BTS' V to make guest appearance on 'Running Man' Singer V of BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit EntertainmentBy Yoo Su-kyungBTS member V is set to make an appearance on the popular variety show “Running Man” on SBS. Anticipation is high, given V's previous television appearances where he demonstrated an uncanny ability to entertain the crowd.The Hankook Ilbo learned on Tuesday that V had successfully wrapped up filming for an episode of “Running Man” on Monday, which is scheduled to air on Sept. 10.V is the second BTS member to be invited as a guest on “Running Man” after Jin's appearance on the show last October, shortly before his military enlistment. The teaser of the episode featuring Jin got over 600,000 views on YouTube in four days, and the episode itself had a nationwide viewership rating of 4.8 percent according to Nielsen Korea.“Running Man” host and comedian Yoo Jae-suk is known to be greatly admired by V, further raising expectations surrounding his upcoming appearance on the show. During a previous appearance by BTS on tvN's talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” also hostAug 29, 2023
Hwasa announces September release with Psy's P Nation Korean singer-songwriter Hwasa / Courtesy of P NationBy Hong Hye-minMamamoo member Hwasa is gearing up for her first solo release since signing with Psy's agency P Nation.On Monday midnight, P Nation unveiled several teaser images on its official social media account announcing Hwasa's new release scheduled for Sept. 6.The images showed Hwasa surrounded by pink balloons, looking glamorous and seductive. The balloons were shaped in seemingly random letters of the alphabet, fueling fan speculation about their meaning in connection to her upcoming release.This marks Hwasa's first new release as a solo artist since her 2021 single “Guilty Pleasure.” More notably, it marks her debut with P Nation ― run by singer Psy ― since joining the agency back in June.Hwasa broke onto the scene in 2014 as a member of the girl group Mamamoo, rolling out one hit after another including “Mr. Ambiguous,” “Um Oh Ah Yeh,” “You're the Best,” “Decalcomanie,” “Yes I Am” and “Starry Night.”She also found similar if not greater sAug 29, 2023
BTS' V drops 3 self-composed songs ahead of solo album release V of K-pop boy group BTS / Courtesy of BigHit MusicBTS member V officially released three of his self-composed songs ― "Winter Bear," "Snow Flower (feat. Peakboy)" and "Scenery" ― on Tuesday, his agency, BigHit Music, said.The release comes over a week ahead of the release of his debut solo album, "Layover," on Sept. 8.The songs were previously available for free only on SoundCloud and YouTube.Upon their release, "Winter Bear," "Snow Flower" and "Scenery" claimed the top three positions on iTunes' Worldwide Song Chart for the day in that order."Winter Bear" topped the service's top songs charts in 45 countries, including Japan, France and Finland, and "Snow Flower" in 37 countries, including Sweden, Greece and Turkey. The last single topped the top songs charts in 21 countries, including Singapore and Vietnam. (Yonhap)Aug 29, 2023
Hybe reveals contestants for global girl group audition project This photo provided by Hybe shows the 20 contestants for the K-pop company's global audition project to recruit members for its first girl group based in the United States. YonhapHybe, the K-pop company behind such groups as BTS and NewJeans, on Tuesday unveiled the participants in an audition program to launch the first global girl group utilizing its K-pop production system.Hybe has been pushing for the "The Debut: Dream Academy" project to recruit members for the U.S.-based global girl group in partnership with Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, since 2021.Chosen out of 120,000 applicants from all around the world, the 20 participants made their first public appearance during a press conference streamed live from IGA Studios in Santa Monica, California.The finalists came from 12 countries ― Korea, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, Belarus, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines ― and range in age from 14 to 21. They have been training with help from expert instructors with Hybe America and Geffen Records for over a yeaAug 29, 2023
Court denies Fifty Fifty's injunction request to suspend contract with agency This undated file photo, provided by Attrakt, shows K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty. YonhapA Seoul court rejected Monday an injunction request by K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty to suspend the effectiveness of its contract with its agency.The Seoul Central District Court denied the request the group filed on June 19, claiming the company, Attrakt, failed to fulfill its contractual obligations, such as providing financial documents and caring for their health.The court attempted to mediate a settlement between the two sides on Aug. 9 but failed.Earlier Monday, the group's legal representatives expressed hopes for a formal trial, only to be denied by the court.The K-pop group has quickly risen to global fame with its hit song "Cupid," after making its debut in November.Its ongoing dispute with its agency led the group to cancel its overseas events last month. (Yonhap)Aug 28, 2023
K-pop boy group NCT to drop 4th studio album K-pop boy band NCT/ Courtesy of SM EntertainmentK-pop supergroup NCT will return with all members Monday, dropping its fourth studio album."Golden Age" will be unveiled at 6 p.m. alongside the music video for "Baggy Jeans," one of the album's two main tracks, according to the group's agency, SM Entertainment.It will mark the first LP from the group in the one year and eight months since "Universe," released in December 2021.The upcoming album involves all of the group's 20 members, who had been working in three subunits ― NCT 127, NCT Dream and WayV ― according to the agency.The LP has 10 songs, including the two main tracks, "Golden Age" and "Baggy Jeans."The second song is a hip hop dance track that features distinctive vocals of members Taeyong, Ten, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Mark on top of heavy bass lines, minimal drums, and dreamy synthesizers, according to the agency. The song's lyrics compare their confidence to baggy jeans that exude a sense of coolness that no one can imitate.On Saturday, the band kicked off the first-ever in-person concert involving all members since its debut Aug 28, 2023
BTS' Jungkook makes history on Spotify with solo single 'Seven' Jungkook of K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of HYBEBy Dong Sun-hwaJungkook of K-pop boy band BTS has become the first Asian singer to reign atop streaming platform Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global chart for six consecutive weeks. The 25-year-old pulled off the feat with his debut solo single, “Seven,” which has also conquered Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart for 42 days. Six weeks have passed since the release of “Seven” on July 14, but the song still reached an average of 7.6 million streams every day, according to Spotify. The total number of weekly streams was approximately 53.7 million.On the weekly chart, “Seven” ― a catchy summer banger characterized by the 1990s U.K. garage rhythms ― edged out “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus and “LALA” by Myke Towers, among others. It was named the third most-streamed song of the summer on Spotify as well, after only "Ella Baila Sola" by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma and "Where She Goes" by Bad Buuny.“Seven” also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's main single chart.Jungkook is Aug 27, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
NewJeans member Hanni's dual nationality causes stir Hanni, a Vietnamese-Australian member of K-pop girl group NewJeans / Captured from TwitterSome internet users claim Hanni's grandparents were 'boat people'By Dong Sun-hwaThe dual nationality of Hanni, a Vietnamese-Australian member of K-pop girl group NewJeans, has stirred a debate in Vietnam. Some people insist that her grandparents were “boat people” ― a term referring to the thousands of refugees who fled Vietnam in small boats after the Communist North Vietnam defeated the South in 1975 and took control of the country.Hanni, whose real name is Pham Ngoc Han, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 2004. Her parents and grandparents, who all hail from Vietnam, currently live in Australia ― one of the countries where the boat people headed to. Many of these refugees are known to have settled in countries like the U.S. and France to escape political and ethnic persecution.Given these facts, some online users in Vietnam claim that Hanni's family members were the boat people who “abandoned their country for their own sake.” While many of her fans say she is not thAug 27, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
BTS Jungkook's 'Seven' third most-streamed song on Spotify this summer Korean singer Jungkook performs onstage during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, April 3. AFP-YonhapBTS member Jungkook's debut solo single, "Seven," became the third most-streamed song of the summer on the global streaming platform Spotify, his agency said Saturday."Seven" was ranked only behind "Ella Baila Sola" by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma at No. 1 and Bad Bunny's "Where She Goes" on Spotify's "most-streamed songs of the summer" list, BigHit Music said.Jungkook achieved the feat in only about 40 days following the release of "Seven" on July 14, while the top two titles were released in March and May, respectively."Seven" has stayed atop Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global chart for six weeks in a row and atop the global platform's Daily Top Songs Global chart for over 40 days.Jungkook became the sixth member of the septet to debut as a soloist, after J-Hope, Jin, RM, Jimin and Suga, when he released the summer song, described as having an addictive and energizing melody. (Yonhap)Aug 26, 2023
Celebrities wrestle with online trolls GettyImagesBankBy Pyo Kyung-minNCT's member Mark / Courtesy of skyDramaK-pop idols and celebrities, including NCT's Mark and singer IU, are battling online trolls posting malicious comments, while presenting ways to foster a more positive connection between celebrities and their fans.SM Entertainment, which manages NCT, announced on Aug. 21 that it identified the suspect who distributed malicious posts targeting member Mark, but granted leniency. The agency disclosed that Mark himself expressed his willingness to show mercy, considering the suspect's status as a minor."We upheld our zero-tolerance stance to protect our artists. However, we weighed the circumstances that the individual in question was a minor, showed genuine remorse, and sought forgiveness during the investigation. In line with Mark's willingness to grant clemency, we have chosen not to pursue criminal charges. The individual has issued a formal apology and promised to prevent a recurrence, which we have acknowledged," the agency explained.In contrast, an online troll who directed malicious comments for eight years atAug 26, 2023By Pyo Kyung-min
