BTS is not planning on leaving a void while they are away serving their mandatory military duty. On Friday, V of BTS released a new English digital single, “Fri(end)s.” The single was played on Spotify more than 4.72 million times on the day of its release, quickly landing at No. 7 on Spotify’s Daily Top Song Global playlist. The new single broke V's record on the chart as his previous release, “Love Me Again,” a B-side track of his first solo album “Layo

HBO original series “The Sympathizer,” marking auteur director Park Chan-wook’s return to the small screen, will be available in Korea via the local streaming platform Coupang Play in April. The exact date of the Korean release has not been confirmed, but the series will hit HBO and its streaming platform, Max, in the US on April 14. The small-screen adaption of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Vietnamese American author Viet Thanh Nguyen boasts a stel

Jungkook of BTS who has been serving his national defense duty since December last year, gave fans an update on his life in the Army on Saturday. “ARMYs (fandom name), are you guys doing well? I’m doing well,” said Jungkook on the global fan communication platform Weverse. “I’ve been working out. I’ve also been cleaning even the ceilings. I’m also cooking. It’s mid-March already. I will update you again soon. I miss you guys a lot. Salute,” h

BTS member V topped the iTunes Top Song charts in 87 countries around the world with his new solo single, "FRI(END)S," on Saturday, less than 24 hours after its release, his agency, BigHit Music, said. The digital single was also at No. 1 on the Worldwide iTunes Song and European iTunes Song charts, respectively, as of 8 a.m. Released at 1 p.m. Friday (Korean time), the pop soul song is the artist's first solo project since "Layover," his debut solo album released in Sep

A Seoul ballet performance featuring Russia's star ballerina, Svetlana Zakharova, was canceled Friday due to public backlash over staging shows by individuals supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially amid the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. The Ukrainian-born Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet was scheduled to perform in "Modanse" at the Seoul Arts Center on April 17 and 19-21 with leading dancers from the same ballet troupe. Despite her position

Seventeen will join the lineup for this year's Glastonbury Festival, becoming the first K-pop act to do so, according to Pledis Entertainment on Friday. The 13-member act will perform at one of the UK's largest music festivals along with the likes of Dua Lipa, Cold Play, SZA, LCD Soundsystem and Little Simz. The outdoor event will last for five days starting June 26. The band was also invited to headline Lollapalooza Berlin slated for September 7-8. In the meantime, Seventeen will ki

South Korean actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee have been spotted on vacation at the same hotel in Hawaii, but both the actors' agencies on Friday declined to confirm rumors that the two are dating. According to posts on social media, Han and Ryu were reportedly seen vacationing together at a luxury hotel swimming pool in Hawaii. Amid the circling dating rumors, Ryu's agency released an official announcement. "It is true that Ryu is staying in Hawaii for photography work. We kindl

Kim Dong-jun, an actor and member of the K-pop group ZE:A, said he felt a lot of pressure in his role in "Korea-Khitan War," not only because it was such a large-scale project, but also when it came to portraying King Hyun-jong of the Goyreo Kingdom. Kim said he used the pressure he felt as an opportunity to challenge himself and tried to reflect the pressure in his acting. "Korea-Khitan War" is a 32-part historical drama produced by KBS, which narrates the story of the eig

Hwasa, who is continuing her music career both with girl group Mamamoo and as a solo artist, will hold her first stand-alone concert to meet fans. According to P Nation on Friday, Hwasa will host "Hwasa the 1st Fancon Tour 'Twits' in Seoul" at Sejong University's Daeyang Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul on April 20. Through the event, Hwasa will showcase a variety of sections, ranging from games to talk segments, as well as colorful performances, the agency added. Along with t

Singer-songwriter Stella Jang is set to hold a solo concert in April. The upcoming concert, dubbed "Interstellar Festival 2024," will be held at the Noduel Live House on Nodeul Island, Seoul, at 6 p.m. on April 13 and 5 p.m. on April 14. The poster, released through the singer's official social media, includes mysterious space-themed images. The concert will be a festival-style performance that will include various artists appearing on the stage. Stella Jang will deliver a unique

“Past Lives” (US) Opened March 6 Drama/Romance Directed by Celine Song Deeply connected childhood friends Hae-sung (Teo Yoo) and Nora (Greta Lee) are pulled apart when Nora's family emigrates from Korea to Canada. Time passes and the two are finally reunited for a fateful week after 24 years. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-like woman brought back from the dead by scientist Godwin Baxter (Will

Blackpink added another record under its belt as it reached 1 billion plays on Spotify with “How You Like That,” according to label YG Entertainment on Thursday. It is the first K-pop girl group -- and third female band, only after Fifth Harmony and Spice Girls – to hit the milestone with a single song and did so in the shortest time at three years and eight months. The group has amassed 12.6 billion streams on the platform so far and won a Guinness World Record last year as

K-pop rookies Lun8 returned with a new mini album, “Buff,” on Wednesday after seven months. “This album is about youth full of dreams and that we can make the dreams come true by creating a positive synergy when together,” said Chael of Lun8 during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. Lun8 consists of seven Korean members -- Chael, Jinsu, Junwoo, Dohyun, Ian, Eunho and Eunseop -- and one Japanese member, Takuma. The group debuted on June 15, 2023, with its first mini

J-Hope released the main trailer of his upcoming documentary series, “Hope on the Street,” on Thursday. The six-episode documentary series shows J-Hope visiting Osaka, Paris, New York and his hometown of Gwangju in Korea to connect and dance with street dancers on the scene. “It all started with dancing. I am curious to look back at what genres of dance I used to work with and also to look back on my roots. I want to find an answer to what the future I dream of is,” said

K-pop boy group Seventeen will headline Lollapalooza Berlin, scheduled to take place at the Olympiastadion and Olympiapark Berlin in Germany Sep. 7-8, according to Pledis Entertainment. Launched in 2015, Lollapalooza Berlin is one of the biggest music festivals in Europe. This is the first time that Seventeen is performing at a renowned music festival in Europe. They are also the only K-pop artist invited to the event this year. Other headliners performing at Lollapalooza Belin this year include