One Hundred Label, the parent company of several K-pop subsidiaries including Big Planet Made Entertainment, INB100 and Black Made, is facing a series of internal and public challenges involving key artists and executives. Tensions escalated Saturday when Yong Jun-hyung, a solo artist under Black Made — a Big Planet Made subsidiary — claimed he was pressured by his agency to terminate his exclusive contract under unfair terms. “On the day my album was released last year, I was suddenly called in

President Emmanuel Macron invited Lee Soo-man — founder of SM Entertainment, who is often credited as the K-pop pioneer — to open an office in France. During a Friday meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the French leader expressed his desire to strengthen collaboration between South Korean and French creators, signaling high-level recognition of K-pop’s cultural power. Lee, who now leads A2O Entertainment in Los Angeles, was in Paris as the only Asian speaker at the “France Music Week Summit,

Taeil, former member of SM Entertainment’s boy band NCT, admitted Wednesday to rape charges in a case involving an intoxicated woman last year, as prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence. During the first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court, Taeil and two accomplices were tried for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. Specifically, they face charges of special quasi-rape, which applies when two or more people engage in sexual acts w

BTS is set to make its long-awaited full-group comeback in March next year, multiple industry sources confirmed to The Korea Herald. With all seven members completing their mandatory 18-month military service by this weekend — Suga is scheduled for discharge on Saturday — speculation has been mounting among fans and the wider K-pop industry over when the group would reunite and resume full-scale activities. “BTS’ comeback date is set for March next year,” a Hybe official confirmed through The Ko

K-pop heavyweights, including aespa, Twice and Blackpink, are set to return in the second half of the year, raising hopes for a rebound in the stagnant K-pop industry. These three acts represent the top-tier lineup from Korea’s so-called "Big 4" entertainment companies — SM, JYP and YG and Hybe — and their comebacks are expected to inject fresh momentum into the global K-pop scene. All seven members of BTS will have completed their military service as of Saturday, and the industry is closely wat

A Seoul appellate court dismissed NewJeans' latest attempt to overturn a ban on the group’s independent entertainment activities Tuesday, upholding a previous ruling in favor of their agency, Ador. The Seoul High Court rejected an appeal filed by the five members of NewJeans challenging an injunction that barred them from independently signing advertising contracts or pursuing entertainment work without Ador’s prior approval. The court sided once again with Ador, a label under Hybe, reinforcing

Big Hit Music, the K-pop agency behind BTS and a music label under Hybe, is expected to debut a new boy group in August, according to local media reports Tuesday. In a statement to The Korea Herald on Tuesday, Big Hit Music said, “We are currently preparing for the debut of a new boy group in the third quarter of this year. Details regarding the debut date will be announced officially at a later time.” While the agency did not confirm the August timeline, it did not deny it either, hinting that

Allday Project, the first coed K-pop group to debut under renowned producer Teddy Park’s The Black Label, is turning heads across the industry — not just for being the industry's first mixed-gender group in eight years since DSP Media’s Kard, but for the star-studded resumes and diverse backgrounds of its members. Just 16 hours after releasing the prerelease music video for “Famous” on Monday, the clip surpassed 2.5 million views on YouTube. It also secured the No. 1 spot on YouTube Korea’s Tren

The Black Label, led by hitmaker and Blackpink producer Teddy Park, has sent ripples through the K-pop scene with the surprise announcement of its first coed group, Allday Project, due to debut June 23. The mixed-gender makeup of the label’s second idol team is already generating a buzz — both skeptical and hopeful — before a single track has dropped. The concept may seem fresh in today’s hyper-specialized K-pop market, but coed groups once thrived in the industry. In the 1990s and early 2000s,

Some 27,000 fans roared as they chanted “J-Hope” over and over until the K-pop star finally appeared on stage at exactly 7 p.m., wearing sunglasses and a striking red outfit, for his encore solo concert “J-Hope Tour ‘Hope on the Stage’ Final” at Goyang Sports Complex, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Marking the final stop of his world tour that began in end of February, J-Hope kicked off the show with four back-to-back tracks — “What If,” “Pandora’s Box,” “Arson” and “Stop.” “What’s up, Army (BTS’ fa

The highly anticipated “2025 BTS Festa” kicked off Friday at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, drawing BTS fans from around the world to celebrate the group’s debut on June 13, 2013. The two-day event runs through Saturday as part of the annual “BTS Festa,” which this year marks the band’s 12th anniversary. "2025 BTS Festa" opened its doors at 10 a.m. in Halls 9 and 10 of Kintex Exhibition Center II. From the start, crowds stretched nearly a kilometer outside the venue, with the line showing

Ador, the K-pop label behind NewJeans, is launching a global search for its next boy group. The Hybe music subsidiary announced its 2025 Ador Boys Global Audition, Thursday, through its official website and social media channels, unveiling the slogan “All Doors Open Right here.” The phrase signals an open call for bold, creative talent with limitless potential, according to the label. The auditions are open to any male born in or after 2006, regardless of nationality. Online submissions for the

SM Entertainment’s rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts is once again under scrutiny over alleged excessive security measures after a fan claimed she was physically assaulted by a guard during the group’s recent airport appearance. The incident occurred Sunday in the shuttle train boarding area of Incheon Airport's passenger terminal as the group was departing for China. A video widely circulated on social media earlier this week shows what appears to be a Hearts2Hearts security guard striking a woma

A Chinese woman in her 30s has been arrested for attempting to break into the home of BTS member Jungkook, just hours after he was discharged from his mandatory military service. According to the Yongsan Police Station on Thursday, the woman was apprehended around 11:20 p.m. Wednesday after being caught repeatedly trying to enter the passcode at the front door of Jungkook’s residence in Yongsan, central Seoul. Police responded to a report and arrested her at the scene on suspicion of attempted t

XngHan, formerly Seunghan of SM Entertainment’s boy group Riize, is set to return to the spotlight with his solo debut in late July — nearly nine months after stepping away from the group amid personal controversies. According to SM Entertainment on Thursday, the singer will now promote under the stage name “XngHan,” a stylized form of his Korean name pronounced the same but spelled with an “X” to signify “infinite potential and crossover.” The agency said the new name reflects his ambition to d