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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

EPEX postpones China concert; member Keum suspends activities

K-pop boy band EPEX has postponed its upcoming concert in China and will temporarily continue as a seven-member group following the suspension of member Keum's activities due to personal reasons, the group's agency said. C9 Entertainment announced Friday that Keum would halt all promotional and group activities, citing unspecified personal circumstances. "Until related matters are resolved, Keum will be suspending his activities," the agency said through a statement. "EPEX will proceed as a seven-member group starting today. We ask for fans' understanding." Keum also recently stepped down as an emcee for the MBC music show "Show! Champion," wrapping up a 14-month run with the April 30 broadcast. News of his hiatus follows another setback for the group. On May 9, just three weeks before the scheduled event, EPEX's concert in Fuzhou, China, was abruptly postponed. The group had been scheduled to perform on May 31 at MAAQUU x CH8 LIVEHOUSE as part of its "2025 EPEX CONCERT 'YOUTH DAYS'" tour. The performance would have marked the first concert in China by a K-pop boy band composed entirely o

May 18, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
EPEX postpones China concert; member Keum suspends activities
Music

Pianist Karam Kim to celebrate Ravel's 150th anniversary with recital

Pianist Karam Kim will present a recital in Seoul next month to mark the 150th anniversary of composer Maurice Ravel's birth, offering a program that pays tribute to the French Impressionist master. Titled "Promenade with Ravel," the concert will take place on June 15 at 2 p.m. at the IBK Chamber Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. The performance explores the complexity of Ravel's piano works, which Kim interprets through her own artistic journey growing up in Paris. The program is set to evoke the atmosphere of a summer stroll through the French capital, highlighting some of Ravel's most intricate compositions. Among them is "La Valse," a swirling waltz piece originally composed for two pianos and later arranged for orchestra and solo piano. Kim will also take on "Scarbo," the final movement of "Gaspard de la nuit," widely considered one of the most technically demanding pieces in the solo piano repertoire. Kim studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under Georges Pludermacher and Claire Désert and at the Royal Academy of Music in London through the Erasmus pro

May 16, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Pianist Karam Kim to celebrate Ravel's 150th anniversary with recital
Travel & Food

Tracing Han Kang's literary journey through Gwangju's darkest days

GWANGJU — Standing in the May 18 Democratic Square in Gwangju, watching jets of water shoot into the air from the plaza's fountain, it is hard not to think of Han Kang, the novelist who surprised the nation after winning the Nobel Prize in literature last year, and her 2014 work, "Human Acts." The fountain's spray, so ordinary on the surface, is the very image Han described after witnessing it during a research trip to the city, refracted through the eyes of Eun-sook, a fictional editor living in 1985, five years after "the incident." Still reeling from its aftermath, Eun-sook lives under an authoritarian regime, enduring state censorship and physical abuse by police. In that suffocating atmosphere, she finds herself briefly recalling the fountain. The water of the fountain, absent during the uprising, is now flowing again. Outraged by the sudden return to normalcy, she remembers picking up a public phone and filing a complaint. How could the city dare turn the water back on, as if nothing had happened? As if the dead had never existed? Nearly 45 years later, the same fountain still sur

May 16, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Tracing Han Kang's literary journey through Gwangju's darkest days
Korean Heritage

Celebrating King Sejong's 628th birthday

Culture Minister Yu In-chon delivers a commemorative speech during a ceremony marking the 628th anniversary of King Sejong's birth at Heungnyemun Square in Gyeongbok Palace, Thursday. King Sejong, the fourth monarch of 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, invented Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

May 15, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Celebrating King Sejong's 628th birthday
K-pop

K-pop idols targeted by AI deepfake apps

A recent wave of advertisements using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfake videos of K-pop idols has stirred backlash on social media, raising fresh concerns over the growing misuse of AI to create sexually suggestive content targeting celebrities. These advertisements for AI-powered apps recently triggered widespread concern in online communities, with users criticizing the spread of inappropriate content on short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The ads in question promote AI tools that generate videos of two people kissing, prompting users to upload their own photo alongside an image of their favorite K-pop idol to create a fabricated clip. Screenshots of these ads circulated online, with K-pop fans calling them disturbing and invasive. "Even after reporting it, the ad kept coming back ... I've seen even worse ones," one online community user wrote. Under Korean law, the non-consensual creation, manipulation, distribution or threat to distribute sexually explicit content using digital tools, such as AI, is a criminal offense. Despite the legal framework, deepf

May 15, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop idols targeted by AI deepfake apps
K-pop

BOYNEXTDOOR proves they’re more than just K-pop idols

In today's K-pop scene, most idol groups focus on delivering flashy performances to tracks prepared by professional songwriters and producers, which, unfortunately, leaves little room for the idols themselves to participate in the creative process. But BOYNEXTDOOR, a six-member boy band debuted in 2023, has been striving to break free from that standard K-pop playbook. Under the guidance of rapper and producer Zico — also the head of the group's agency KOZ Entertainment — BOYNEXTDOOR has distinguished itself from its peers by having all members take part in songwriting and production. From Jaehyun and Taesan to the youngest member Woonhak participating in writing the team's buzzy singles like "Earth, Wind & Fire," "Nice Guy" and "If I Say, I Love You," the group says every track is a team effort. "What makes a song good is different for every artist," Jaehyun said, during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Mapo District, Monday. "For us, it's about whether the song lets us show our unique character on stage, and whether it resonates with people. That's what the six of us

May 13, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
BOYNEXTDOOR proves they’re more than just K-pop idols
K-pop

Court rules against FIFTY FIFTY over 'Cupid' ownership; ATTRAKT vows to appeal

The copyright to K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY's breakout hit "Cupid" has been recognized as belonging to The Givers, a production company previously accused of attempting to poach the group's members from their agency, ATTRAKT. The Givers announced the ruling Thursday, saying the Seoul Central District Court had dismissed ATTRAKT's lawsuit seeking to claim copyright ownership of the song. "The court ruled that 'the plaintiff's claims are without merit and are therefore all dismissed,'" the company said in a statement. Released in 2023, FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid" became a viral sensation on short-form video platforms and soared to No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 25 weeks. ATTRAKT responded later that day, saying it was preparing to appeal the decision. "We are currently reviewing the case legally and preparing an appeal," the agency said. "We will provide further updates once the legal schedule is confirmed." The copyright case is part of a wider legal dispute between the two companies that began in June 2023, when all four original members of FIFTY FIFTY — Saena, S

May 9, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Court rules against FIFTY FIFTY over 'Cupid' ownership; ATTRAKT vows to appeal
K-pop

Bop or flop? KATSEYE's 'Gnarly' dispels first-listen doubts

"You're not gonna get the song the first time you hear it." That quote from Nicki Minaj, lip-synced by KATSEYE member Megan in the group's official TikTok post, felt more like an actual disclaimer than a simple joke. It turns out, it was both. A prerelease to the band's upcoming album, "Beautiful Chaos," scheduled to drop on June 27, "Gnarly" marks a vast stylistic departure for KATSEYE, the six-piece U.S.-based girl group. Co-written by hyperpop pioneer Alice Longyu Gao, the track was described by HYBE Labels — who co-manage the group with the American record label Geffen Records — as a "sharp turn" from its previous sound. In reality, "Gnarly" wasn't just a sharp turn — it was a full-power jolt that hurled K-pop listeners into unfamiliar territory. Compared to "Touch," the lead single from KATSEYE's 2024 album "SIS (Soft Is Strong)" which embraced soft, girly pop sounds, "Gnarly" offers just over two minutes of complete sonic intensity. The track layers metallic synths, clashing sound effects and bursts of giggles from the girls, all building up to an aggressive, almost chaotic ch

May 9, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Bop or flop? KATSEYE's 'Gnarly' dispels first-listen doubts
K-pop

J-Hope to close out solo world tour in Korea on BTS' debut anniversary

J-Hope of K-pop megastar band BTS will bring his solo world tour to a close with an encore concert in Korea, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the group's debut. BigHit Music, BTS' agency, announced Wednesday that the rapper is set to hold the "HOPE ON THE STAGE FINAL" two-day concert on June 13 and 14 at the Goyang Sports Complex Main Stadium in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. The show marks the final stop of his solo world tour, which began on Feb. 28 at the KSPO Dome in Seoul's Songpa District. Over the course of the tour, J-Hope has performed 31 shows in 15 cities, including Brooklyn, Chicago, Mexico City, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Saitama and Osaka. As the concert falls on June 13, BTS' debut date, J-Hope aims to present a meaningful stage for the group's official fandom, ARMY, his agency said. "We're preparing the show to vividly capture J-Hope's signature energy and immersive performances," BigHit Music said in a press release. Ticket sales will begin Monday with a presale for official fan club members, followed by general sales on Tuesday. Fans unable to attend in person w

May 8, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
J-Hope to close out solo world tour in Korea on BTS' debut anniversary
K-pop

K-pop cautiously returns to China after years of restriction

After years of a de facto cultural freeze, signs are emerging that China may be loosening its restrictions on Korean entertainment — including the long-awaited return of large-scale K-pop concerts — rekindling cautious optimism across the K-pop industry. However, opinions remain divided over whether the genre can reclaim the Chinese momentum it once had before the so-called Korean wave ban, also known as "hanhallyeong" in Korean, took hold nearly a decade ago. Signs began to surface in recent months as K-pop idols resumed in-person promotions in China, signaling a tentative return to a long-lost market. Among them is NCT's Mark, who appeared at a pop-up store at Jingdong Mall in Guangzhou from April 19 to 25 to promote his solo debut album, "The Firstfruit." According to his agency, SM Entertainment, more than 4,000 fans crowded the five-story mall despite the singer's unannounced appearance during the event. Other artists have followed suit. In March, NCT WISH, another unit under the NCT umbrella, traveled to Shanghai to promote its second mini album, "poppop," holding a press confe

May 7, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop cautiously returns to China after years of restriction
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