For some 20 years, K-pop artist Kim Jae-joong has been hounded by fans stalking him to get a sneak peek into his private life. A week ago Kim Jae-joong decided to stand up for himself and take legal measures against “sasaeng” fans -- industry slang referring to fans who invade an artist‘s private life, often exhibiting problematic and obsessive behavior. “We are currently gathering information about Kim Jae-joong’s sasaeng fans and the private taxis they hired to st

South Korean laws have limited scope in enforcing ticket scalping regulations, according to the Record Label Industry Association of Korea's Chairman Yoon Dong-hwan, who spoke in response to the association's recent report on ticket scalping laws in several foreign countries. The report, published Tuesday, compares the ticket scalping policies and laws of seven countries -- Japan, China, Taiwan, the US, Canada, France and Belgium. Ticket scalping in these countries is subject to fines

Singer-songwriter and actress IU will release her sixth mini album, “The Winning,” on Feb. 20, according to Edam Entertainment. The artist’s new album is the first in two years and two months after the release of her special extended play, “Pieces," in December 2021. The teaser clip of IU’s upcoming album uploaded to her official YouTube channel shows the artist with long bleached hair, wearing a red outfit. IU is seen spraying a red-colored spray at the camera

South Korean boy band Vanner is contending for victory in the K-pop scene this year with a full transformation of their image from fresh youth to powerful and charismatic artists. “We want to show that Banner is a group that can handle sexy, powerful and charismatic themes through our second mini album, ‘Capture the Flag,’” said Taehwan of Vanner during a group interview in Seoul on Thursday. The quintet’s new album, scheduled to be released on Tuesday at 6 p.m., is

JYP Entertainment’s new girl group VCHA debuted with the single album “Girls of the Year” Friday. VCHA is the first multinational girl group that JYP has launched in the US. The group consists of six members from Korea, the US, and Canada. They were chosen through JYP and the American music label Republic Record’s K-pop girl group production project “A2K” which aired on YouTube in July last year. The single album is led by the titular track “Girls of the

Ten of the K-pop boy group NCT is making his official solo debut in February. According to SM Entertainment, Ten will release his first solo mini album "Ten" on Feb. 13. He is the second member from NCT to debut solo, following Taeyong who released "Shalala" last year. The EP carries a total of six tracks, all sung in English. Ten, a Thai member of the multi-national idol group, made his debut as part of NCT U in 2016. He has also participated as a member of different boy g

Explore guitars at Guitarnet Showroom While enjoying a weekend stroll through Apgujeong, visit the Guitarnet Showroom, where you can feast your eyes on an array of colorful guitars. Just a 5 to 7-minute walk from Apgujeongrodeo Station's Exit No. 6 on the Suin-Bundang Line, the oval-shaped, dark gray store cannot be missed after making a right turn at the Hana Bank. Insa-dong’s Nagwon Instrument Arcade, also known as the Nagwon Music Mall, is widely considered to be a musicians&#

NewJeans won Group of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop female act to take home such an honor. NewJeans is attending the ceremony to take place on March 6 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, according to the group's agency, Ador. Billboard Women In Music Awards is an annual event held by Billboard, established in 2007 to recognize women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business. Other honorees for this year&

With Ahyeon back in the group, Babymonster is releasing its new single “Stuck In The Middle” on Feb. 1 YG Entertainment made the surprise announcement of the new release with a video on its official YouTube channel on Thursday. “Ahyeon has fully recovered and she is now back recording the singles for the group’s upcoming album. We wanted to drop this announcement that many of you have been waiting for as soon as possible,” YG founder and executive producer Yang Hyu

YEONGJONGDO, Incheon -- Inspire Arena, the first multipurpose arena in South Korea created and managed by Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, aims to offer a whole new experience for concerts, festivals and sporting events. That begins with visitors buying tickets indoors and waiting in the lobby that can accommodate up to 6,000 for the event to start. Making the wait less tedious is the lobby's kinetic chandelier, or Rotunda. Three main gates at the arena help divert traffic and the aren

TWS, the much-anticipated boy group from Pledis Entertainment, made its debut Monday with the release of its first EP, “Sparkling Blue.” TWS is the first K-pop boy group to debut in nine years under Pledis Entertainment, the agency that houses K-pop sensation Seventeen. “We’ve worked hard to accomplish this dream of debuting as a K-pop act. We will continue to do our best to shine even brighter,” said member Dohoon during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. &ldqu

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim will release its third EP, “Easy,” on Feb. 19. Le Sserafim announced its comeback on the fan community platform Weverse on Monday. The upcoming album is about the anxiety and worries that exist behind the group’s confident appearance, according to Source Music. This is the first time that the group will sing about their insecurities, as all their past releases have been about being fearless. Le Sserafim’s return with a new album in Korea comes

Behind every stage beaming with blinding lights are hours spent in the dark, getting ready for that moment in the limelight. The road to debuting as a K-pop artist is likewise a difficult and exacting one. It is a journey that Evnne sings about in its second EP, “Un: SEEN,” released Monday. “We tried to talk about our hidden scars in this album. Such scars represent the difficult journey we’ve been through trying to debut as a K-pop act. As you know, our group consist

K-pop artist IU has changed the title of her upcoming single from “Love Wins” to “Love Wins All” after a backlash from sexual minorities and fans alleging queerbaiting. “We recognized that the original title of the single could blur the message of the song. We would like to respect and support everyone who loves and lives in various ways,” said Edam Entertainment, the agency representing IU, in a press release on Friday. The agency revealed on Thursday the IU&

K-pop groups Le Sserafim and Ateez will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this year. Le Sserafim will take the stage on April 13 and April 20, while Ateez will perform on April 12 and April 19. The festival will take place on April 12-21 at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, according to the festival’s promoter Goldenvoice, Tuesday. Le Sserafim is the only K-pop girl group in the lineup for Coachella this year. The group’s performance at Coachella com

Hui of K-pop boy band Pentagon has now begun his solo career, releasing his first official solo album, “Whu Is Me: Complex,” on Tuesday. The artist opted for a self-explanatory title for his first EP. “I asked myself ‘Who am I?’ while working on this album. I concluded that Hui is just who I am, me. I added the word ‘complex’ because it was my complex that led me to work hard on overcoming the things that I do not like about myself,” Hui said durin

FT Island is embarking on an Asia tour, “2024 FT Island Live ‘Hey Day’ in Asia,” this month to meet with its fans abroad. The band’s first stop is Macao on Jan. 27, followed by Bangkok on Feb. 3, Taipei on Feb. 18, Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 24, Hong Kong on March 2, Jakarta on March 16 and Singapore on March 22, according to FNC Entertainment. Tickets to the shows in Taipei and Kuala Lumpur are already sold out. FT Island is preparing a setlist that includes a solo drum

Sistar19, the unit from the now-defunct girl group Sistar, is back with a new single album “No More (Ma Boy).” This is the duo's first new single album in 11 years. Hyolyn and Bora of Sistar19 show what it is to sing and dance in a relaxed and composed manner, a change that comes from years in the K-pop scene. “We released our first digital single as Sistar19 just three years after our debut so we were really tense when performing. But with this new album, we wanted to sho

K-pop girl group Nmixx hopes to break prejudice and create a society in which everyone can be equally loved, which is a message the group hopes to portray through its new EP, “Fe304: BREAK.” Donning strange but cute hats, the group held a press conference Monday to introduce its new album, the first in six months. “Today we are dressed in red and black. We hoped to represent prisoners who want to break free from the hardships they face in the real world and head toward a utopia

BTS’ Jungkook has been nominated in four categories at this year's People’s Choice Awards, a record-breaking feat for a K-pop soloist. The list of nominees for the 2024 People’s Choice Awards unveiled on Thursday showed Jungkook was nominated for the Male Artist of the Year, the Pop Artist of the Year, the New Artist of the Year and the Collaboration Song of the Year awards. The People’s Choice Awards is a US awards show that began in 1975 to recognize people in the