The legal battle between the K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty and its agency Attrakt continues to intensify as the group released a statement Thursday saying that it would reveal details of how they worked under surveillance and control. “We will disclose why we had to leave our agency and why we cannot go back,” Fifty Fifty members said on their social media account. The members of Fifty Fifty created the account as a channel of communication after they applied for an injunction to susp

Cube Entertainment’s K-pop girl group Lightsum returned to the music scene with its second EP, “Honey or Spice,” after a year and five months' break. “We tried to show a new side of our group when coming up with this album. We tried to avoid choosing songs that were similar to what we’d done in the past. The titular track of this album is very addictive so we’re sure that people will like it,” said Sangah, the leader of Lightsum, during a press conf

K-pop solo artist Dawn began his mandatory military service on Thursday, according to music label At Area. “I am going to deliver a bit of a sudden announcement. I am beginning my mandatory military service today by doing alternative service,” Dawn took to his social media. “Please understand that I could not share the information earlier as I wanted to enlist quietly. Nonetheless, I wanted to say that I am very thankful for my fans who always support me and I will be back afte

K-pop girl group Viviz is returning with a new album next month, according to BPM Entertainment. The trio, which consists of members Eunha, SinB and Umji, is releasing its fourth mini album, “Versus,” on Nov. 2. The latest release is the first in 10 months after the group’s third mini album “VarioUS.” Viviz had hinted at new music in a YouTube interview video on Sunday. BPM Entertainment also released the promotion schedule for the trio’s upcoming album in a p

K-pop girl group aespa will release its fourth EP, “Drama,” on Nov. 10, according to an announcement by SM Entertainment. The upcoming album will be led by the titular track “Drama,” and will have a total of six tracks which are expected to highlight aespa’s enhanced vocal and musical talents. SM Entertainment released a teaser clip for the EP which shows a video projected onto an old building of the members of aespa walking around in black boots, and then one of th

YG’s new K-pop girl group Babymonster is making its debut next month, according to YG Entertainment. The group will be filming its music video at the end of this month. YG says Babymonster’s debut album will be filled with high-quality tracks that have been gathered through song camps held with renowned foreign music producers and YG’s music producers. Babymonster is set to debut with a piece of powerful music. “We devoted our time and effort to choosing the group’s

SHINee’s Taemin is returning with a new solo EP titled “Guilty” on Oct. 30, according to SM Entertainment. His fourth solo mini album “Guilty” will carry six tracks, led by the titular track “Guilty.” This is Taemin’s first EP since his third EP “Advice” was released in May 2021. The artist hopes to capture global listeners with the upcoming album, which he filled with his unique colors. Taemin is recognized for his outstanding performa

Yeo One, Yanan, Yuto, Kino and Wooseok of the K-pop boy group Pentagon will not renew their exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment. “We’ve had an open conversation with members as their exclusive contract with our agency is near expiration. After a thorough discussion, Yeo One, Yanan, Yuto, Kino and Wooseok have decided to terminate their contract,” announced Cube Entertainment on Monday in a press release. “We want to thank them for being with us for seven long years

K-pop boy group n.SSign will continue promoting its debut album one member short, with Doha on a break due to health issues, according to n.CH Entertainment on Monday. “Doha has been having health issues and he is currently taking a break for a medical diagnosis of his symptoms," said the agency in a press release. "As we prioritize our artist’s health and stability, we have decided along with other members of n.SSign that it is for the best for Doha to halt group activitie

Global pop star Jungkook will hold a fan showcase, “Jungkook Golden Live On Stage,” at Jangchung Municipal Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 20, according to Big Hit Music. Jungkook will perform the tracks of his upcoming solo album, “Golden,” for fans at the event. The event was prepared at the request of Jungkook, as he wanted to perform for his fans and also wished to communicate closely with them. The artist is also expected to share some behind-the-scenes stories of bringing

KCON, the world’s largest Korean culture and music celebration, attracted 23,000 people in Saudi Arabia on Friday and Saturday, according to organizer CJ ENM on Sunday. Around 3.5 million more from around 171 countries enjoyed a live stream of the concert. Under the theme “Be A KCONer,” KCON offered diverse Korean cultural content such as talk shows with K-pop artists and K-pop performances. Many Korean brands from the food and beverage, cosmetic and lifestyle sectors opened up

ONF, the first K-pop boy group whose members enlisted in the military at the same time, has returned to the music scene after a 1 1/2-year hiatus. “We really missed being on stage and our fans during the time we were serving in the Army," said E-Tion of ONF during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. "We put all the emotions that we felt during the past months into our new album that revolves around a single theme, love.” The six-member group dropped its seventh mini

Legendary K-pop boy group TVXQ will be celebrating its 20th debut anniversary with its fans by releasing a new album, holding a concert and opening an exhibition in December. TVXQ debuted in December 2003 with its debut single, “Hug,” and will mark its 20th debut anniversary on Dec. 26. On the day, the group will be releasing its ninth full-length album, marking its first release in five years since the special album, “New Chapter No. 2: The Truth of Love,” in December 20

K-pop soloist Sunmi is unveiling her new digital single “Stranger” on Oct. 17. The single carries a total of three tracks—the title track “Stranger,” and two side tracks “Calm myself” and “Call my name.” Sunmi took part in producing and writing the lyrics to all of the tracks in her single album, according to Abyss Company. The teaser image of the upcoming single album shows Sunmi in a red outfit staring forward with a mysterious man standing

K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty’s agency, Attrakt, filed a compensation claim for 1 billion won ($736,000) against its subcontractor, The Givers, as well as The Givers' head, Siahn, and senior director, Baek Jin-sil, late last month, according to Attrakt on Wednesday. “The head producer of The Givers, Siahn, and its senior director, Baek Jin-sil, not only violated its business service contract obligations to Attrakt but also impeded our business and caused asset damage by deceiving

A diverse lineup of music festivals and concerts are set to welcome the fall season. The Jarasum Jazz Festival, the country’s biggest jazz festival which marks its 20th anniversary this year, kicks off on Oct. 6 and runs for four days on Jara Island, Gyeonggi Province. The event invites 19 foreign artists and 22 Korean artists including Birell Lagrene and Ulf Wakenlus, Julian Lage, Shai Maestro Quartet, Youn Sun-nah, Ju Hyun-mi Jazz Project and the Pasquale Grasso Trio. The venue for the f

The inflation rate for food prices at dining establishments and prices of processed foods has been increasing at a faster pace than the overall inflation rate for consumer goods, a state-led agency’s data showed Saturday. According to Statistics Korea, the inflation rate for food prices at dining establishments in August came to 5.3 percent, while the inflation of consumer prices reached 3.4 percent. Government data also showed that food prices at restaurants have been increasing for 27 st

Jungkook of BTS topped iTunes’ Top Songs charts in 100 different regions with his second solo single “3D,” according to Big Hit Music. The single “3D” featuring Jack Harlow swept iTunes charts in numerous countries, including the US, the UK, Japan, Canada, and Italy, immediately upon its release on Friday. The instrumental and alternate versions of “3D” also reached No. 2 and No. 3 on iTunes’ Top Songs charts in various countries. The music video f

NCT Dream will be featured in the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour which kicks off on Nov. 26. The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour is a holiday concert presented by Capital One, with the year’s top artists performing their No. 1 hits. NCT Dream will take the stage in Boston on Dec. 10, Washington D.C., on Dec. 11 and Atlanta on Dec. 14. Other artists joining the star-studded lineup for the event include SZA, Nicki Minaj, OneRepublic, Flo Rida, and Sabrina Carpenter. NCT Dream has been expa

K-pop girl group NewJeans will sing the anthem of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, “Gods,” according to Riot Games. The anthem will be released on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. The game developer has worked with popular musical artists for the championship theme song for the past 10 years, such as Imagine Dragons, Zedd and Lil Nas X, but it is the first time it is collaborating with a K-pop artist. Sebastien Najand, the head music producer of Riot Games, and Mako who produced the or