K-pop boy group iKON made its much-awaited debut Tuesday with the single “My Type,” which was topping all major charts immediately after its midnight release. Medium tempo hip-hop track “My Type” ranked No.1 on eight local charts, including Melon, Genie and Olleh. The song also nabbed the top spot on iTunes’ singles chart in seven regions, including Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore an...

Junsu, a member of K-pop group JYJ, is set to release a solo album in October and to hold an Asian tour, C-Jes Entertainment said. “Junsu has gained a lot of popularity both in and outside the country by releasing three regular albums, successfully pulling off his solo career,” said a representative from C-Jes Entertainment. Junsu sold a record 120,000 copies of his album “Tarantallegra” aft...

South Korean singer and actor Rain has decided to part ways with his agency Cube Entertainment. “After a long discussion with Hong Seung-sung, head of the agency, I decided to leave Cube Entertainment. I want to thank him for all the support he has given, and I will announce my future plans as soon as I can,” said Rain on his Instagram on Monday. After finishing his mandatory military service, ...

The “Digital, Media and Culture Festival” kicked off with the “K-pop Super Concert” at the Sangam Culture Plaza in Seoul on Saturday. Hosted by TV personality Kim Sung-joo and SNSD’s Tiffany and Yuri, the concert saw some of the biggest names in K-pop take to the stage to kick-start the nine-day festival. Jointly hosted by broadcaster MBC and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, th...

G-Dragon of boy band Big Bang has officially declared himself single. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said in Wednesday night’s live broadcast on Naver’s V app, a real-time video-streaming application for K-pop stars. The announcement comes after reports alleged the K-pop singer-songwriter had broken up with his recent girlfriend, Japanese model Kiko Mizuhara. Rumors of G-Dragon and Mizuhara’s ...

Actor-singer Jang Keun-suk will hold a solo concert in Seoul on Saturday. Jang’s concert, titled “Jang Keun-suk Live in Seoul 2015,” will take place at Jangchung Gymnasium at 7 p.m. It is his first Seoul concert in three years since “2012 Jang Keun-suk Asia Tour Cri Show 2 in Seoul.” For the upcoming show, the 27-year-old star will perform a string of his hit songs, including “What Should I ...

New forms and routes of global communication between stars and fans are surfacing

Popular boy group EXO is set to make its official debut in Japan on Nov. 4. EXO said Saturday at the Japanese music festival “A-nation” in Yanmar Stadium, Osaka, that it would drop a Japanese single next month, according to SM Entertainment. The group debuted in South Korea with “What Is Love” in January 2012, and released many hit songs, including “Growl,” “Overdose,” “Love Me Right” and “Call...

Singer-actor Park Yoo-chun of boy group JYJ joined the Korean Army as a conscript Thursday afternoon, beginning his two-year mandatory military service. The 29-year-old enlisted at an Army training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, where he will receive five weeks of basic military training. After the training, he will serve as a public service worker at a public office in substit...

Songs from MBC’s “Infinite Challenge Music Festival,” which was held Aug. 13 in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, are sweeping South Korea’s major online music charts, including Melon, Bugs and Mnet. A special edition of the light entertainment program featuring the festival was broadcast Saturday, after which all the tracks performed hit music streaming services. The six tracks are “Oh My God” by...

K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation topped local music charts with its new LP “Lion Heart.” On Wednesday, eponymous lead track “Lion Heart,” which was released at noon on Tuesday, ranked No. 1 on five charts -- Genie, Bugs, Soribada, Naver Music and Monkey 3. Another lead track “You Think,” which was released at midnight, ranked No.1 on two other charts -- Mnet and Olleh Music -- while followi...

From the cultural staples of Korean folk music and historical soap operas, to love-triangle-plagued TV dramas and the heavily choreographed, modern hodgepodge of K-pop, the nation’s entertainment industry has seen a paradigm shift in its international prominence over the past few decades. Following a number of game-changing TV dramas and musical acts such as KBS’ “Winter Sonata” and first genera...

Iconic Hallyu couple, Lee Seung-gi and Yoona of Girls’ Generation, split up recently, largely due to their busy schedules, agencies said Thursday. “The couple recently ended their relationship though they decided to remain good friends,” said SM Entertainment, Yoona’s management agency. Lee Seung-gi (left) and Yoona (Yonhap) Early this year, the two confirmed that they had been dating si...

The Korean culture festival dubbed “2015 The K Festival” unveiled its lineup of stars on Wednesday. The festival is set to be held at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium on Sep. 11-13. According to its official website, the lineup includes EXID, AOA, Lyn, Chaeyeon, Tiger JK, Wonder Girls, Gain, Boyfriend, NC.A, The One, Lee Jung, Bestie, Hong Jin-young, Gummy and Youngji. The festival is set to feat...

K-pop singer Jay Park, a former member of 2PM, will release a hip-hop album in September, local news reported on Tuesday. Park’s upcoming album will be composed entirely of rap music, a music industry insider was quoted in the report. He is currently recording the upcoming EP. After the release, however, he is not planning to perform on TV music programs or do further promotional activiti...