Among the more than 520,000 people sitting for Suneung, the national college entrance exam, on Thursday will be a number of well-known K-pop idols born in 2006. That list includes Park Jihoo of Evnne, Eunseop of Lun8, Kim Dogyun of 82Major and Seungmo and Mackiah of Ampers&One. Park Jihoo, for instance, debuted in September last year and is currently enrolled at Hanlim Arts School, a prestigious arts high school in Seoul with many singers and actors among its alum. Mackiah, who holds Austral

K-pop Nov. 12, 2024

Blackpink’s Lisa took home two trophies at Europe’s biggest music awards ceremony, the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards, held Sunday at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. The Thai K-pop singer won Biggest Fans and Best Collaboration for “New Woman,” her work with the Spanish pop star Rosalia. Jimin of BTS nabbed Best K-pop, an award previously won by his group member Jungkook in 2023 and by BTS in 2021. Jimin’s second solo album “Muse” and its main track &

K-pop Nov. 11, 2024

Chinese violinist Luo Chaowen won first prize at this year's Isangyun Competition on Saturday, performing Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, led by conductor Christoph Poppen. Luo was followed by South Korean violinist Park Eun-joong. Park also took home the UNESCO Creative City of Music Special Prize decided by audience votes. Tongyeong was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2015. The third prize went to South Korean violinist

Performance Nov. 10, 2024

Jin of BTS unveiled a poster for “Running Wild,” the main track on his upcoming first solo album, “Happy.” The artist shared the vintage-style poster, featuring himself and a dog running down a wide road towards a city skyline, on BTS’ official social media on Sunday. “Running Wild” is a pop-rock number with new wave sounds. Jin aims to spread happiness through this song with a warm melody that sings about running passionately toward hope. Gary Barlow fr

K-pop Nov. 10, 2024

Explore 2024 League of Legends champion's merch shop For those who are still excited about South Korea’s League of Legends team T1’s victory at the 2024 LoL World Championship Finals last week, a visit to T1 HQ Shop may swell their pride even further and give them the chance to dwell a bit longer on the miraculous story that the team has written. Located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on the first floor of T1's headquarters -- where the T1 esports players are -- T1 HQ Shop is

Culture Nov. 8, 2024

BTS’ V on Dec. 6 is set to release a new version in collaboration with the late legendary pop artist Bing Crosby (1903-1977) of his “White Christmas.” According to BigHit Music, V has reinterpreted a part of Crosby’s iconic 1942 hit that remains a beloved seasonal classic worldwide. The posthumous collaboration is to be Crosby's first in 47 years, since "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" in 1977 with David Bowie. The song will be released in partnership wi

K-pop Nov. 7, 2024

Fifty Fifty will be embarking on its first US tour, “Love Sprinkle Tour in USA,” on Nov. 27. According to agency Attrakt, the group is currently preparing for its upcoming shows in the US. “We are nervous because it is our first-ever US tour but we are practicing hard to showcase our best performances. We want to present new facets of our group during the tour,” said Fifty Fifty in a press release on Wednesday. Prior to the US tour, Fifty Fifty will be taking to the stage

K-pop Nov. 6, 2024

Babymonster on Friday released its first album, “Drip,” featuring a title track composed by G-Dragon. The group's first full-length studio album contains nine tracks, including the two main songs "Drip" and "Clik Clak." “We hope that this album shows how much we’ve grown over a year during which we had diverse experiences, such as going on a fan-meet tour,” said Rami of Babymonster, during a press conference at YG Entertainment's headqu

K-pop Nov. 1, 2024

Veteran senior actors Shin Gu and Kang Boo-ja received the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second-highest medal, at the 2024 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Thursday. The annual awards, now in its 15th edition, are the highest government honor in the field of popular culture and arts. Shin, who debuted onstage in 1962, remains a popular actor decades on with his heartfelt performances. “After every play run comes to an end, I am

K-pop Nov. 1, 2024

Kep1er, a project girl group formed through Mnet’s idol survival program “Girls Planet 999” in 2021, returns as seven with the new mini album “Tipi-Tap” on Friday. This is their first album release after Kang Ye-seo and Sakamoto Mashiro departed from the group in July. The remaining seven members of the group extended their exclusive contract with Klap Entertainment and WakeOne Entertainment becoming the first K-pop project group to prolong their activities beyond t

K-pop Nov. 1, 2024

Le Sserafim is set to take the stage at Europe's biggest music awards ceremony, MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), this year. The 2024 MTV EMAs take place in Manchester, UK, on Nov. 10. "There's no better feeling in the whole wide world than announcing Le Sserafim as a 2024 MTV EMA performer. See them take the stage on 10 November,” the EMAs announced on their official website on Wednesday. The ceremony, hosted by MTV Networks Europe, awards trophies to songs, music videos, a

K-pop Oct. 31, 2024

Rose’s single “APT.,” a collaboration with Bruno Mars, debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Nov. 2, marking a new record for female K-pop artists. According to Billboard, “APT.” is the first song by a female K-pop artist to enter the Hot 100’s top 10 chart. Previously, the highest-charting track by a K-pop female act was Blackpink's "Ice Cream," a collaboration with Selena Gomez that peaked at No. 13. Only BTS, its members Jimin

K-pop Oct. 29, 2024

Seventeen’s Seungkwan posted a lengthy message on social media Tuesday complaining about the treatment of pop stars here. The post was considered by some readers to be a criticism of Hybe, following a controversy surrounding an internal document disclosed during a National Assembly audit. The document included derogatory remarks about the physical appearance of K-pop artists. Seventeen is under Pledis Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hybe, and Seungkwan's remarks can be seen as the firs

K-pop Oct. 29, 2024

Taeyeon of the legendary K-pop girl group Girls' Generation will release her sixth EP, “Letter To Myself,” on Nov. 18. She posted a short clip teasing her upcoming release on her official YouTube channel on Monday. The clip shows Tayeon writing a letter in front of a window in a room. The album features six tracks, including title track "Letter To Myself." This album comes approximately a year after her previous release, “To. X,” which continues to enjoy re

K-pop Oct. 28, 2024

Veteran senior actors Shin Gu and Kang Boo-ja will receive the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second-highest medal, at the 2024 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards to be held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Thursday. According to the Culture Ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency, a total of 31 celebrities including singers, actors, comedians, voice actors, screenwriters and musicians will receive awards this year. The annual awards, now in its 15th edition, are the

Culture Oct. 28, 2024