team's February track, "Glow Up," introduced a soap-fresh charm, followed by the summery grass aroma referenced in July's "Dearest." The new record pushes the concept forward with a playful twist. The title "lip bomb" blends the softness of lip balm with the idea of a fragrance bursting open, symbolizing both a berry-sweet linger and the signature charm RESCENE aims to leave behind. "Our music is meant to wrap around listeners gently like berry-scented lip balm," leader Woni said during a media showcase held hours before the official album drop. "We wanted to sweeten someone's day the moment they hear our songs." The mini album features five tracks, led by the dou

Nov 25, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
RESCENE bottles up berry scent on new mini-album 'lip bomb'
K-pop

TripleS returns with full 24-member lineup in unit-driven album 'Beyond Beauty'

With a record-breaking lineup of 24 members, K-pop girl group tripleS returned to the scene Monday with its new album, "Beyond Beauty," introducing four new subunits into the spotlight at once. The units, themed around the "powers of the universe" — Moon, Sun, Neptune and Zenith — pursue four distinct sounds and concepts within a single release. The group's defining system remains unchanged: Global fans determine both the member lineup for each promotion cycle and lead tracks for albums by voting on the group's exclusive COSMO app. Depending on the results, only a handful of members or the entire roster may take the stage, turning the group's massive size into a flexible format. This time, voters selected an all-member promotion under the name tripleS msnz, reflecting their intro track, "Magic Shine New Zone." Within that umbrella, each six-member subunit will run its own track and concept in parallel. Moon brings together Sullin, Jiyeon, Sohyun, Kaede, Shion and Lynn; and the Sun unit consists of Xinyu, Yooyeon, Mayu, Chaewon, Chaeyeon and Hyerin. Neptune includes Seoyeon, Dahyun,

Nov 24, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
TripleS returns with full 24-member lineup in unit-driven album 'Beyond Beauty'
K-pop

Can GIRLSET's rebrand succeed where VCHA stalled?

When JYP Entertainment announced that its first American-market girl group VCHA would return under a new identity in August, some saw it as a second chance, while others saw it as a final gamble. Now operating as GIRLSET, the group has reentered the competitive pop arena with a tightened four-member lineup and a new single, "Little Miss," raising the question that lingered quietly even before the girl group's rebrand: Can this team finally achieve the breakthrough that once seemed within reach? GIRLSET's path has been anything but linear. Formed through the 2023 survival program "A2K" as a joint project between JYP and Republic Records, the group debuted in January 2024 with considerable expectations and just as many doubts. The label positioned them as the earliest proof that the K-pop training model could be relocated and replicated overseas — with international members for an international market — but the discipline and polish of a Korean idol system. But the group's momentum stalled almost as quickly as it began. Member Kaylee paused activities for health reasons in March 2024, f

Nov 24, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Can GIRLSET's rebrand succeed where VCHA stalled?
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