The Boyz to restart group activities under new label after contract disputeK-pop group The Boyz said Monday it will resume group activities under 78 Records, a newly formed label, months after winning a legal battle to leave its previous agency over unpaid settlements. The nine members — Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Q, Sunwoo and Eric — will be managed for their group activities by 78 Records, while individual schedules remain with their respective personal agencies, the label said in a statement. "We will fully support The Boyz's group activities and maintain close cooperation," the label said. 78 Records was set up by industry veterans who have worked with the group since its debut and recently completed legal steps to establish a corporate body. The Boyz debuted in 2017 under Cre.ker Entertainment, a label under Kakao Entertainment, before moving to IST Entertainment in 2021. In late 2024, it signed with One Hundred Label, but in February nine of its 10 members sought to terminate their contracts, alleging unpaid settlement payments. In April, the Seoul Central District Court granted the members' injunction suspending their exclusiSep 14, 2026By Yonhap
Riize to release 2nd studio album next springK-pop boy group Riize will release its second full-length album in spring 2027, preceded by a prologue single next month, SM Entertainment, the group's label, said Monday. The six-member act, which marked its third anniversary this month, also unveiled the schedule during a two-day fan meet-and-greet at Incheon's Inspire Arena on Saturday and Sunday. Ahead of the 2027 album, Riize will drop a prologue single on Oct. 26, SM said in a release. At the fan event, the group performed hit tracks, including "Do Your Dance," "Fly Up" and "Get a Guitar," alongside solo stages by individual members. "It has 'already' been three years, yet it also feels like 'just' three years," the group was quoted as telling its fans. "We are excited for all the things we will achieve together with Briize. We hope to keep going for a long time — even up to our 300th anniversary," it added, using the name of its fandom.Sep 14, 2026By Yonhap
SEVENTEEN's Hoshi tears ACL while rehearsing for military performanceSEVENTEEN member Hoshi has suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee while rehearsing for a military performance. Hoshi shared the news with fans through a fan communication platform Saturday. "I'm writing this carefully because the news may come as a surprise," he said. "I injured my knee while rehearsing with the Army performance team and underwent an examination, which found that I had completely torn my ACL." Hoshi said he will undergo surgery and spend time recovering from the injury. As a result, he will be unable to participate in previously scheduled events with the military's taekwondo demonstration team and at the Ground Forces Festival. "I had been working hard to prepare because these were performances I had been looking forward to, so I'm very disappointed that I won't be able to take part," he said. "I also feel sorry for CARATs (SEVENTEEN's fandom) who have been waiting for them." Hoshi asked fans to continue supporting the taekwondo demonstration team as well as the Army performance team, which includes fellow SEVENTEEN member Woozi, whosSep 12, 2026By Hankookilbo
'I cried every day': RESCENE's Minami bares emotional toll of predebut dietingRESCENE member Minami has opened up about the intense emotional stress she experienced before making her debut as a K-pop idol. A video uploaded to fellow RESCENE member Woni's YouTube channel on Friday featured Woni, Minami and Liv discussing their drastic predebut weight changes. The members addressed an earlier claim that Minami's weight had changed by more than 20 kilograms while preparing for the group's debut. "It wasn't 20 kilograms," Minami said, clarifying that she had lost 18 kilograms. Liv said she had lost 13 kilograms. The members said they frequently faced comments about dieting while preparing to debut, with Minami recalling one particularly painful experience during a clothing fitting. She said a pair of jeans would not pull up past her hips, leaving her embarrassed. "I forced the pants up and managed to put them on," she said. "But I felt so awful after I came out that I went to the car and cried by myself." The incident affected her to the point that filming had to be halted. "I cried, so I had to get my makeup done again, and the shoot even had to stop," Minami said. "I coSep 12, 2026By Xportsnews
BTS' Jung Kook can't get enough of RESCENE, shares 'Love Attack' performanceBTS member Jung Kook has once again shown his interest in rising girl group RESCENE, this time sharing a video of the group performing live. On Friday, Jung Kook posted the video on his Instagram account. The clip shows RESCENE performing "Love Attack" the previous day at Spotify House Seoul, held at Anderson C in Seongdong District, Seoul. It was not the first time Jung Kook had drawn attention to the group. In July, he shared a video of RESCENE member Minami covering his solo song "Still With You." He added "yaho," a phrase often associated with Minami, to the post. Minami has previously said that she was a fan of BTS even before making her debut, making Jung Kook's repeated attention to RESCENE particularly noteworthy among fans. After sharing Minami's cover in July, Jung Kook has now personally captured and posted the group's live performance, drawing renewed attention from fans. Jung Kook also shared a video of boy group RIIZE performing "Get A Guitar" at the event. RIIZE member Sohee has previously said that he is a fan of Jung Kook, adding another fan-to-idol connection to the BTS sSep 12, 2026By Xportsnews
Beyond choreography: K-pop performance directors step into spotlightAs K-pop acts take on increasingly ambitious performances at home and abroad, the people turning their music into a live spectacle are now stepping out from behind the scenes. Performance directors oversee nearly every visual element of a performance, from choreography and dancer formations to costumes, lighting and stage sets. Once largely seen as an extension of choreography in K-pop, the job is increasingly being recognized as a creative role of its own. That distinction has become visible enough to form an entire television competition. Mnet’s “Street World Fighter: Directors’ War,” which premiered Aug. 18, puts 10 established choreographers in competition not simply over who can create the best dance, but over who can best direct a complete performance. Instead of competing with their own dance crews, contestants vie to have their names credited as performance directors. The format reflects a distinction that has long been blurry in K-pop. Choreographers create the movements that make up a routine, while performance directors are tasked with deciding how those movements andSep 12, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Girls' Generation's HRS unit silences critics with 'Skibidi' successA three-member unit featuring Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung is expanding its presence beyond a comedic rivalry against another Girls' Generation unit, brushing off claims that its appeal is limited to longtime fans and proving its viral traction. Yuri revealed a critical comment sent by an online user on Aug. 30 while interacting with fans. The critic claimed the unit's reach was limited to older fans and demanded the members get a reality check. Instead of responding directly, Yuri shrugged off the criticism by posting a deadpan meme of television personality Choo Sa-rang picking her nose. The unit originated in "Fake Kim Hyo-yeon," a mockumentary on Hyoyeon's YouTube channel "Hyo's Level Up." Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung drew attention by comically portraying a competition for main vocalist and center — the group's focal point — to rival Girls' Generation-TTS, a vocal subunit featuring Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun. As an eight-member group, Girls' Generation historically faced uneven vocal distribution, and members known primarily for dance received less attention for their vocals. TheSep 11, 2026By Hankookilbo
LE SSERAFIM drops new single 'Made My Night'K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM released its second single album, "Made My Night," on Friday. The two-track single came out at 1 p.m., following the release of the music video for the album's title track, "Made My Night," at midnight. According to the group's agency, Source Music, the song captures the joyous moment of spending time overnight with someone special. The music video marks the group's second collaboration with the global video game "Overwatch," created by U.S. gaming company Blizzard Entertainment. The visual blends live-action footage of the group's five members with 3D animation tied to hero characters in the game. The second track, "Aeiou," is billed as a bold declaration of love, expressing fearlessness in pursuing romance. In a statement, the group credited its fan base, known as Fearnot, for enabling a quick return following the release of its latest full-length album in May. "Especially being able to share new songs during our world tour makes this comeback feel like a gift to us, too," it said in a Q&A press release distributed by its agency.Sep 11, 2026By Yonhap
Who is Seungri?Born in 1990, Seungri debuted in 2006 as the youngest member of BIGBANG, the YG Entertainment boy band behind hits including "Lies" (2007), "Haru Haru" (2012) and "Bang Bang Bang" (2016). He began solo activities in 2008 with "Strong Baby," produced by bandmate G-Dragon, and released his first full-length solo album, "The Great Seungri," in July 2018, holding his first solo concerts in Seoul the following month. His image as a young entrepreneur unraveled in early 2019, when reports of an assault at Burning Sun, a nightclub in Gangnam District where he served as a director, snowballed into allegations of drug use and police collusion, followed by media reports suggesting he had tried to arrange sexual services for foreign investors. Police booked him on charges of brokering prostitution on March 10, 2019. He announced his retirement from show business the next day, and YG terminated his exclusive contract on March 13. Indicted in January 2020, he enlisted in the military about a month later and stood trial in a military court, which sentenced him to three years in prison in August 2021.Sep 11, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
1VERSE turns claw-machine frustration into new track 'LOOP'K-pop boy group 1VERSE is back with "LOOP," turning that universally relatable sting of a missed claw-machine prize into an infectious, high-octane electronic pop anthem. Marking its first release since January, the group takes an everyday moment of playful annoyance and spins it into a sleek, fast-paced rhythm that hits home for listeners anywhere in the world. 1VERSE released “LOOP” at noon on Friday in Korea, with members Kenny, Nathan and Aito contributing to the song’s lyrics and composition. Inspired by the cycle of reaching for a prize, missing it and deciding to try “just one more time,” “LOOP” uses arcade-style electronic sounds and a tense, game-like progression to capture the pull of repeated failure. Michelle Cho, CEO of Singing Beetle, said the song explores how a small expectation can become difficult to abandon as repeated attempts turn into a cycle that is increasingly hard to escape. Nathan said “LOOP” brings to mind playing a claw machine in an arcade, where failure only makes another attempt feel more necessary. Kenny said his own difficulty with claw mSep 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
