BUSAN -- K-pop sensation BTS has covered Busan in a shade of purple. The boy band’s fandom, Army, from all over the world has flocked to the country’s second-largest city in unison to feel the festive vibes on the day of the septet’s concert, "BTS 'Yet to Come' in Busan" on Saturday. The music event was planned to support and promote Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo. While it was scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. at the Asiad Main Stadium, tens of

K-pop Oct. 16, 2022

Veteran fusion rock band SSaW, or Spring Summer Autumn Winter, has revived its masterpiece, “Bravo, My Life!” restoring it into a package comprising an LP and cassette tape. The band’s vocalist and guitarist Kim Jong-jin called the latest release a “reverential analog product.” To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the band’s seventh full-length album, SSaW held a press conference in Mapo-gu, west of Seoul, Friday. Kim, who is now the only active

Performance Oct. 14, 2022

Kwon Eun-bi, formerly leader of Iz*One, returned to the stage Wednesday with her third EP, “Lethality." The singer held a press showcase to talk about the album and its production at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul, ahead of the EP's release at 6 p.m. the same day. The new album marks the soloist’s return after a six-month break following the release of the second EP, “Color,” released in June. “Like the lexical meaning of the word ‘lethality,’ my goal

K-pop Oct. 12, 2022

Girl group Dreamcatcher returned to the music scene with its seventh EP, “Apocalypse: Follow Us” on Tuesday. The seven-member act aims to continuously share its heartfelt message, calling for action to protect the earth through its new songs. It marks the septet’s return after a six-month hiatus following the release of its second full-length album, “Apocalypse: Save Us,” dropped in April. The new album is the sequel to the group’s previous release. At a press

K-pop Oct. 11, 2022

Shin Hye-sung of the K-pop male group Shinhwa has been arrested for refusing to take a breathalyzer test. The vehicle that he was driving was registered as stolen. Seoul Songpa Police Station said that Shin was apprehended in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, around 1:40 a.m., Tuesday, for refusing to comply with a breathalyzer test. Police received a call addressing a stopped vehicle in the middle of the road. When they arrived at the scene, the singer was sleeping in the car, according to the sta

K-pop Oct. 11, 2022

Since in-person festivals and concerts resumed after a two-year pandemic break, big-name global pop artists have returned to South Korea to meet local fans. American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin is gearing up to please local listeners’ ears once again by throwing a concert in Seoul next month. While the upcoming event will mark the Arizona-bred musician’s third time visiting the country, he still could not hide his excitement. “South Korea is my favorite place on the earth.

Performance Oct. 10, 2022

Lee Chan-hyuk of K-pop sibling duo AKMU is gearing up to release his first solo album this month. The upcoming album’s lead track will be “Panorama,” YG Entertainment, the duo’s agency, said Monday. With the announcement, the K-pop powerhouse also released a new poster image hinting at the message of the new song. It shows the musician bending his back and gazing upward in a dark tunnel. His first individual album, “Error” is set to drop on Oct. 17. Details on

K-pop Oct. 10, 2022

The ever-increasing success and popularity of K-pop is highly visible these days, with big-name artists such as BTS and Blackpink sweeping global music charts and taking home well-recognized awards. A seemingly never-ending stream of K-pop songs are released each week and make their way into the ears of fans worldwide, keeping them hooked and eager to hear what is next. Many of K-pop's biggest hits in recent years, including IU’s “Celebrity,” Oh My Girl’s “Du

K-pop Oct. 3, 2022

All five members of veteran K-pop idol group g.o.d will meet fans in person in a year-end concert in Seoul. According to IOK Co., organizer of the upcoming concert, on Friday, the quintet is scheduled to kick off a three-day concert on Dec. 9 at KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in southern Seoul. The event will mark the band's first time together in four years, since the act’s last concert “Greatest” in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its debut. The group has been unable t

K-pop Sept. 30, 2022

After leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment’s announcement that it was considering early termination of its contract with music production company Like Planning, the entertainment industry and market are keeping a close watch on SM’s fate amid the undervaluing of its stock and a “brief halt” on a takeover deal. SM Entertainment is seeking to terminate its contract with the music production company wholly owned by SM’s chief producer and founder, Lee Soo-man, by the

K-pop Sept. 28, 2022

Celebrating BTS' upcoming concert in Busan in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the boy band, will turn the port city into a BTS-themed park through its special project. “BTS ‘Yet to Come’ The City in Busan,” or simply “The City,” will turn Busan into an immersive festival site for fans visiting the city for BTS’ upcoming concert, the K-pop agency said via the fan community platform Weve

K-pop Sept. 26, 2022

Blackpink has become the first K-pop female group in history to clinch the No. 1 spot on the US music and entertainment magazine Billboard’s main albums chart. The band has cemented itself as one of global music fans’ most beloved artists, six years after its debut. Billboard said Sunday (US time) that the quartet’s second full-length album, “Born Pink,” released on Sept. 16, landed atop its 200 chart with 102,000 equivalent album units sold. It made Blackpink the f

K-pop Sept. 26, 2022

All four members of boy band Day6 have renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment. “We agreed to renew the contracts with all members of Day6. We and Day6 will continue making meaningful processes together in the future based on strong mutual trust. We’ll fully support Day6 for another big jump,” the K-pop agency said in a press release statement Monday. The news means that the bandmates -- Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon -- broke the “seven-year curse,” a c

K-pop Sept. 26, 2022

Leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Everland, South Korea’s largest outdoor amusement park, to create a zone where parkgoers and fans of artists affiliated with SM can have fun. Under the joint partnership, the two companies will launch “Ever SM Town” to create various experience content combining “SM Culture Universe,” also known as “Kwangya,” which is a shared universe for the K-pop p

K-pop Sept. 21, 2022

After the passing of veteran emcee Song Hae in June, those who grew up watching KBS’ music show “National Singing Contest” has been mired in sorrow. At the same time, all eyes were on who will continue the legacy of the 42-year-old program. Many veteran emcees with careers spanning over 30 years were mentioned as Song’s possible successor, but the Korean broadcaster announced last month that comedian Kim Shin-young, 38, was chosen as the longest-running program’s

Television Sept. 20, 2022