NCT's Doyoung, Jungwoo to join Korean Army together in DecemberDoyoung and Jungwoo, members of K-pop supergroup NCT, will enlist in the Korean military together in December, their agency said Thursday. SM Entertainment announced on the local K-pop fan community platform Weverse that the two artists will enter the same boot camp on Dec. 8 together. After completing five weeks of basic military training there, Doyoung will serve as an active-duty soldier in the Army while Jungwoo will join a military band. The agency said there will be no separate ceremony on the day of their enlistment. "We ask fans not to visit the enlistment site for their safety, as it will be attended by many soldiers and their families," it added. In Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the military for at least 18 months. Doyoung and Jungwoo debuted as members of NCT in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The two also worked together as part of NCT DoJaeJung, a unit under the 25-member boy group.Oct 30, 2025By Yonhap
SM Entertainment denies agreement with CBX amid uncertainty over EXO reunionTensions have resurfaced between EXO’s subunit CBX — consisting of members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin — and their agency SM Entertainment, casting doubt over the trio’s participation in upcoming group activities. SM Entertainment released a statement Thursday, emphasizing that “settling legal disputes and participating in group activities are separate matters.” The agency said it has consistently prevailed in past legal proceedings and that its sole request to the three members was to honor a clause in the June 18, 2023, agreement requiring them to pay 10 percent of their individual activity revenue — a condition it claims has yet to be fulfilled. Regarding the exclusion of the three members from EXO’s forthcoming group plans, SM said, “Mutual trust has been deeply damaged due to repeated disputes, and the team, members and fans have all suffered. It is only natural that sincere efforts toward restoring trust and fulfilling the existing agreement should come first.” Earlier, CBX’s agency INB100 had issued its own statement expressing the trio’s willingness to accepOct 30, 2025By Hankookilbo
Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin express desire to rejoin EXO, say they accept all SM conditionsEXO members Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin, known collectively as CBX, have voiced their intention to rejoin EXO’s full-group activities after losing their legal dispute with SM Entertainment, saying they are prepared to accept all conditions the agency has proposed for the group’s comeback. In a statement released Wednesday, their label INB100 said the trio remains committed to promoting as part of the full EXO lineup. “Both INB100 and CBX have promised to continue EXO’s group activities and have made every effort to make it happen,” the agency said. According to INB100, CBX met with SM in July to discuss a potential reunion and entered practical negotiations in September. After the second mediation session on Oct. 2, the three members agreed to all terms suggested by SM for EXO’s year-end comeback and cleared their personal schedules for December while awaiting a final response from the company. However, the agency said it was taken aback when SM recently announced that EXO would hold a fan meeting on Dec. 13 and 14 and release its eighth full-length album early next year withoOct 30, 2025By Hankookilbo
BTS’ RM urges world leaders to support creativity at APEC CEO SummitAt the APEC CEO Summit, BTS leader RM became the first K-pop artist to address the APEC event as a keynote speaker, delivering a speech in English that wove together his personal journey, the global rise of K-pop and a direct appeal to policymakers: invest in the arts and the people who make them. Speaking before government and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, began by reflecting on BTS’ early struggles to gain recognition outside Korea. “BTS first started to go outside Korea about 10 years ago,” he said. “And back then, we didn’t dream of what we see today.” He recounted the steep cultural barriers the group faced when trying to bring their Korean-language music into the English-speaking world. “Trying to get on mainstream media through our music was like doing an experiment and a huge challenge. It was a test to see if music in Korean can work on the global stage,” he said. "When we said we are artists from Korea, they didn’t ask us about our music. They asked, 'Are you from North Korea or South Korea?' 'Where on eartOct 29, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
HYBE's 1st global boy band &TEAM comes 'Back to Life' with Korean debutAlmost three years after rising to prominence in Japan, HYBE Labels' multinational boy band &TEAM officially made its Korean debut with the release of "Back to Life" Tuesday, a project that marks both a homecoming and a new chapter for the nine-member act. Formed in December 2022 under HYBE's Japan-based subsidiary YX Labels, &TEAM is the first group to emerge from the company's overseas branch. The lineup includes six Japanese members, along with one each from Korea and Taiwan, and one German-Japanese citizen. The group's rise in Japan was almost instant. The group's debut EP, "First Howling : ME," shot straight to No. 1 on Japan's Oricon chart, while its third single, "Go in Blind," exceeded one million shipments, earning an official certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan. Despite this success, the group’s decision to re-debut in Korea — the birthplace of the very system that trained them — feels like a full-circle moment. On Monday evening, the group unveiled "Back to Life," the eponymous title track for the Korean debut album, followed by an official albOct 28, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
Mnet Plus turns K-pop fans into stakeholders, 40 mil. users already on boardCJ ENM, one of Korea's leading entertainment and media powerhouses, announced Tuesday that its global K-pop content platform, Mnet Plus, has surpassed 40 million cumulative app users and more than 20 million monthly active users — both milestones achieved within just three years of its launch. Mnet Plus is a mobile-based platform that blends streaming, fandom and commerce into one ecosystem. Mnet Plus allows global fans to watch CJ ENM's original variety programs, music shows from the company's music broadcaster Mnet' livestream major events such as KCON and the MAMA Awards, join fan votes and different in-app missions, and collect digital merchandise — all in a single, integrated experience. Comparable platforms in the same category include Weverse, DearU Bubble and Fromm. "Mnet Plus is more than a streaming service. It's a space where global fans take the initiative to shape their own K-pop experience," said Kim Ji-won, senior vice president of Mnet Plus, during CJ ENM's Culture Talk session held Tuesday at the company's headquarters in Seoul's Mapo District. Since its launch in 2Oct 28, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
K-pop girl groups face off — who takes the crown?K-pop's "Big Four" entertainment powerhouses are at it again, and this time it's their girl groups taking center stage. SM Entertainment's Hearts2Hearts, YG Entertainment's BABYMONSTER, JYP Entertainment's NMIXX and LE SSERAFIM from HYBE Labels all dropped new releases this fall, sparking a surge of competition that has put the K-pop scene into overdrive. Each group mirrors the sound and spirit of its label, and together they're shaping what the upcoming phase of K-pop power may look like. SM's study in control SM's eight-member rookie group Hearts2Hearts released its first mini-album "FOCUS" on Oct. 20, and its arrival was nothing short of explosive. The record sold 408,880 copies in its first week, the highest-ever debut-week sales for a girl group's first album. The title track "FOCUS" carries SM's signature sheen: a sleek house rhythm, a vintage piano riff and an addictive looping melody that feels as precise as it is hypnotic. The vocals are layered and atmospheric, exactly the kind of refined sound that's defined SM's lineage from Girls' Generation to SHINee. Longtime hitmaker KENZIOct 28, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min
BTS set for 65-show world tour, reports sayGlobal pop sensation BTS is reportedly gearing up for a major world tour next year, sparking frenzied excitement among fans worldwide as the group prepares its full-scale comeback after completing their military service. According to Bloomberg on Sunday (local time), industry sources said that BTS is planning around 65 performances across major cities worldwide in 2026. More than 30 of those shows are expected to take place in North America, marking the group’s most ambitious tour to date. The news comes as all seven members of BTS — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — have finished their mandatory military service, with Suga being the last to discharge in June. Sources say the group has recently started working with HYBE on a new album, their first as a full group in six years, expected to be released around late March. BTS last planned a world tour in 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they held 12 shows across four U.S. cities between 2021 and 2022. Their last full-group performance took place in April 2022 in Las Vegas, before membersOct 27, 2025By Xportsnews
EXO to reunite after all members complete military serviceK-pop boy band EXO will resume group activities at the end of the year after all its members completed their mandatory military service, its agency said Monday. SM Entertainment said the nine-member act will hold a meet-and-greet for fans at Inspire Arena in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Dec. 13-14, before releasing its eighth full-length album in the first quarter of next year. It will be EXO's first group project in about two years since the release of its seventh studio album, "Exist," in 2023. Only six members — Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun and Lay — will participate in the upcoming fan event and album, according to the agency. Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin will take part amid an ongoing contract dispute with the company. During the two-day event, EXO will perform its hit songs and premiere new songs from the upcoming album. The band has been on hiatus from group projects since members began their military enlistments in 2019, starting with Xiumin and D.O. Sehun was the last to complete his service last month.Oct 27, 2025By Yonhap
Stray Kids' Lee Know donates $140,000 to mark birthdayLee Know, a member of K-pop boy group Stray Kids, has donated 200 million won ($139,460) to celebrate his birthday, his agency said Monday. The singer contributed 100 million won to both the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul and the cat protection group Nabiya on Saturday, according to JYP Entertainment. The hospital will use the funds to support adult patients with severe illnesses and pediatric patients, while the animal organization will use the donation for the rescue, protection and care of abandoned cats, the agency said. "Thanks to the warm support of my fans on this special day, I was able to share in a meaningful way," Lee Know said in a statement released by the agency. "I sincerely hope my heartfelt gesture brings strength and comfort to all the precious lives and people facing hardship in the world." Stray Kids will release its new album titled "Do It" on Nov. 21.Oct 27, 2025By Yonhap
