Most Popular
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'
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[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas
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Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year
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Yoon offers first one-on-one meeting with opposition leader next week
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France rejects opening Paris flight routes to T'way Air, deals blow to Korean Air merger
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Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
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Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia
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SM raises concern over K-pop industry monopolization
SM Entertainment raised concerns over the K-pop industry monopolization that could result from Hybe’s acquisition of SM. SM Entertainment’s Chief Financial Officer Jang Cheol-hyuk took to the company’s official YouTube Channel on Monday to lay out the reasons why the company opposes Hybe’s “hostile” merger and acquisition. The video was titled "The reason why SM is against HYBE's hostile takeover." “SM and Hybe are the largest entertainmen
K-popFeb. 20, 2023
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SM, Hybe dispute snowballs over Lee Soo-man tax evasion allegation
The feud between SM Entertainment and Hybe is escalating as the two companies continue to refute each other's position in relation to SM founder Lee Soo-man's suspected offshore tax evasion. The allegation was first made Thursday by SM's co-CEO Lee Sung-soo, also the founder's nephew, when he posted a video to YouTube exposing his uncle's alleged offshore tax evasion. In the video, the CEO claimed Lee Soo-man had established a production company in Hong Kong in 2019 unde
K-popFeb. 17, 2023
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook hits 500m Spotify streams in record time
Jungkook of BTS amassed 500 million streams on Spotify with “Left & Right,” a collaboration with American singer and songwriter Charlie Puth. He achieved the feat in record time for a K-pop solo artist and has been breaking records with the song on the platform, reaching milestones in the shortest time in K-pop history: 100 million streams in 24 days, 200 million in 61 days, 300 million in 104 days and 400 million in 159 days. The single was released in June and debuted on Spotify&r
K-popFeb. 16, 2023
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'Rollin'' queens Brave Girls disband
The revival of the group Brave Girls has come to its unfortunate end, with the quartet officially terminating its activities as of Thursday. Brave Entertainment, the label behind the four-member K-pop girl group, announced on Thursday that the band will end its activities with the members' contracts with the agency terminating that day. "The exclusive contracts of the four members -- Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji and Yuna -- have come to an end today. With the release of the new digital sin
K-popFeb. 16, 2023
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SM CEO Lee Sung-soo exposes SM founder Lee Soo-man
CEO of SM Entertainment Lee Sung-soo broke his silence on the internal business management feud between the founder and former SM producer Lee Soo-man and the co-CEOs of SM by releasing a statement via video Thursday. Lee Sung-soo, who is also Lee Soo-man’s nephew, made allegations of offshore tax evasion against the founder and laid out 14 subjects he will touch upon from now on to explain why SM Entertainment decided it’s time to let go of him. In his first video, the CEO claimed t
K-popFeb. 16, 2023
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Hybe turns in list of candidates for SM's board of executives
Hybe, now the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, turned in its list of candidates for SM’s board of executives on Thursday. The list includes President of Hybe America Lee Jae-sang, Hybe Chief Legal Officer Jung Jin-soo and Hybe's chief of management and planning, Lee Jin-hwa, for the position of inside director. “These candidates have built multifaceted experience in the fields of law, finance and establishing business strategies for a global company that endorses enterta
K-popFeb. 16, 2023
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Purple Kiss releases 'Sweet Juice' with 5th EP 'Cabin Fever'
K-pop girl group Purple Kiss invites listeners on a journey to freedom through its mystery-packed new album, "Cabin Fever." The six-member group conducted a press conference Wednesday before releasing the album later that day at 6 p.m. The album comes just in time with the end of the pandemic. "Cabin Fever" refers to the irritability and listlessness that comes after a long period of confinement or isolation in a closed space, and the album is like a gift for people who may
K-popFeb. 15, 2023
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[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to hit 22 cities around the world
NCT Dream will tour 22 cities across the world starting next week, according to a statement by SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The boy band will go live in Osaka for three days next week before hopping over to Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The tour will take the seven members to London, Paris and Berlin before they head over to the US where they will host the first of their standalone concerts in seven cities. The band will resume greeting fans in Asia, going live in Manila, Singapore, Macau a
K-popFeb. 15, 2023
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SM artists strive amid ongoing ownership feud, questions remain
As major players of the entertainment industry scramble to get their hands on SM Entertainment, the label's artists are working harder than ever to keep things running. SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that its boy band, NCT Dream, is embarking on a world tour, "The Dream Show 2: In A Dream." The concert series, which officially started in September in Seoul, is set to continue this month, extending to 22 cities across the world where the group will hold 32 shows. With the tou
K-popFeb. 15, 2023
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BTS' Suga to go on solo world tour
Suga, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will go on a world tour in six different countries starting in April, according to Big Hit Music on Wednesday. The first concert will kick off at Belmont Park in the US on April 26 followed by other cities in the US including Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland. Then, Suga will be moving on to the Asian leg of the tour starting with a gig in Indonesia on May 26 followed by those in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. The dates for his Japan co
K-popFeb. 15, 2023
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StayC aims to define 'teen fresh' genre through 'Teddy Bear'
Girl group StayC aspired to make "teen-fresh" another name for the group with its fourth single "Teddy Bear." The six-member group conducted a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours ahead of dropping the single at 6 p.m. that day. "Teddy Bear" marked the group's return to the K-pop scene after seven months since it last dropped its third single "We Need Love." In the meantime, the girls went on their first global concert tour and made thei
K-popFeb. 14, 2023
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Hybe to guarantee independence of SM
K-pop powerhouse Hybe will guarantee SM Entertainment's independence, noting that the founder and former producer of SM, Lee Soo-man, will not take part in business management, Hybe CEO Park Ji-won said to his employees Monday regarding the recent merger and acquisition of SM. Last Friday, Hybe signed a deal with Lee Soo-man to buy 14.8 percent of his SM shares at 422.8 billion won ($334.28 million), making Hybe the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment. "We respect the legacy of SM
K-popFeb. 14, 2023
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[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Kai to return as solo musician next month: report
Kai of EXO will make a comeback as a solo performer in mid-March, according to a local media report Tuesday. SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. His last solo release was his second EP, “Peaches,” which came out in November 2011. The EP reached first place on the iTunes top albums chart in 68 regions. During the last week of January, Kai held his first solo live event in Japan, greeting fans in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. He is also preparing for the group&rsqu
K-popFeb. 14, 2023
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[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Onew adds date to 1st solo concert
Onew of SHINee will perform one more time on March 3, SM Entertainment announced Monday. He was set to host his first stand-alone concert as a solo musician, dubbed “O-New-Note,” in Seoul on March 4-5, but decided to add a day as tickets sold out upon release. The veteran idol put out his first solo album, “Voice,” in 2018 and second EP, “Dice,” last year. He also released his first full album in Japan, “Life Goes On,” last year and toured four ci
K-popFeb. 13, 2023
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SHINee’s Key returns with 2nd repackaged album 'Killer'
Key of SHINee unveiled his second repackaged album, “Killer,” on Monday. The comeback comes six months after the release of Key’s second solo studio album “Gasoline” last August. The album includes three new tracks, including "Killer," “Heartless” and “Easy.” It also includes 11 tracks from Key’s second full-length album, including “Gasoline,” “I Can’t Sleep” and “Ain’t Gonna Dance.&rd
K-popFeb. 13, 2023
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NewJeans' 'OMG, 'Ditto' most-streamed in the US
NewJeans continues to take the world by storm, with its releases recently showing a steady yet significant growth in the US music market. "OMG" and "Ditto" were the most-streamed on Spotify in the US among all regions, the world's biggest music streaming service said Monday in a press release. "OMG," the title track of the act's namesake second EP released in January, tallied accumulated streams of 111.28 million on the global music platform as of Friday.
K-popFeb. 13, 2023
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Woodz to return with pre-release single ‘Abyss’
Singer and songwriter Woodz, also known as Cho Seung-youn, is making a comeback with the pre-release single “Abyss” from his fifth mini-album. EDAM Entertainment, Woodz's managing agency, unveiled Monday the teaser image and title of the pre-release single. The teaser image, which looks like a movie poster, shows Woodz standing alone in front of an old castle with a message that reads “It’s alright if you want a lot. I’ll let you have it all.” “Abys
K-popFeb. 13, 2023
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BTS wins 6 trophies without attendance at Hanteo awards
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Hanteo Chart, the Hanteo Music Awards 2022 took place in person for the first time this year. The awarding ceremony happened over two days at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul, on Friday and Saturday, with the winners of the grand prizes, or "Daesang" in Korean, announced on the second night. BTS was the biggest winner of this year's awards, taking home six trophies in total, including two grand prizes, the best artist prize and the best song pr
K-popFeb. 12, 2023
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[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink adds concert to Mexico tour
Blackpink will perform one more time in Mexico City on April 27, label YG Entertainment announced Friday. The group originally planned to only hold one concert in the Mexican capital on April 26, but tickets sold out so fast it decided to add another on the following day. The foursome is in the middle of its international tour that started last year. It visited seven cities each in North America and Europe last year for 24 concerts. It resumed the tour in Asia this year that brings the bandmate
K-popFeb. 10, 2023
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Big Bang's Seungri finishes 18-month jail term
Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, was released from Yeoju Prison in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday after completing his 18-month sentence, according to the Ministry of Justice. Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was indicted in January 2020 over his involvement in the “Burning Sun scandal,” a far-reaching sex and drug scandal since 2018. The 33-year-old singer began his military service during trial and was sentenced to three years in prison in a military c
Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2023