Hybe has appointed its current Chief Strategy Officer Lee Jae-sang to be the new CEO, the company said Wednesday. According to the K-pop powerhouse, Lee's appointment is to be finalized following approval at the upcoming shareholders and board of directors meetings. Lee has been selected to lead the forthcoming "Hybe 2.0" strategy, with a leadership transition project underway since the beginning of the year. Lee graduated from Yonsei University and previously worked at global man

Minho of SHINee will join the Paris 2024 Olympics as one of the “Olympic Friends,” said label SM Entertainment Wednesday. He and actor Lee Dong-wook were selected as the first “friends” of the sporting event and promoted the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 earlier this year. The veteran idol will attend the 33rd Olympic Games which open Friday and will root for the national team and promote the event. Separately, the singer and actor will return to TV screens as t

Hybe subsidiary Source Music and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin are taking legal action against each other for purportedly spreading false information regarding the launch of K-pop girl group NewJeans. Source Music took to social media platform X on Tuesday to post: “Min Hee-jin’s claim that Source Music copied her (girl group) launching strategy is false.” “We did not copy the launching strategy she presented when she was the then-chief business officer at Source Music,” Sou

Fueled by fans' excitement to see two beloved superheroes together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is currently the talk of the town here. Despite its R-rated status, as of Wednesday, the film achieved a 46.5 percent pre-sale rate with more than 210,000 tickets sold in advance. The pre-sale rate is nearly three times higher than that of its competitors, such as "Pilot" (18.2 percent) and "Despicable Me 4" (10.2 pe

JYP Entertainment announced last Thursday that it will establish a Latin America subsidiary in the third quarter of this year. The move is aimed at expanding its local business and better communicating with fans from the region. Ahead of JYP, the agency behind popular K-pop bands Twice, Stray Kids and Itzy, was Hybe, the powerhouse behind BTS, Seventeen and NewJeans. Hybe established a foothold in the Latin market with the opening of a Mexico-based business unit in November last year. The compan

An exhibition showcasing Jungkook, who debuted as the youngest member of BTS and has shown his capabilities as a solo artist, is set to open in Seoul at the end of August. Hybe's exhibition brand Hybe Insight announced that it will host "Golden: The Moments" from Aug. 30 to Sept. 22 at Le Meridien & Moxy in Myeongdong, Seoul. The exhibition is inspired by Jungkook's first solo album "Golden," released in November 2023. The music videos for "Seven" and

Legendary girl group 2NE1 will reunite for concerts and Blackpink will set off on a much-anticipated world tour next year. Yang Hyun-suk, founder and chief producer of YG Entertainment, revealed the company’s short-term plan Monday via its YouTube channel, announcing 2NE1 concerts in the second half of this year and Blackpink concerts next year. He also hinted that YG Entertainment is preparing a new K-pop band to debut in the near future. The most eye-catching announcement is the comeback

The debut performance of Korea's first public contemporary ballet company, Seoul Metropolitan Ballet, is set to break new ground in Korea's dance scene in August. Choreographer Joo Jae-man behind the inaugural production "A Midsummer Night's Dream," expressed his excitement at a press conference held Monday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. "In Korea, dance has been divided distinctly into ballet, traditional Korean dance and contemporary dance. I am so

South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest action film, “I, the Executioner,” has been invited to the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, continuing its streak of acclaim after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May, CJ ENM announced Tuesday. “I, the Executioner" is a sequel to 2015 blockbuster “Veteran.” "Veteran," which attracted 13.4 million cinemagoers in Korea during its run, was showcased in the vanguard category at the 20

South Korean label Starship Entertainment apologized for the excessive security actions taken against a fan of its boy group Cravity at an airport last month. The K-pop agency posted an official statement to the boy band's fan community on Monday in response to a fan’s post on X. The fan alleged that Cravity’s security guard physically assaulted and mocked them at Gimpo International Airport on June 23 as the band returned to Korea from promotional events in Japan. The fan, id

K-pop label Ador’s CEO Min Hee-jin denied allegations that she "stole" some of the bandmates who would form NewJeans from Source Music. On Tuesday, local entertainment media outlet Dispatch reported that Min took Minji, Hanni, Danielle and Haerin of NewJeans from Source Music, where they were being trained to become K-pop artists. According to the report, these four of the five-member group were part of a project group being called “N team” training under Source Music

The solo career of BTS’ Jungkook will be highlighted with a new exhibition, Big Hit Music said Tuesday. As the show title “Golden: The Moments” indicates, it will focus on the artist’s first solo album which came out in November last year, and give visitors a glimpse into the making of the album. Costumes and equipment he used on stage for live performances and the trophies he earned will be on display along with a series of unpublished photographs. The LP hit the Billboa

Taking part in the soundtrack of “Deadpool and Wolverine,” Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to release a song for Marvel's Deadpool series. The new song "Slash" is a collaboration between the group's in-house producing team 3Racha, composed of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, and K-pop songwriter Versachoi. "Slash" will be available on music streaming platforms starting at 6 p.m., Tuesday. Stray Kids has had a special connection with "Deadpool&q

K-pop rookie group Riize is making its official debut in Japan. The six-member boy group is releasing its first-ever Japanese single album “Lucky” on Sept. 5, according to SM Entertainment. Riize is promoting its upcoming Japanese single album by unveiling the B-side track in advance on July 29. The group is also embarking on a fan concert tour in Japan titled “Riizing Day” which kicks off July 30 in Kanagawa, Japan. The tour consists of 15 shows in nine cities in Japan i

Cube Entertainment, the agency behind K-pop girl group (G)I-dle, has apologized for using the Red Cross emblem on the group members' stage costumes. “We recognize that the stage costume had an issue. We contacted the Korean Red Cross to apologize and to actively discuss follow-up measures to prevent reoccurrences. We apologize once again to those concerned,” said Cube Entertainment on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. (G)I-dle wore a lifeguard-themed stage costume that included a