Singer Im Chang-jung's stock fraud allegation fogs up mimiirose prospects

South Korean singer Im Chang-jung is being investigated by the prosecution and financial regulators for his alleged role in a stock price manipulation case. Eight stocks listed in the Korean stock market including Seoul Gas, Daesung Holdings and Sebang have plummeted to the daily limit of 30 percent through SG Securities Korea since April 24. He reportedly invested billions of won through individuals suspected to be responsible for the stocks' volatility. Im sold a part of his stake in his

K-popMay 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Monsta X’s Shownu, Hyungwon to debut as duo: report

Shownu and Hyungwon of Monsta X will form a subunit, a first from the six-member band, this summer, according to a local media report on Wednesday. Agency Starship Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. No specific timetable, though, has been set yet, it added. It will be Shownu’s first official activity since he was discharged from the mandatory military service last month. The band debuted in 2015 with EP “Trespass” and bandmates will pursue individual career

K-popMay 3, 2023

K-pop veteran band BTOB hopes to gain global reach with mini album “Wind and Wish”

K-pop veteran boy group BTOB hopes its 12th mini album “Wind and Wish” can be a lucky charm to listeners. “As always, our members Hyunsik and Minhyuk produced all the tracks in this album. The tracks are perfect to tune into at this time of the year. We want to spread love, hope and luck with this album,” said the group’s leader Eunkwang during a press conference on Tuesday in Seoul. The mini album is BTOB's first since its third full-length album “Be Tog

K-popMay 3, 2023

BTS' Suga hits No. 2 on Billboard 200

BTS' member Suga's solo album "D-Day" landed at No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200 main albums chart, continuing the rise of his solo career. Suga has now tied the record set by his bandmate Jimin, who reached No. 2 on the chart in April with his solo album "Face." It was the highest chart position achieved by a Korean solo artist. The album's main song "Haegeum" entered Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart at No. 58. This is Suga's second time

K-popMay 3, 2023

Teen Top to celebrate 13th anniversary with July comeback

Boy band Teen Top is set to return in July, marking their first group comeback in three years. The act's label TOP Media on Wednesday announced that Teen Top is gearing up to drop a new album in July. This will the five-piece's comeback after releasing its special album "To You 2020" in 2020. The label said that the members decided to return in time for the group's 13th anniversary, to thank fans who have stood by them. The new album will include a re-recorded version of

K-popMay 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jisoo, Lisa set record on Spotify with solo songs

Jisoo of Blackpink set a record on Spotify with her solo song, “Flower,” which fronted the album “Me.” It took the single only 32 days to generate 100 million streams, a record time for a K-pop female soloist. This replaces the record Lisa set with “Money” that achieved the feat in 37 days. Meanwhile, Lisa surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify with her first solo album “Lalisa” as of last week. She became the first K-pop solo artist to reach the

K-popMay 2, 2023

Hybe hits record high Q1 turnover

Hybe, the company behind BTS, hit a record high first quarter turnover this year, with the multi-label company's annual album sales amounting to over 9 million copies, the company disclosed on Tuesday. According to the report, the firm's first quarter sales came to 410.6 billion won ($306.8 million) while operating profits clocked in at 52.5 billion won, up by 44.1 percent and 41.7 percent on-year, respectively. Hybe mainly attributed its record earnings to the artists' album sale

K-popMay 2, 2023

BTS' RM and singer-songwriter Colde team up

BTS' rapper and leader RM is featured on singer-songwriter Colde's new album, Colde's label Wavy announced on Tuesday. Colde's new album featuring RM -- "Love Part 2" -- will be released on Thursday. "Love Part 2" is the second release from the singer-songwriter's "Love" series, which started four years ago in 2019 with "Love Part 1." The album marks Colde's return in over three years since the release of the EP "Idealism

K-popMay 2, 2023

We don't need any forgiveness: Le Sserafim

Girl group Le Sserafim on Monday returned with its first full-length album, "Unforgiven." The 13-track album comes seven months after the group released its second EP, "Antifragile," in October. Ahead of the album's release at 6 p.m. on Monday, Le Sserafim members conducted a press showcase on Monday afternoon in Seoul ahead of the album release. "We're already making our second comeback. Time really flies. We've worked harder to exceed our fans' expectations, so please

K-popMay 1, 2023

[Herald Review] 'K-pop Super Live' spotlights major K-pop artists

Some of the biggest K-pop artists gathered Sunday night at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul to perform at "K-pop Super Live," an event hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Around 40,000 people flocked to the stadium to enjoy the event and show support for their favorite artists. The stadium was glittering in red, yellow, pink and blue – the colors of fans’ light sticks. With fireworks bursting into the sky, Kep1er kicked off the night with its popular single “Wa D

K-popMay 1, 2023

B.I announces comeback with 2nd full-length album on June 1

K-pop solo artist B.I is set to make a comeback with his second full-length album, “TO DIE FOR,” on June 1. He announced the comeback through the release of a poster on social media on Monday. A message on the announcement poster read, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today,” giving fans a sneak peek into what this upcoming album might be about. The comeback comes seven months after B.I released his global EP “L.O.L: Love or Loved

K-popMay 1, 2023

'OMG' by NewJeans hits 300m Spotify streams

"OMG," a hit song from rookie girl group NewJeans, has garnered 300 million streams on Spotify, the group's agency said Saturday. The song had recorded 301,242,550 streams on the world's largest music streaming platform as of Thursday, after its release on Jan. 2 this year, ADOR said. The group's "Ditto" also has garnered more than 300 million streams on Spotify earlier this week. The girl group's "Hype Boy" and "Attention" saw their Spotify streams top 20

K-popApril 29, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to release 2nd LP in Japan in July

Tomorrow X Together will roll out its second studio album in Japan on July 5, announced label Big Hit Music on Friday. The band will also hold a showcase to mark the release of LP “Sweet.” The album will consist of 12 tracks – four new songs and Japanese-language versions of its hit songs, including “Sugar Rush Ride,” the main track from its fifth EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation.” The quintet has placed seven consecutive albums atop Oricon’s wee

K-popApril 28, 2023

YG to announce final Babymonster members on May 12

YG Entertainment is set to unveil the final members of Babymonster on May 12. Seven pre-debut members have completed the months-long evaluation process that began in January. Five members from the pool will debut officially as Babymonster, with those members set to be unveiled on May 12. The announcement was made on Friday through the latest episode of Babymonster's debut evaluation series posted on YG's official YouTube channel. In the video, the seven girls performed to YG group 2NE1

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] How this K-pop singer fell in love with India

“The love we received was beyond expectation,” says AOORA. Known for his remixes of Korean and Indian music and his reaction videos, the K-pop singer held his first K-pop concert in Jammu, India. In this episode, we learn about AOORA’s passion for bringing Korea and India together, his experience in Jammu and his latest collaboration with Aksh Baghla. Kim Soo-young and Noh Seong-min contributed to this report.

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] My life running a convenience store in Korea

“I find myself organizing things at other people’s stores,” chuckles Bong Dal-ho, an 11-year veteran convenience store owner and author, as he reflects on his daily life running a convenience store. Learn what it’s like to run a convenience store, from the strange, to the heartwarming, to the bittersweet moments an owner has with customers every day. This video was produced as part of The Korea Herald and University of Utah Asia Campus Internship Program, under the

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] Meet the bodyguard protecting your favorite K-pop stars

Learn why Han Jimin started his career as a bodyguard and how he protects K-pop artists. What’s it like to be a bodyguard to the stars? Let’s find out! This video was produced as part of The Korea Herald and University of Utah Asia Campus Internship Program, under the supervision of the Asia 101 team.

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] Meet the fave K-pop nail artist of Red Velvet's Wendy

Once a sports major, Shin Hye-jin, popularly known as Shinggomggom, never thought she would one day become K-pop stars’ go-to nail artist. From Red Velvet’s Wendy, IZ*ONE’s Jang Won-young and fromis_9 to even Hybe founder Bang Si-hyuk, her list of famous clients goes on and on. What’s it like to be a nail artist for K-pop icons? We asked all of our burning questions and got the inside scoop on her journey! This video was produced as part of The Korea Herald and Uni

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] Everything about K-pop's first African star, Fatou Samba

From listening to a K-pop song for the first time to leading a multicultural K-pop group, Blackswan’s Fatou Samba shares her journey with the Asia 101 team. Watch till the end for Fatou’s tips on taking fabulous photos! Lim Su-mi and Park Ju-min contributed to this report.

K-popApril 28, 2023

[Video] What it’s like to be a K-pop reporter

From shaking hands with BTS to covering over 100 K-pop concerts, The Korea Herald’s Hong Dam-young told us all about her life as a K-pop reporter. Park Seo-hee and Park Ju-min contributed to this report.

K-popApril 28, 2023