Signature South Korean alt-rock band Nell is scheduled to hold a series of concerts next month, showcasing its new studio album “Newton’s Apple.” Nell will stage five live performances titled “Nell’s Season 2014 ― Newton’s Apple” at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in Seoul from April 3-6. The four-member band, composed of vocalist and leader Kim Jong-wan, guitarist Lee Jae-kyung, bassist Lee ...

In South Korea, all able-bodied Korean men 19 or older are obliged to serve in the military for two years. Even the hottest stars like Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Min-ho can’t avoid enlistment. South Korean drama production companies and broadcasters are expected to face obstacles in casting A-list actors as many are preparing to enter military service as early as this year. “The stars who are prepari...

Fighting against all odds and the stereotype that girls wishing to debut in the K-pop industry have to be young and single, the new group Girl Hood is looking to break down those barriers. The quartet is making a splash in the K-pop world because the ladies are not in their teens, or even in their early 20s. The average age of a Girl Hood member is 34, with the ages ranging from 28 to 35. Also, ...

Shinhwa, the longest-running boy band in South Korea, on Sunday returned to the stage with a show at the Olympic Gymnastics Hall, where they held their first-ever concert in 2001. Entitled “Here,” the show celebrated their 16 years as a band with the fans who have stood by them through the ups and downs. In the dimly lit concert hall, thousands of orange glowsticks welcomed five of the six memb...

South Korea's tax office said Thursday it has launched an investigation into the country's largest entertainment agency amid rumors of offshore tax evasion by the company that manages some of the top K-pop celebrities. The National Tax Service (NTS) recently sent dozens of auditors to the headquarters of SM Entertainment located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, to secure accounting books and other fi...

A unit of the K-pop boy band Super Junior will make a comeback this week by releasing its new album in Chinese-speaking countries, the group’s management agency said Tuesday. Super Junior-M will upload its third EP, titled “Swing,” to various online music services in China on Friday, SM Entertainment said. It is the third and most successful subgroup of the 13-member boy band Super Junior and c...

The five starlets of 4minute, with many buzzing about HyunA’s attention-grabbing, see-through miniskirt and the group’s new sexy choreography, made their return official with their fifth EP, “4minute World,” on Monday. The group performed the title track “Whatcha Doin’ Today” for the first time at a showcase held on the Garden Stage at Lotte World Monday night. The single was composed and writte...

Booking tickets for K-Pop concerts is now easier for foreign fans thanks to a new reservation website for Korean pop and cultural performances. The new website, created by the Korea Tourism Organization jointly with Interpark, one of Korea’s largest online shopping malls, enables visitors to browse current and upcoming concerts and performances, as well as choose seats and buy tickets by credit ...

Girls’ Generation’s latest music video became the first K-pop video this year to hit 10 million views on YouTube. The video of “Mr. Mr.,” the title song of the group’s fourth EP of the same title, topped the 10 million viewer mark Wednesday night, 13 days after it was uploaded on the video sharing site. No other K-pop music video has surpassed the milestone this year. The track has been well r...

HONG KONG (AP) ― Jackie Chan is transforming himself from action film superstar to K-pop band manager. The group named JJCC plans to release its debut album March 24 in South Korea, before promoting it in China. JJCC has five men in their early 20s. Four are South Korean, while one is Australian-Chinese. Sha-sha Lee, CEO of the Jackie Chan Group South Korea, said Chan was involved in auditioni...

G-Dragon and CL, the leaders of popular K-pop groups Big Bang and 2NE1, respectively, are featured on a track of the upcoming album by Grammy-winning American dubstep producer-DJ Skrillex. The collaborative single “Dirty Vibe” ― made available Tuesday on SoundCloud ― is included on Skrillex’s new 11-track album “Recess,” which will be formally unveiled worldwide on March 18. A collaborative eff...

K-pop boy group Boyfriend has become the first K-pop band to perform independently in Puerto Rico after successfully holding its first solo concert in the South American country last week, said the group’s management agency on Monday. On March 8, the six-member boy group staged its solo concert titled “Boyfriend, fan meeting en Puerto Rico” for 1,700 local fans who gathered at the Centro De Bell...

Up-and-coming K-pop boy group GOT7 is scheduled to launch its first showcase in Japan in April after signing with Japan’s Sony Music Entertainment. The seven-member act will stage its first overseas concert, titled “GOT7 Showcase 1st Impact in Japan,” on April 4 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, where veteran JYP group 2PM had made its first Japan showcase four years ago. Although GOT7, which enter...

Acclaimed K-pop duo TVXQ is making history in the Japanese music scene, setting fresh records on Japan’s biggest music chart Oricon with its third Japanese studio album “TREE.” Immediately after its release on March 5, “TREE” climbed to the top of Oricon’s daily and weekly album charts, becoming TVXQ’s fourth album to top Oricon after its compilation album “Best Selection 2010” (2010) and two st...

Nearly two years since the group’s previous world tour, the five members of SHINee are in full swing once again and will be taking their music and performances across borders on their new tour, “SHINee World III.” “We are about to embark on our next world tour and we are very excited to be performing outside of Korea once again,” said Min-ho during a press conference held in Gymnastics Stadium a...