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[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Baekhyun signals return with livestream

By Hwang You-mee

Published : Feb. 6, 2023 - 21:13

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(Credit: SM Entertainment) (Credit: SM Entertainment)

Baekhyun of EXO went live on the band’s YouTube channel Monday evening, a day after he completed his military service.

He will chat with fans and share episodes from when he shot his own vlogs.

He served his duty as a social service agent from May 2021 and was discharged Sunday. He uploaded a handwritten letter addressed to his fans last month, thanking them for not forgetting him and promising them that he is ready to give it his all.

With Baekhyun back, the band is likely to make a full-group return soon. It released its sixth studio album “Obsession” in 2019 and the special album “Don’t Fight The Feeling” in 2021 but Xiumin and D.O. were absent from the former and Suho and Chen from the latter as they were enlisted at the time.

Baekhyun dropped his third solo EP “Bambi” in April 2021. It was his second million-selling album as a solo musician and it topped the iTunes top albums chart in 60 regions.

 

NCT’s Mark to appear in news show

(Credit: SM Entertainment) (Credit: SM Entertainment)

Mark of NCT will be a weather forecaster for the day in a news program Monday.

He will deliver the weather forecast together with a reporter and also discuss NCT 127’s recent activities, as part of promotions for “Ay-Yo,” the titular track from the reissue of the fourth full album that came out last week.

The seven-member act wrapped up its second international tour that brought it to 17 cities across the world for 28 concerts before the album release.

Separately, the idol’s label SM Entertainment denied Monday the rumor that he is seeing Arin of Oh My Girl, dismissing it as “baseless.” The rumor circulated online when Arin uploaded pictures from her recent trip. Some claimed the pictures were similar to those Mark posted in October. Arin’s agency WM Entertainment said her pictures were taken by her father during her family trip.

 

Le Sserafim tops Oricon chart for 7th time with debut single

(Credit: Source Music) (Credit: Source Music)

Le Sserafim stayed atop Oricon’s daily single ranking with the Japanese debut single “Fearless.”

The single album reclaimed the top spot and has stayed there for two days in a row, bringing the group's total No. 1 rankings to seven.

It was No. 1 on Oricon’s weekly combined single ranking as well. The quintet is the first international female musician to top the chart in five years and three months.

The single “Fearless” landed atop Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 and top single sales chart and sold the most among K-pop girl groups' debut albums in Japan.

Meanwhile, the group will host its first fan meeting in Seoul on March 18-19. It resumed airing its original variety show, “Leniverse,” last week on its YouTube channel.

 

ONF’s Hyojin to drop single album

(Credit: WM Entertainment) (Credit: WM Entertainment)

Hyojin of ONF will put out a special single before he completes his military duty, said agency WM Entertainment on Monday.

The leader of the boy band finished preparing the single “Love Things” before he enlisted.

All members of the band, except for Japan native U, started serving their mandatory duties in December 2021 and will be discharged in June. The band released special album “Storage of ONF” in August last year and hosted a pop-up store while they were away.

ONF debuted in 2017 with “ON/OFF” and its sixth -- and the last before enlistment -- EP “Goosebumps” topped the iTunes top albums chart in three regions.

 

By Hwang You-mee
(glamazon@heraldcorp.com)