Addictive rhythms and powerful choreography continued to propel K-pop up the global music charts in 2022. Korean artists have reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 -- the ranking of the best-performing albums and EPs in the US -- a record four times this year. Stray Kids was the first Korean act to top the chart this year with its album “Oddinary,” followed by Blackpink, (G)I-idle, and RM. Apart from the global chart-toppers, this year’s K-pop scene was undoubtedly dominate

K-pop Dec. 26, 2022

K-pop singer and actress Tiffany Young signed an exclusive contract with the agency Sublime. “We signed an exclusive contract with Tiffany Young who has an irreplaceable identity. We are glad to have Tiffany Young encompassing boundless influence join us. We plan to fully support her in expanding her capabilities in diverse sectors and also in her overseas career-related activities,” announced Sublime on Monday. Some renowned actors, actresses, and singers including Song Kang-ho, Rai

K-pop Dec. 26, 2022

K-pop girl group Kara dropped a new album in Japan on Wednesday to mark their 15th anniversary. The Japanese-language album “Move Again” is their first album to be released in the country in seven years and six months. It carries six tracks including the lead track “When I Move” and a new track, “Queens,” exclusively unveiled in the Japanese edition of the album. Prior to the release of the Japanese-language album, the K-pop divas had made a stunning comeback

K-pop Dec. 21, 2022

NewJeans’ pre-release track “Ditto” from their upcoming single “OMG” topped local charts just within a few hours following its release on Monday at 6 p.m., setting a new record for the rookies. “Ditto,” a winter-themed subtle pop song, helped the girls take the throne once again following the success of their previous singles "Attention," "Hype boy," and "Cookie," in local music charts including Flo, Bugs, Genie and Melon. N

K-pop Dec. 20, 2022

NewJeans, a rookie group that has dominated the K-pop scene this year, dropped the track “Ditto” from the upcoming single album “OMG” on Monday at 6 p.m. The release comes four months after the girl group made its debut in August with the breakout album “New Jeans.” “Ditto," a reinterpretation of the Baltimore club music genre, was specially produced for NewJeans’ official fandom Bunnies. The genre, which originated from the Maryland city in t

K-pop Dec. 19, 2022

Hook Entertainment, the former longtime agency of singer and actor Lee Seung-gi, said Friday that it has settled the invoice for Lee’s long overdue payments for digital streams of his songs. A total of 4.1 billion won ($3.13 million) which includes 2.9 billion won for digital streams of the artist’s songs and 1.2 billion for the arrears of interest has been paid to the artist by the agency. According to Hook Entertainment, the two parties were not able to come to an agreement on the

K-pop Dec. 16, 2022

Major agencies and labels in South Korea are directly targeting foreign markets by launching localized idol groups. With more than 20 years of experience in expanding the K-pop market abroad, K-pop powerhouses created a full-fledged K-pop Hallyu 3.0 era by nurturing idol groups in foreign countries such as Japan and China. The first generation of the K-pop Korean Wave involved debuting Korean artists outside of the country. The second generation involved mixing foreign members into idol groups t

K-pop Dec. 14, 2022

BTS member Jin is beginning his military service on Tuesday in one of the northernmost military bases in South Korea. Jin shared a selfie of his short shaved hair on the fan community platform Weverse on Monday in preparation for his 18 months of military service. According to the South Korean military, the boot camp where Jin begins military service is that of the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Jin will be admitted to the boot camp with around 200 other new soldiers. Aft

K-pop Dec. 12, 2022

Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi has left his longtime agency Hook Entertainment after a payment dispute for digital streams of his songs. Lee Seung-gi notified Hook Entertainment that their exclusive contract has been nullified, according to industry sources on Thursday. This comes after the star released an official statement through his legal representation, the law firm Bae, Kim & Lee, on Nov. 24 denouncing the agency for not having once made a payment for his song’s digital streams o

K-pop Dec. 2, 2022

American pop-rock band Maroon 5 made a grand return to South Korea on Wednesday night, almost four years after their last concert in the country. As soon as the lights went off at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, signaling the beginning of the long-awaited concert, the audience's whistles, claps and cries of joy filled the air. Maroon 5 kicked it off with the hit “Moves Like Jagger” — a dance-pop piece that pumped up the atmosphere. The 22,000 attendees danced and sang along to

K-pop Dec. 1, 2022

K-pop girl group Kara made a stunning comeback Tuesday at the 2022 Mama Awards, performing “When I Move” from the group's new special album “Move Again.” The second-generation K-pop girl group kicked off the performance with a medley of past hits "Lupin," "Step" and "Mr.," bringing back old memories of their glory days. Despite a seven-year hiatus performing as full unit, the members of Kara synchronized perfectively when dancing to thei

K-pop Nov. 30, 2022

Suga, a member of K-Pop sensation BTS, will be launching his own talk show, “Suchwita,” via YouTube and Weverse next Monday, according to Big Hit Music. Suchwita, short for “time to get drunk with Suga” in Korean, is a talk show in which Suga invites celebrities over for a drink and conversations about all things music and more. “Suga, who is witty with his words, is expected to carry out in-depth talks with his guests and bring out the best in them,” Big Hit

K-pop Nov. 29, 2022

Volkswagen Korea’s bestselling sport utility vehicle Tiguan has established its position as an affordable and robust performance-based car to Korean drivers. Since making its debut in July 2008, the Tiguan has been the German carmaker’s top-selling car here. As of November, it has sold an accumulative 59,532 units, an equivalent of 270 Tiguans every month. The Korean unit predicted the accumulative sales figure to hit the 60,000 mark by the end of this year. Volkswagen Korea said it

Mobility Nov. 28, 2022

The 32nd Seoul Music Awards will be held on Jan. 19, 2023, at the Olympic Park’s Olympic Gymnastics Arena located in Seoul, according to an industry insider. The Seoul Music Awards is one of the biggest annual music awards in the K-pop industry and has been hosted by the local newspaper Sports Seoul since 1990. The annual ceremony honors artists of diverse genres including ballad, hip-hop, R&B and bands that have been loved the public during the past year by evaluating their profession

K-pop Nov. 28, 2022

South Korea’s second-largest steelmaker Hyundai Steel said Sunday that its submerged arc welding A671/A672 had been recognized as a World Class Korean Product. With the new addition, Hyundai Steel now boasts a total of 12 World Class Korean Products. The number is the largest among its peers in the steel-making industry, a feat that the company has maintained for 18 consecutive years. The World Class Korean Products scheme, jointly certified by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy an

Industry Nov. 27, 2022