NewJeans garners explosive popularity among American Spotify users through OMG and Ditto

SEOUL -- Girl band NewJeans is gaining explosive popularity among American fans. Currently, the United States is the region where the five-member band's dance songs -- OMG and Ditto -- are consumed the most on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. As of February 10, OMG was played 22.71 million times in the United States, which accounted for more than 20 percent of total streams with 111.28 million, Spotify said in a statement on February 13. Of the 164

February 13, 2023

Red Velvet to represent K-pop bands at Primavera Sound 2023

SEOUL -- Girl band Red Velvet will interact with global fans at Primavera Sound, an annual music festival held in Spain, as the only K-pop group. The five-member band will perform along with global stars such as rapper Kendrick Lamar and Halsey. According to SM Entertainment, the group's agency, Red velvet will participate in the festival on June 1 in Barcelona and Madrid on June 8. This year, the event will take place between June 1 and 3 in Barcelona and in Madrid from June

February 10, 2023

Girl band TWICE's unit MiSaMo to release first Japanese album

SEOUL -- TWICE, a nine-member K-pop girl band especially popular in Japan, will consolidate its position in the island country through its first unit consisting of three Japanese members -- Mina, Sana, and Momo. The new group called "MiSaMo" will roll out its first Japanese language-based mini album on July 26 to start its new journey. JYP Entertainment, the group's agency, disclosed an official trailer and photos of Misamo through its official website. "So happy

February 9, 2023

BTS' brother band TXT tops Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with 'The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION'

SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a five-member boy band organized by the agency of top K-pop band BTS, has topped Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with its fifth mini album titled "The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION." The group became the fifth K-pop band to grab the top place on the weekly chart that ranks the 200 most popular albums in the United States. The album, released on January 27, arrived atop the list on the Billboard 200 chart with 161,500 equivalent

February 6, 2023

​Exports of 'K-content' products rise 4.4% to $12.45 billion in 2021

SEOUL -- South Korea's exports of cultural and entertainment products increased 4.4 percent year-on-year to $12.24 billion in 2021, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The amount was higher than the exports of major products such as home appliances, secondary batteries, electric vehicles and display panels. This means that Korean-made entertainment and cultural products, better known as K-content, have emerged as one of the country's k

February 3, 2023

Stray Kids becomes first K-pop band to headline music festival in France through Lollapalooza

SEOUL -- Boy band Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to interact with global fans in France through Lollapalooza, a popular global music event, as its headliner. The eight-member band will take part in the global music festival along with American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Rosalia, a famous singer and songwriter from Spain. According to JYP Entertainment, the band's agency, Stray Kids will perform at Lollapalooza Paris on July 21. The headliner role is usually given to the

February 2, 2023

Science fiction film 'Jung-E' garners explosive popularity on Netflix

SEOUL -- South Korean science fiction film "Jung_E," by Yeon Sang-ho, became the most watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The film depicts a story of researchers striving to develop an artificial intelligence-based combat robot by cloning a brain of a female warrior named "Yun Jung-yi" to fight against enemies in the 22nd century. The global streaming service giant said that the South Korean film recorded some 19.3 million hours of viewing only t

January 26, 2023

Virtual model Lucy to promote fashion items through live commerce show

SEOUL -- Lucy, a 29-year-old virtual model created by the home shopping channel of South Korea's conglomerate Lotte, will appear in online shopping shows for bags and accessories designed by Vivienne Westwood, a global fashion brand based in London. The virtual influencer with more than 105,000 followers will interact with viewers through a monthly live commerce show on YouTube. Live commerce is a home shopping-like online service that enables two-way communication between shopp

January 26, 2023

Girl band Le Sserafim's dance song 'Antifragile' played more than 200 million times on Spotify

SEOUL -- "Antifragile," the tile song of K-pop girl group Le Sserafim, has been streamed more than 200 million times for 96 days after its release on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. The five-member band formed by Hybe's music label showcased young girls' firm stance to overcome various difficulties in life with a strong mentality through the dance song. According to Source Music, the title track was played more than 200 million times

January 24, 2023