K-pop singer G-Dragon of Big Bang was named a visiting professor of the department of mechanical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), on Wednesday. The singer‘s appointment is aimed at expanding the global competitiveness of Korean culture by incorporating the latest science and technology developed at KAIST into K-content, according to KAIST. “I am honored to be a visiting professor at KAIST, a school that produces many scientific geniuses

Culture June 5, 2024

BTS member J-Hope, who is currently serving in the military, won the top prize in an Army presentation contest with his honest speech about his experience as a soldier. J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, participated in the competition held under the theme “2024 Strong Warrior, Army” at the War Memorial of Korea, Wednesday. About 170 soldiers and civilian workers attended the event that commemorates the month of patriots and veterans in Korea. J-Hope delivered a speech about

Culture June 5, 2024

K-pop powerhouses such as Hybe and SM Entertainment have recently shown increasing interest in the music market of the Middle East. Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk last week met with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss possible cooperation in K-pop ventures, upon his request. SM Entertainment, led by its founder and former chief producer Lee Soo-man, got its feet in the door early, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture to

Culture June 4, 2024

The bandmates of BTS, the K-pop phenomenon under entertainment powerhouse Hybe, are emerging to save the day for the company embroiled in a bruising battle with a subsidiary. Jungkook, the youngest of the boy band, plans to release a new song for fans on June 7, while the group's eldest, Jin, is holding a fan meeting a day after his discharge from military service on June 12. Big Hit Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hybe and the label of BTS, said Monday that Jungkook will drop a new digita

K-pop June 3, 2024

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin said Friday that she was willing to settle the ongoing dispute and find common ground with Hybe, the parent company of Ador, for the interest of the label and its popular K-pop group NewJeans. “I hope we (Hybe and Min) meet halfway. We have (NewJeans’) Tokyo Dome concert coming up in June and a world tour next year. I don’t want all these opportunities to disappear on account of this issue,” Min said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday. &ldqu

Culture May 31, 2024

K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man urged a speedy adoption of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural content business and maximize economic efficiency in the global music industry, Thursday. “I am a believer in AI chatbots. AI and chatbot technologies are changing how creators and consumers communicate at the speed of light. AI will help K-pop connect with its fans around the world. It’s a convergence of culture and technology tha

Culture May 30, 2024

The Seoul Central District Court, Thursday, upheld a preliminary injunction filed by Ador CEO Min Hee-jin against Hybe on May 7. Hybe, the parent company of Ador, is now not permitted to exercise its voting rights to dismiss Min during the company’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for Friday. “The material evidence submitted to date does not sufficiently establish Hybe’s alleged grounds for (Min’s) dismissal,” the court ruled. “It is clear

K-pop May 30, 2024

Popular K-pop girl band NewJeans talked about their band life and fans in an exclusive interview with a British monthly magazine, The Face in the June edition published Wednesday. “It’s helped us learn a lot about each other and grow very close. To me, it feels like being on a school trip, but a very extended one, with a bunch of friends,” NewJeans member Hanni said of living together as a band. On the unwavering devotion of their fan base, another member Minji said, “We&

K-pop May 29, 2024

  Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk on Tuesday met with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in South Korea on a two-day state visit, to discuss possible cooperation in K-pop ventures. While the details of the discussion have not been disclosed, Bang has reportedly shared his ideas of expanding K-pop's presence in the UAE, particularly by holding the entertainment company’s “The City” project in the country. "The City" project is a citywide festiv

Culture May 29, 2024

Local universities are under fire for ticket scalping by students who sell tickets to K-pop concerts held as part of the school festivals to outsiders. Every May and June, universities around the country host a two-to-four-day campus festival for students and alumni, organizing events such as sports games, club performances and K-pop concerts. In recent years, schools have been competing to book bigger names to appear at their festivals to boost their reputation. It resulted in drawing not onl

K-pop May 29, 2024

K-pop singer G-Dragon of Big Bang will give a speech at the 2024 Innovate Korea forum, a science and technology festival jointly hosted by Herald Corporation, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the National Research Council of Science and Technology, at KAIST’s campus in Daejeon, June 3. G-Dragon will share his ideas and thoughts on the combination of K-pop and artificial intelligence during the panel discussion with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and Galaxy Co

Culture May 28, 2024

SM Entertainment girl group aespa broke its silence about Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s recent controversial remark targeting them, saying they were not taking it seriously. “We know about the issue and people around us have been telling us about it. But because we had our first full-length studio album coming up, we were so focused on preparing for the album only,” Karina, one of the aespa members, said during a press conference held in Seoul on Monday. Last month, Ador CEO M

K-pop May 27, 2024

Ahead of Ador’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting Friday to decide on the dismissal of CEO Min Hee-jin, NewJeans fans and Hybe staffers are showing their respective support by submitting petitions to the Seoul court. In a petition submitted to the Seoul Central District Court on May 24, NewJeans fans wrote, “Until it is legally concluded that Min acted unlawfully, the contract terms signed between Min and Hybe should be respected and we hope she remains the CEO of Ador. We kn

K-pop May 26, 2024

SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are benefiting from Hybe’s momentary breakdown, as the rival companies’ K-pop groups are successfully wresting the spotlight from Hybe artists. In a private mobile message between Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, which was disclosed by Min following their fallout last month, Bang demanded that Min “crush” SM Entertainment’s popular girl band aespa. Exactly the opposite has unfolded since the message was made

K-pop May 23, 2024

The popular K-pop girl band NewJeans of Ador, a sublabel under Hybe, kept their silence on the ongoing dispute between their CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company, at the 2024 Visit Korea Heritage Campaign & Korea On Stage in Seoul on Tuesday. It was the group’s first appearance on the public stage since the feud erupted last month. Group member Danielle, who hosted the event, also did not mention anything about the controversy throughout the 90-minute event. The youngest member, Hy

Culture May 22, 2024