Ador and its parent company Hybe defended NewJeans' exclusive contracts on Friday following a US media investigation that raised questions about protections for minors, financial penalties and restrictions imposed on the members. The response came after The New York Times published an investigation Thursday examining contracts signed in 2022, when all five NewJeans members were minors. The report raised concerns about termination penalties, surveillance, the use of artists' voices and likenesses

Katseye’s first arena tour has hit another health-related setback, adding to a months-long string of illnesses, injuries and absences that has repeatedly left the six-member group performing with a reduced lineup. The group postponed its Detroit concert at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday after Megan became ill and was unable to perform. The announcement came just 30 minutes before the show's scheduled start, and many concertgoers had already entered the arena and taken their seats. Little Caesar

Singer-songwriter Hanroro released her new single "Question Mark" on Thursday. The song deals with conflicting emotions in personal relationships, including affection, resentment and regret, continuing Hanroro's exploration of the difficulties and uncertainties of young adulthood. Ahead of the release, Hanroro shared a synopsis on social media last month, outlining a story involving two childhood friends who meet at a swimming school and grow up sharing their dreams. Their friendship deteriorate

American songwriters who earlier claimed that South Korean superband BTS' chart-topping song "Swim" was copied from their own demo have withdrawn their claims in a US lawsuit, a report showed Thursday. The attorneys for the accusers, who are three little-known songwriters, requested the judge to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety in a court filing dated Wednesday, according to the Billboard. The move comes about four months after the songwriters -- Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson

Jungkook of BTS secured a 155th frame on Spotify’s global weekly albums chart with his first solo set, extending his own record of longest run on the chart for an Asian solo artist, according to label Big Hit Music on Thursday. With the LP, “Golden,” he sat at No. 199 on the chart after hitting as high as No. 2 nearly three years earlier. The 11-track album also became the first-ever set from an Asian artist to bank 1 billion annual streams on Spotify across four years, surpassing the three-year

NCT Dream is unveiling “Boogie Woogie,” the focus track from its sixth full-length album, in a showcase for the set in Seoul on Nov. 12, SM Entertainment announced Thursday. The six-member subunit is bringing out LP “Dream After Dream” on Monday. The 10-track set fronted by a disco-inspire upbeat dance tune celebrates the group's 10th year. Jaemin participated in writing the lyrics of the song and choreographer Lee Jung co-created the dance. The group will also run a pop-up store in Seoul from S

TWS' latest single landed at No. 2 on Oricon’s Daily Single Ranking, its agency Pledis Entertainment said Thursday. The second physical single “To Us” joins the rest of the group's albums — five mini albums and a single in Korea, two single albums in Japan — in claiming the highest spots on Oricon charts. “To Us” consists of three tracks. The lead track “Call My Name” leapt to No. 14 on Melon’s Top 100 on its release day, hitting its career-best on the first day on the chart, while both B-side t

Stray Kids' “S-Star” exceeded 100 million streams in Japan as of September and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, their label JYP Entertainment said Thursday. The track is the group's third to cinch the certification, after “Maniac” and “Case 143.” “S-Star” fronted the octet’s third LP “5-Star,” which rolled out in June 2023. The track debuted on Billboard Global 200 excl. US at No. 15 and ranked No. 68 on Spotify’s Top Songs Global. It was their first entry o

Former 4minute member Jeon Ji-yoon, 36, who has since pursued a solo music career and become a web novel author, is set to marry. Jeon personally shared the news on social media on Wednesday, posting, "I'm getting married in November. Now that the day has come when I can actually say the word 'marriage' in relation to my own life, I feel a little shy, but also excited." Her prospective husband is reportedly not a celebrity, and the couple will tie the knot on Nov. 22 in Seoul. The private ceremo

After spending the second half of 2026 climbing music charts with older releases, girl group Rescene is now finding success with a new release. Rescene’s fourth EP “Pulse,” released Tuesday, made an immediate impact, with its main track “With” reaching No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 chart just two hours after release, according to The Muze Entertainment. All five tracks from the EP, along with the group's earlier releases, also ranked high on the chart, indicating Rescene's recent popularity may have

Jinyoung made his acting debut in 2012, before rising to fame as a heartthrob in K-pop boy group GOT7. He continued to take on television roles intermittently, with a break for his mandatory military service. Yet despite years of work on screen, his acting career has rarely drawn as much attention as it is receiving now. In tvN’s ongoing period drama “100 Days of Deception,” the singer-actor plays an interpreter whose seemingly cold demeanor masks a more layered personality. His restrained perfo

Cortis returned to the Billboard 200 after seven weeks with its second EP “GreenGreen” ranking No. 90, according to the latest chart published Tuesday in the US. This extends the mini album’s stay on the main albums chart to 19 total weeks. The extended play debuted at No. 3, landing a spot within the top three in the shortest time since debut for a K-pop group. The EP logged 18 consecutive frames before reentering the chart this week. The six–track set was released in May and sold over 2.3 mill

Ateez has entered Billboard's Global 200 chart with its prerelease single "Drip," marking the first time one of its songs has debuted on the chart in its opening week. Released on Oct. 23, the song debuted at No. 190 on the Global 200 chart dated Nov. 7, ahead of the group's 15th EP, "Golden Hour: Part 6," due out Nov. 13. The Global 200 ranks songs based on streaming and digital sales from more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, including the US. Ateez has previously topped Billboard

NewJeans accumulated 500 million plays on Spotify with “ETA” as of Monday, their agency Ador said Wednesday. This is the group’s seventh song to achieve the feat, following “Ditto,” “OMG,” “Super Shy,” “Hype Boy,” “New Jeans” and “Attention.” “ETA” was one of the three tracks that fronted its second EP “Get Up,” which rolled out in July 2023. Blending elements of hip-hop and Jersey club, the performance-heavy number swept all major music charts at home along with prerelease and main track, “Supe

Babymonster’s music video for “Deserve” surpassed 100 million views on YouTube in 11 days, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. It is the group’s 19th music video to reach the milestone and the fastest music video to do so this year. The two-year-old team has over 13.5 million followers on its YouTube channel. “Deserve” is a pop ballad released as a digital single on Oct. 23, featuring six of its seven members. Main vocalist Rami has suspended activities since May 2025 due to health