J-Hope of globally popular K-pop boy group BTS will work as an assistant instructor at an Army boot camp during the remainder of his mandatory military service, sources in the music industry said Wednesday. The sources revealed the member has recently been chosen for the position at the recruit training center of the 36th Infantry Division in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul. In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. The 29-year-old ent

SHINee will meet fans at its sixth standalone concert in Seoul on June 23-25, according to label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The concert, titled “Perfect Illumination,” will see the veterans go live in front of fans at home for the first time in over 6 1/2 years. Its most recent live gig was the online concert “SHINee World” held more than two years ago. The last day’s performance will be livestreamed online for fans from around the world. Over the weekend, the

During the 1970s and 1980s, South Korea experienced a flourishing chorus culture with numerous small and large chorus groups. Prior to the start of the 9 o'clock TV news program, art songs would be broadcast, and amateur competitions and festivals were abundant. It was around that time the National Chorus of Korea was founded in 1973, followed by chorus groups established by regional governments. This period marked a golden era for chorus culture in Korea, according to Yoon Eui-joong, t

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Global K-pop phenomenon BTS is dropping a new digital single next month, a surprise gift for fans amid its group hiatus. According to Big Hit Music on Wednesday, BTS will drop a new digital single called "Take Two" on June 9. "'Take Two' is a song for fans embodying the heartfelt emotions and stories BTS sends to its fans in celebration of its 10th anniversary," Big Hit Music said in a statement released Wednesday. The septet is set to celebrate its anniversary on

Six-piece boy band aims for rookie of the year

JYP Entertainment boy band Stray Kids have written themselves into K-pop history, logging the highest number of preorders for its upcoming album. Stray Kids' third full-length album “5-Star,” to release Friday, hit 4.93 million preorders on Tuesday, according to JYP Entertainment. Stray Kids became a million-selling act just three years since debuting with its second full-length album, “Noeasy,” in August 2021 selling more than 1.67 million copies. That success was f

RM of K-pop superband BTS will be named as the ambassador of the South Korean military's war remains recovery agency. Big Hit Music, the label behind the K-pop band, told The Korea Herald Wednesday that the BTS leader is set to be officially appointed as an ambassador for the Ministry of National Defense's Agency for the Recovery and Identification of those Killed in Action. A ceremony for the appointment is scheduled for Thursday, the label said, confirming earlier local media outlet

The first idol group produced by rapper Zico, Boynextdoor debuted Tuesday with the single "Who!" The six-piece band is the latest group from Hybe, the multilabel company that houses big-name artists the likes of BTS, Seventeen and NewJeans. Boynextdoor is the first group launched under Hybe's KOZ Entertainment label. Boynextdoor, consisting of Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak, held a press conference Tuesday at Blue Square in Yongsan, central Seoul. "It'

The fourth-generation K-pop girl group aespa is rewriting K-pop history for female bands with its latest album “My World.” The four-member group’s latest album sold more than 1.69 million units just within the first week of its release breaking records for a K-pop girl group, according to label SM Entertainment. This dethrones Blackpink, whose second full-length album “Born Pink” logged 1.54 million copies in September last year. Despite it being a mini album, the E

Paramount+ has unveiled the official poster and trailer for the second season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," scheduled to be released in June. For fans in Korea, the new season will premiere on Korean streaming platform Tving. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is a prequel to the iconic "Star Trek: The Original Series," revolving around beloved characters like Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Commander Una Chin-Riley, commonly known as Number One (Rebecca

Enhypen’s fourth EP, “Dark Blood,” headed straight to the top of Oricon’s weekly album ranking, according to the latest chart published on Tuesday. The mini album did so with only three day’s sales at 165,000 copies. The band placed six consecutive albums atop the chart, the second-best record for an international artist, said Oricon in an article online. The band ties with BTS and is only topped by Tomorrow X Together, which has seven. “Dark Blood” lan

After looking up to the West for a long time, many Koreans are perceptive to what Westerners think about the country and its people and yearn for their acknowledgement. Stories about Korean culture being featured in overseas projects -- mostly produced in the US -- regularly make local headlines. Back in 2017, people in Busan shared their excitement about how their port city would be shown in Marvel’s 2018-action flick “Black Panther” as soon as the news about the production te

K-pop boy band CIX members aspire to hold dome concert this year

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre wrapped up its four-day performance of “One Dance,” or “Ilmu” in Korean, at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from Thursday to Sunday. Directed by Jung Ku-ho, the iconic performance presents a modern reinterpretation of a traditional dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, a royal ceremonial performance encompassing singing, music and dance that took place during the royal ancestral rites at Jongmyo Shrine. Jung, a fashion designer-turned-