Former Beast member Jang Hyun-seung apologizes for bad behavior

Jang Hyun-seung, formerly of Beast, apologized for his past disrespectful behavior, over a year after leaving the now-defunct boy band. His unexpected, lengthy apology to fans was made via Instagram on Monday. He shared his thoughts on his departure from the group in April last year. “During the past seven years, I was so loved by many before I left Beast. I achieved my dreams, but during the activities with the group, I had my own thirst and began to stubbornly pursue my own pleasure instead of

Aug. 1, 2017

Winner to reveal behind-the-scenes stories in Hawaii

Boy band Winner on Tuesday revealed the poster for its live broadcast on Naver’s V Live, set to take place a day after the official release of its newest single album, “Our Twenty For,” Thursday.According to YG Entertainment, Winner will take the opportunity to share with fans what happened during the filming of its music video in Hawaii. The band will also spill some details about the new record. (YG Entertainment)Fans of the K-pop act have been anticipating the return of Winner, particularly w

Aug. 1, 2017

Black Pink tops 90 million views faster than ‘Gangnam Style’

Black Pink’s music video for “As If It’s Your Last” is one of the hottest K-pop videos ever on YouTube and the fastest to reach 90 million views.The video surpassed the 90 million mark around Tuesday morning. According to YG Entertainment, it took 943 hours to achieve this.  (YG Entertainment)The previous record was held by the music video for “Gangnam Style,” the 2012 song by Psy, who took the world by storm. It took the sensational video 50 days to reach 90 million views. “As If It’s Your Last

Aug. 1, 2017

Girls’ Generation drops Seohyun teaser for ‘Sweet Talk’

Girls’ Generation on Tuesday revealed a teaser image of Seohyun, along with a sneak peek of its new song “Sweet Talk” from its upcoming album “Holiday Night.”The K-pop group uploaded photos of its youngest member on its official homepage, with excerpts of the song. (S.M. Entertainment)Seohyun wrote the lyrics for the dance number, which is about a man and a woman about to fall in love. She also wrote the lyrics for “Holiday,” one of two title tracks for the album.Girls’ Generation will appear on

Aug. 1, 2017

T.O.P stripped of police post after drug conviction

Police on Monday ruled T.O.P of Big Bang inadequate to serve as a conscripted policeman, after he received a suspended prison term for smoking marijuana.The review committee on reenlistment of the convicted at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reached the decision not to allow the 29-year-old rapper to continue his police duties, which he had been serving as an alternative to mandatory military service.  T.O.P of Big Bang leaves the Seoul Central District Court in this file photo. (Yonhap)Kor

July 31, 2017

Girls' Generation to showcase new album at fan meeting next week

K-pop group Girls' Generation will unveil its new album at an upcoming fan meeting slated for next week, its management agency said Sunday.S.M. Entertainment said the eight-member act will sing new songs, including "All Night" and "Holiday," from its sixth full-length album "Holiday Night" during the meeting on Aug. 5 to mark the 10th anniversary of its debut.The event titled "Holiday to Remember" will take place at 7 p.m. at the Olympic Hall of the Olympic Park in eastern Seoul. (S.M. Entertain

July 31, 2017

Korea unites with Tomorrowland for all-night music festival

Through the magic of music and livestreaming, revelers here were granted front row access -- so to speak -- to Tomorrowland, a world-renowned electronic music festival. “Unite With Tomorrowland” landed in Korea on Saturday at Munhak Stadium in the country’s gateway city of Incheon. The event is held simultaneously in different locations around the world, with fans also enjoying performances of top-class DJs at the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium.Local DJs kicked things off. Glory was the openin

July 30, 2017

JJ Project unveils teaser before comeback

JJ Project, a subunit duo of South Korean musicians JB and JinYoung of GOT7, released their music video teaser “Tomorrow, Today” and some parts of its melody on Friday. JYP Entertainment unveiled the song via YouTube, Naver TV and Kakao TV as part of JJ Project’s new album “Verse 2,” attracting the attention of K-pop fans. In the grayscale short clip, a white car drives through a forest for about 20 seconds. The new song is expected to draw excitement among the fans, as they have waited for five

July 28, 2017

Girls’ Generation to prerelease song Aug. 4

Fans hotly anticipating the return of Girls’ Generation will get a surprise treat next week, as the girl group will release songs from its upcoming album “Holiday Night” online ahead of its official release on Aug. 7According to its agency S.M. Entertainment, the 10 songs of various genres from the album will be made available for download at major online music sales websites including Melon, Genie and Naver Music.  A teaser image of Tiffany of Girls‘ Generation (S.M. Entertainment)The album fea

July 28, 2017

Lorde, Major Lazer to headline 2017 Jisan Valley Rock Festival

Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival, one of South Korea’s biggest summer music events, began its three-day run Friday, signaling the start of the country’s summer music festival season.The music event, now in its eighth year, kicked off at the Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, just outside the capital Seoul, in Gyeonggi Province. CJ E&M, the organizer of the festival, expects 90,000 music fans will congregate at the event, which runs until Sunday. Poster for Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festi

July 28, 2017

Rookie K-pop group K.A.R.D goes strong on Billboard charts

Mixed-gender K-pop group K.A.R.D ranked No. 3 on Billboard’s World Album Chart with its debut EP “Hola Hola.”The album also came in at No. 46 on the Independent Album chart and No. 25 on the Heatseekers Album chart.“Hola Hola,” the lead track, secured the No. 4 spot on the World Digital Song Sales chart, while other tracks “I Can’t Stop” and “Living Good” ranked No. 10 and No. 12, respectively.  K.A.R.D (DSP Media)Though it has been only a week since the group debuted on July 19, K.A.R.D, consis

July 27, 2017

Upcoming rock festivals that will outshine summer heat

Despite a brutal heat wave that has plunged the country and its people into a state of exhaustion the last few weeks, rock fans of all ages are in for a treat, as Korea’s two most famous rock festivals are ready to jolt them with spectacular performances. Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival, one of Korea’s most notable annual music festivals that incorporates both music and art, is set to solidify its status again this year with eye-opening headliners and fun-filled activities.  The 2012 Jis

July 27, 2017

Girls’ Generation confirms Aug. 7 album release

Girls’ Generation will make its long-awaited return next month with the release of its sixth studio album “Holiday Night” on Aug. 7.According to S.M. Entertainment, the album will consist of 10 songs of various genres, including the tracks “All Night” and “Holiday.” A teaser image of Yoona (S.M. Entertainment)In anticipation of the new album, the group released online teaser images and an interview video of Yoona on its official homepage Thursday. The agency said it will release teasers featurin

July 27, 2017

Boy band The East Light out with first EP album

K-pop's true big players, for the most part, consist of highly choreographed and stylized boy and girl groups. But that doesn't mean there's zero space for diversity. From Bolbbalgan4 to Akdong Musician, several breakout talents have proven that the space and demand for new music exists in the Korean music scene. The East Light, a new six-member boy band that is an actual "band" -- as in musicians that play instruments and sing -- has emerged in that vein, with the young members (average age bei

July 27, 2017

[Exclusive]Boycotted by fans, Super Junior’s Sungmin is learning life lesson, says singer’s mother

More than a month after fans announced a boycott of the star, the mother of Super Junior’s Sungmin is still waiting for the calm after the storm.(S.M. Entertainment)Kang Kyung-sook, Sungmin’s mother, opened up about fans boycotting Sungmin during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, saying she hopes he will overcome the hardships and get back on his feet with a stronger mindset. Sungmin’s fans declared a boycott of the Super Junior member in June, criticizing him for his disrespect

July 26, 2017

[Photo News] VIXX heads for Southeast Asia after Japan gig

VIXX has wrapped up concerts in three Japanese cities and is set to kick off its fan meeting tour in Southeast Asia, its agency said Wednesday.According to Jellyfish Entertainment, the boy band will kick off its tour Thursday with a show at KL Live Center in Kuala Lumpur. It will perform at the Kasablanka Hall in Jakarta on Saturday. The group will wrap up the tour at Muang Thai GMM Live House in Bangkok on Sunday.The band performed in Nagoya, Tokyo and Osaka, where it showcased hits including “

July 26, 2017

EXO ranks 87 in Billboard 200, its highest rank ever

EXO has taken the No. 87 spot on the Billboard 200 with “The War: The 4th Album,” the highest spot the K-pop group has ever reached.The latest album by EXO entered the chart between the Chainsmokers’ “Collage” and Journey’s “Journey‘s Greatest Hits.” Jay-Z’s “4:44” retained its place at the top spot. EXO (S.M. Entertainment)EXO had previously cracked the list with “Exodus” in 2015, which went to No. 95 spot. It also took 129th place in 2014 with its subgroup Exo-K’s “Overdose.”The highest place

July 26, 2017

Hip-hop artist Primary to return with new EP on Aug. 4

Hip-hop artist and producer Primary is set to hit the K-pop scene with a new EP in August. Primary (Amoeba Culture)The artist’s label Amoeba Culture said Tuesday that the upcoming EP is slated to be released on Aug. 4. It will be his first release since his second full-length album “2” in 2015. “Primary has put utmost effort into the upcoming EP. Every song from the EP will be great enough to be chosen as a lead track,” an agency official said. The hit-maker gained recognition in the Korean hip-

July 25, 2017

Up high: K-pop stars and drugs

When a Seoul court sentenced K-pop superstar T.O.P to 10 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, for marijuana use last week, the catchy hook by the rapper and his Big Bang bandmate G-Dragon likely popped up in the minds of many fans.The 29-year-old may not have actually been “high” when he wrote the lyrics for the popular tune, but the public has been casting a suspicious eye on the duo nonetheless, especially given G-Dragon’s previous run-in with authorities over alleged marijuana use.The Big

July 25, 2017

Black Pink, Sechskies to perform at 2017 BOAF in October

K-pop acts Black Pink and Sechskies will perform at the 2017 Busan One Asia Festival in October, according to organizers Tuesday.The two groups, along with GFriend and Ailee, were part of the second roster of K-pop artists announced by Busan Metropolitan City, set to perform at the festival scheduled for Oct 22-31 in South Korea's second-largest city in the southeastern coast. (YG Entertainment)Leading idol bands Apink, B.A.P, Astro and indie duo Bolbbalgan4 were previously announced to take par

July 25, 2017