NCT127 will return on Oct. 6 with a fifth full-length album, according to SM Entertainment on Sunday.

The nine-piece subunit shared the news that it is bringing out a new album at the full-group concert on Saturday.

“It will be of a huge scale,” said Taeyong after unveiling a teaser clip to the audience, and the LP “will be the epitome of NCT127,” added Jungwoo.

The upcoming LP is titled “Fact Check,” and comes about nine months since “Ay-Yo,” a repackaging of fourth LP “Two Baddies.” The fourth LP and the reissue sold over 3.2 million copies combined.

On Wednesday, documentary film “NCT127: The Lost Boys,” looking back at the beginning of the band, becomes available on Disney+.

Separately, all the members of NCT will perform in Japan in Osaka on Sept. 9 and 10 and in Tokyo on Sept. 16 and 17.

BTS’ J-Hope reenters Billboard 200 with solo album reissue

The first official solo album from J-Hope of BTS returned to the Billboard 200 chart 13 months after its release, according to a preview of the chart published Sunday in the US.

“Jack in the Box” claimed the No. 6 spot on the main albums chart, marking J-Hope's first entry among the top 10 as a solo artist. He is the third member of the septet to do so, following RM (No. 3) and Jimin (No. 2).

The reentry was boosted by the release of the physical album “Jack in the Box (Hope Edition)” published on Aug. 18. The original version topped out at No. 17 on the Billboard 200, despite only being available digitally.

Meanwhile, J-Hope has been serving his mandatory military duty in the Army since April.

Twice’s Jihyo logs record with solo debut EP

The first solo EP from Jihyo of Twice set a first-week sales record for an EP from a K-pop solo female musician, according to JYP Entertainment on Monday.

“Killin’ Me Good” sold more than 534,000 copies in the first week and became the first mini album from a K-pop female solo artist to log half a million sales in the period. The title track from the seven-track EP topped Spotify’s top songs debut global chart last week as well.

In the meantime, the group is in the middle of an international tour that will bring it to Singapore on Sept. 2, before heading to three cities in Europe. The bandmates will resume touring Asia late next month for a tour that spans 22 cities for 35 concerts.

Boy band mired in legal action before debut

The debut album from Fantasy Boys will be “New Tomorrow,” announced agency Pocketdoll Studio on Monday.

The 12-piece band was formed through a reality competition show and will officially debut Sept. 21.

Before even before taking the first step the band has been bogged down by scandal, as Yu Junwon, the winner of the show that formed the group, left the band earlier this month. He applied for an injunction on the exclusive contract he signed with the agency, citing a “poison pill” clause regarding expenses.

Production company Funky Studio is taking legal action as well, according to a local media report on Monday. The reality show stated that the competition entailed a five-year contract as a member of Fantasy Boys, according to its attorney. Pocketdoll Studio has claimed that he demanded a higher stake in profits than other bandmates, and that he went AWOL twice, inflicting grave losses to the band.

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