Culture minister says will make decision on BTS' military service issue by December K-pop boy group BTS / YonhapCulture Minister Park Bo-gyoon said Wednesday his ministry will determine whether to give K-pop superstar BTS exemptions from active military service by December, after which the band's oldest member has to join the Army."The ministry will determine its position as early as possible as the conscription issue of BTS' oldest member Jin will be concluded in December," Park said responding to a request from Rep. Lee Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party to positively consider granting the team exemptions.In Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. But the current law allows global award-winning athletes and classical musicians recommended by the minister of culture, sports and tourism to do alternative services in their respective fields instead of serving in active military duty.Bills that would include globally recognized male pop culture artists like BTS in the program are still pending at the National Assembly amid a lingering debate over whether the K-pop giant should get exemptions in recognition of its conOct 5, 2022
AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk to debut as a soloist this month Lee Chan-hyuk, left, and Lee Su-hyun of sibling duo AKMU pose during an online press conference. Courtesy of YG EntertainmentLee Chan-hyuk of the brother-sister K-pop duo AKMU will release his first solo album this month, the duo's agency said Wednesday.A promotional poster for "Error," the first solo album by the K-pop sibling duo AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentYG Entertainment said on its official blog the album, "Error," set to drop Oct. 17, will become his first individual album since he debuted as a AKMU member in 2014."It will be an album where artist Chan-hyuk's philosophy and bold challenges will create a perfect harmony," the agency said in a release. "Please look forward to his unique imagination that is incomparable." (Yonhap)Oct 5, 2022
NCT 127 to showcase new single on ABC's 'Good Morning America' Korean boy band NCT 127 holds a news conference on its new album, "2 Baddies," at a hotel in Seoul in this photo provided by SM Entertainment, Sept. 16. YonhapK-pop boy group NCT 127 will appear on U.S. broadcaster ABC's "Good Morning America" next week to showcase its new single, the band's agency said Wednesday.NCT will perform "2 Baddies," the title track of its fourth full-length album, during the famous U.S. talk show on Oct. 10 (U.S. time), SM Entertainment said.It will be the band's second appearance on the show, with the latest one made in April 2019 to promote "Superhuman," the main song of its fourth EP.The band's latest album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 main albums chart after its release on Sept. 16.The nine-member group is in the midst of its second world tour that includes concerts in North American cities, including Los Angeles and Newark, later this month. (Yonhap)Oct 5, 2022
Red Velvet's Seulgi goes back and forth from good to evil in debut solo EP '28 Reasons' Seulgi of K-pop girl group Red Velvet poses during an online press conference, Tuesday. Courtesy of SM EntertainmentK-pop girl group member goes solo 8 years after debutBy Dong Sun-hwa“SG” are the initials for K-pop singer Seulgi's first name. But they also stand for “Snow White and Grimhilde” in her debut solo EP, “28 Reasons,” which hit store shelves Tuesday afternoon. By playing the dual role of a sweet princess and a wicked queen, the Red Velvet member juggles between her good and evil sides in her mini-album, revealing two contrasting aspects of herself. “The keywords of my EP are the coexistence of good and evil,” Seulgi said during an online press conference, which took place a few hours ahead of the mini-album's release. “So I tried to avoid depicting Snow White as an absolute good and Grimhilde as an absolute evil. I spent much time figuring out the best tone to sing the lead single, '28 Reasons,' as I had to play two different characters and express diverse emotions in one song. I had to record it over and over again becOct 5, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Monsta X's Kihyun to make solo comeback K-pop boy group Monsta X's Kihyun will release a solo album on Oct. 24. Courtesy of Starship EntertainmentBy Lee Gyu-leeKihyun of K-pop boy group Monsta X will be picking up his solo act, dropping his new mini-album “YOUTH,” this month. A poster for the mini-album "YOUTH" by Kihyun of Monsta X / Courtesy of Starship EntertainmentThe singer's agency, Starship Entertainment, announced that he will release the mini-album on Oct. 24, unveiling a teaser poster for the album.Earlier this year, Kihyun made his solo debut seven years after beginning his music career with the group, rolling out the rock-genre, three-track album, “VOYAGER.” The album scored over 135,000 sales during the first week of its release on March 15. The title track topped global weekly top 10 charts on local album tracker Hanteo Chart soon after its release. The singer debuted as a member of the six-piece group Monsta X ― consisting of Kihyun, Shownu, Minhyuk, Hyungwon, Joohoney and I.M., with the album "Trespass" in 2015. The group has released a number of hit songs, including "Dramarama" (201Oct 3, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Veteran K-pop boy band g.o.d to hold concerts in December after 4 years K-pop group g.o.d / Courtesy of IOK Co.By Dong Sun-hwaG.o.d, one of the most popular K-pop acts in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is slated to hold a series of concerts at Olympic Park's KSPO Dome in southern Seoul from Dec. 9 to 11, according to event organizer IOK Co.It has taken about four years for all five members ― Park Joon-hyung, Yoon Kye-sang, Danny Ahn, Son Ho-young and Kim Tae-woo ― to play a concert together. Their last concert, “god 20th Anniversary Concert 'GREATEST,'” was held in 2018 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the quintet's debut.For its upcoming shows, g.o.d will perform its smash-hits and take a walk down memory lane with its fans.“The g.o.d members, who have been actively pursuing their careers in diverse fields ranging from singing to acting, will show off decent performances and share their bright energy with their followers, who could not see them in person over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” IOK said Friday. G.o.d burst onto the music scene with the single “To Mother” in 1999 and gave birth to a Oct 1, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Person referred to prosecution on charges of stalking Rain-Kim Tae-hee couple This photo shows singer Rain, right, and his actress wife Kim Tae-hee. YonhapPolice have referred a 47-year-old person to the prosecution on stalking charges for repeatedly ringing the doorbell of the house of singer Rain and his actress wife Kim Tae-hee, officials said Friday.The 47-year-old, whose identity was withheld, allegedly visited the star couple's house in Seoul's Yongsan district and rang the doorbell on multiple occasions, causing a total of 17 police complaints, according to officials at Seoul Yongsan Police Station. Police issued misdemeanor warnings to the person three times between March and October last year.In February this year, the person again rang the couple's doorbell and was arrested at the scene by the police upon a complaint filed by Rain, officials said. Police had initially decided in April not to refer the person to the prosecution for further investigation and potential indictment on the grounds that the acts were not repetitive enough to constitute stalking. But they reversed the decision at a reinvestigation request by the prosecution and referred the Sep 30, 2022
K-pop singers declare war on internet trolls Singer Henry Lau / Courtesy of Monster EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaSeveral K-pop stars have declared war on internet trolls. Chinese Canadian K-pop singer Henry Lau's agency Monster Entertainment said Thursday that it will take strong legal action against anyone who distorts the truth, spreads malicious rumors and defames its artist. “We tried not to respond to all these distortions, rumors and attacks, but now we feel that we should not turn a blind eye to these acts,” the company said in a statement. “Some of them even commented they would stab Lau's mother and younger sister, which made him feel so miserable. So from now on, we will take strict legal measures without being lenient.” Lau, who debuted as part of K-pop act Super Junior M in 2008 prior to his solo debut in 2013, has been attacked by some internet users for allegedly showing his support for the “One China” policy. This policy claims that there is only one China represented by the government in Beijing and that Taiwan and Hong Kong are parts of it. K-pop boy group BTS / Courtesy of BiSep 30, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Astro to globally release first film highlighting its concert By Lee Gyu-lee K-pop boy group Astro's first movie, “STARGAZER: ASTROSCOPE,” about the group's recent concert, will be released soon around the world, starting in Korea in October.A poster for K-pop boy group Astro's first movie “STARGAZER: ASTROSCOPE” / Courtesy of JIB CompanyThe new film will document the group's third concert series, which was held in Seoul on May 28 and 29. It was Astro's first concert in almost four years since their last one in 2018.The film will have exclusive behind-the-scenes stories of their performances, as well as footage of the members preparing for the show. It will also have individual interviews, including with MJ who is currently serving his mandatory military service, speaking candidly about their careers and their fans. The film will follow not only the group's concert performance but also will include unique solo performances from the individual members. It will also have credit cookies that have never been shared before. The group consisting of MJ, JinJin, Moonbin, Rocky, Sanha, and Cha Eun-woo debuted with the song "SprinSep 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Kakao characters Ryan, Choonsik enjoy popularity as 'K-pop influencers' Kakao characters Ryan, left, and Choonsik dance to IVE's song, “LOVE DIVE” (2022). Captured from YouTubeBy Dong Sun-hwaRyan and Choonsik, the animal-like characters that were created as emojis for Korean messenger app KakaoTalk, are basking in immense popularity as “K-pop influencers,” with their fun covers of K-pop dance choreography, hitting high views on YouTube. The lion and cat duo ― also known as the “Ra Choon” duo ― shared their cover of NCT 127's “2 Baddies” on their official YouTube channel on Sept. 21, five days after its release. As of Thursday afternoon, the clip has surpassed 130,000 views.The video is part of the second season of the “Ra Choon Dance” series. The first season, which featured the two characters' adorable yet skillful performances of popular K-pop songs like aespa's “Next Level” (2021), accumulated 87 million views on YouTube and TikTok. On TikTok, the duo has more than 1 million followers. Numerous online users and K-pop fans say they love watching Ryan and Choonsik's cute facial exprSep 29, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
