BTS Jimin releases solo album 'FACE'

SEOUL -- Jimin, a member of BTS, has rolled out his first solo album titled "FACE." The 27-year-old, who expressed his feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic through the album, will interact with global fans through "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," a popular American talk show for two days starting on March 24. "As the album contains the meaning of facing my true self, I tried to showcase my honest feelings and features that I have never shown anywh

March 24, 2023

BTS' brother band TXT to headline annual music festival 'Lollapalooza' in US

SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a K-pop boy band organized by the agency of BTS, will interact with global fans in Chicago through Lollapalooza, a popular global music event, as its headliner. The five-member band will take part in the global music festival along with American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish, an American singer-songwriter. Lollapalooza is an annual global festival that was held in various countries including the United States, Chile, and Brazil. BTS me

March 22, 2023

BTS member J-Hope receives enlistment schedule from state military manpower administration

SEOUL -- BTS' main dancer J-Hope has received an enlistment schedule from the state Military Manpower Administration. The 29-year-old artist would be the second BTS member to fulfill compulsory military service, after Jin, the eldest member who completed his basic training in January 2023 at a frontline Army boot camp. "I am unable to provide specific information, but the enlistment date has been confirmed and it's about time for me to get rarmyeady," J-Hope told

March 17, 2023

Pinkfong to work with Saudi Arabian government for expansion of content business

SEOUL -- The Pinkfong Company, famous for its children's YouTube mega-hit song "Baby Shark, has partnered with a Saudi Arabian ministry in charge of issuing licenses to foreign investors, to expand its business in the Middle Eastern country. Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest portion in terms of cumulative viewing time on Pinkfng's YouTube channel in the Middle East and North Africa region. Pinkfong has gained global popularity for its Baby Shark content. Baby Sha

March 17, 2023

South Korea's theme park & amusement fair to be held in KINTEX in July

SEOUL -- "2023 Korea Theme Park & Amusement Fair" (KAAFAIR), one of South Korea's largest annual theme park exhibitions, will be held in KINTEX in Ilsan northeast of Seoul for three days in July. Various companies from South Korea and the global theme park and amusement park industries will participate in the event. After its first successful event held in the southern port city of Busan in 2020, KAAFAIR will be held for the first time in three years for three day

March 16, 2023

Lotte's home shopping channel selects human influencers to manage virtual model Lucy

SEOUL -- The home shopping channel of Lotte Group has selected human influencers who will be in charge of managing Lucy, a 29-year-old virtual model with some 104,000 followers on Instagram. Based on actual experience, the human managers will plan various types of content for the virtual influencer who made a debut as an online shopping show host in 2022. Lucy, created by synthesizing a face with an image of a real person, has interacted with viewers through live commerce shows. Sh

March 14, 2023

Thriller series 'The Glory' maintains explosive popularity despite director's bullying allegations

SEOUL -- Although the director of "The Glory" has admitted his bullying allegations during his teenage years, it has not affected the content's global popularity. The South Korean thriller series has become the second-most watched content on Netflix through its second part which includes episodes from nine to 16, only three days after its release. According to Flixpatrol, a Europe-based Netflix content ranking service, the second part of The Glory, released on March 1

March 13, 2023

​HYBE withdraws plan to acquire SM Entertainment

SEOUL -- HYBE, the entertainment agency that houses various top K-pop artists such as boy band BTS and girl band NewJeans, has pulled back from a race to acquire SM Entertainment, also one of the top K-pop powerhouses, leaving South Korea's web service giant Kakao as the winner of the fierce takeover competition. The agency led by Bang Si-hyuk, the prodigy producer who created K-pop wonder BTS, said in a statement on March 12 that it will stop all acquisition processes of SM. P

March 13, 2023

Boy band &TEAM to release soundtrack for web cartoon 'Dark Moon: The Grey City'

SEOUL -- A soundtrack for "Dark Moon: The Grey City," a digital cartoon created based on concepts of &TEAM, a nine-member multinational boy band formed by the agency of BTS, will be released in Korean, English, and Japanese. Four members of the K-pop band participated in the soundtrack which portrays the story of nine werewolves with different personalities overcoming various obstacles and stereotypes. Hybe, BTS' agency, collaborated with Naver Webtoon, the web car

March 10, 2023

BTS member Suga donates $75,642 for child earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria

SEOUL -- BTS's lead rapper Suga has donated 100 million won ($75,642) to a London-based nonprofit organization to help child earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Suga's donation will be used to purchase emergency relief items such as blankets, mattresses, and school supplies. The 30-year-old will go on a solo world tour, starting with the first concert in Belmont Park, New York on April 26. Save the Children said in a statement that Suga made the donation on his birthda

March 9, 2023