K-pop artist G-Dragon is making a comeback next year and will establish a foundation aiming to, in his words, "eradicate drugs." In a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday, G-Dragon’s new agency Galaxy Corporation explained the result of the recent police investigation on the artist’s alleged illegal drug use and his plans for next year. G-Dragon did not attend the press conference. “The Police wrapped up the drug investigation on G-Dragon without suspension. We

K-pop Dec. 21, 2023

Two popular Korean webtoons available on Tappytoon, a digital webtoon platform developed and operated by Contents First, will be released as e-books in English. “The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway” written by author Kim Chacha and “I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog” by Jaekyum, will be released as English-language e-books, according to Contents First on Tuesday. The English e-book version of these webtoons was released on Amazon Kindle on Wednesday and wi

K-pop Dec. 20, 2023

K-pop powerhouse Hybe unveiled the training and development program that gave rise to its superstars such as BTS, TXT, Le Sserafim and NewJeans. On Tuesday, the label released five episodes of training and development stories on its official YouTube channel. The video clips show many artists who have been trained by Hybe, including members of BTS, TXT, Enhypen, Le Sserafim and &Team, as well as the people in charge of the training and development program talking about their experiences. Hybe

K-pop Dec. 19, 2023

RM and V of K-pop sensation BTS began their mandatory military service Monday. The two bandmates entered an Army training center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province together, according to industry sources. V is reported to have volunteered to serve in the 35th Special Mission Battalion, a special duty team in charge of defending Seoul. RM and V bid farewell to their fans through various posts on their personal social media accounts and the fan community platform, Weverse. “The hardest pa

K-pop Dec. 11, 2023

K-pop boy group Ateez’s second studio album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” landed at No. 2 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 Saturday. The chart is compiled by the Official Charts Co. based on sales of CDs and vinyls, downloads, audio streams and video streams. Ateez debuted on the same chart with its ninth mini album, “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” in June this year. Ateez is the second K-pop boy group to land on the Official Album Chart Top 100 following K-

K-pop Dec. 10, 2023

Jennie, Lisa, Rose and Jisoo will remain as Blackpink, defying K-pop's infamous “seven-year curse.” The seven-year curse in K-pop refers to the disbanding of most K-pop groups seven years after their debut as the exclusive contracts with their agencies come to an end. “Based on our strong trust in one another, Blackpink renewed its exclusive contract with the agency for group activities,” YG Entertainment announced Wednesday. YG said it plans to actively support Blac

K-pop Dec. 6, 2023

K-pop boy group Seventeen is adorning five different cities in Japan through The City, a project which hosts diverse events across a specific region for its fans to enjoy. The project is being carried out at 70 different places across Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka along with 30 companies in time for the group’s visits to these cities as part of its dome tour in Japan, according to Hybe. “The project also took place last year in three different cities in Japan with 25 loca

K-pop Dec. 6, 2023

RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook of BTS communicated with their fans through a livestream on Weverse on Tuesday night ahead of starting their mandatory military service next week. “We are looking forward to the day that we resume working as a full unit. We know that together we will generate significant synergy. With this in mind, we will spend the coming year and a half in the military,” said the members. RM and V are enlisting on Dec. 11, and Jimin and Jungkook on Dec. 12, according to in

K-pop Dec. 6, 2023

Singer-songwriter Zion.T contemplated how to reach new listeners when working on his third studio album, “Zip,” which is his first album release in five years. “I (wanted) to present a good album that rebrands my identity as a musician to attract new listeners. I want this album to open a new chapter of my career,” Zion.T said during an interview with a group of reporters on Monday. Zion.T has made his mark on the music industry over the last 12 years as a creative si

K-pop Dec. 6, 2023

진행자: 홍유, Naomi Ng ‘Gorpcore’ a global validation of Korean ajeossi’s fashion instincts? 기사 요약: “고프코어룩” 아저씨 패션이 세계 패션계에서 주목받다 [1] Long before the seemingly inscrutable neologism "gorpcore” entered the global fashion lexicon, middle-aged men in South Korea were trailblazing the look, seamlessly incorporating Gore-Tex jackets and hiking boots into their daily attire for work, dining and socializing. *inscrutable: 불가해한 *neologism: 신조어, 새로운 표현 *lexicon:

Podcast Dec. 4, 2023

P1Harmony has expanded its presence in the US, performing in front of some 30,000 people during the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, performing in front of some 30,000 local fans. The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, a holiday concert presented by Capital One, featuring the year’s top artists performing their No. 1 hits, kicked off Nov. 26 in Tampa, Florida. The multicity tour's lineup is one of the most anticipated, particularly of the Christmas holiday season. It stops at 11 cities

K-pop Dec. 4, 2023

JYP Entertainment’s girl group Itzy is set to release a new album, "Born to Be," on Jan. 8. The agency announced the five-member group's comeback scheduled for next year, including the album promotion schedule and the album tracklist, on its official social media accounts, Monday. The upcoming release is a 10-track studio album led by the title track, “Untouchable.” The lead track was produced by renowned K-pop lyricists and producers Lee Seuran, Jam Factory and

K-pop Dec. 4, 2023

K-pop boy group Ateez dropped its second full-length album “The World Ep. Fin: Will” on Friday. “It took us four years to release our second studio album. This album wraps up our five years as Ateez and previews what is to come in the following years. Also, we included some unit and solo singles in this album for the first time ever,” said the group’s leader Hong Joong during a press conference in Seoul. The new album carries a total of 12 tracks led by the title tr

K-pop Dec. 1, 2023

BM from the co-ed quartet Kard is set to make a solo comeback this month for the first time in more than a year. According to RBW, BM is releasing his third single, “Lowkey,” on Dec. 7. This is his first solo comeback after releasing his second single, “Strangers,” in August 2022. BM has been expanding his career spectrum as a solo artist by releasing various singles he composed and wrote the lyrics to. The artist announced his comeback by releasing a teaser poster on his

K-pop Dec. 1, 2023

NewJeans, the fourth-generation K-pop girl group, notched Artist of the Year on Wednesday, the last day of the two–day 2023 MAMA Awards. The MAMA Awards, the world’s biggest K-pop festival organized by CJ ENM, took place at the Tokyo Dome, Japan’s top concert venue, Nov. 28-29. Artist of the Year was one of the four top awards presented this year. Three other main awards were the Worldwide Icon of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. This is the first time in 12 ye

K-pop Nov. 30, 2023