At 8:50 a.m. on Thursday, Chairman Bang Si-hyuk of Big Hit Entertainment, home to K-pop phenom BTS, rang the bells marking the company’s initial public offering at the Korea Exchange headquarters in Seoul. A huge step forward for the 15-year-old company, and also one of the most anticipated IPOs of the year, the listing ceremony was livestreamed on YouTube -- a first in the bourse operator’s history. “We began as a small entertainment company that set out to bring healing th

In the last few years, K-pop has become more than just a music genre. Its influence has not only been proven on the Billboard charts and on US TV shows, but has also spilled over into the realm of diplomacy. Recently, global sensation BTS faced an uproar after the group received an award from the Korea Society, which celebrates South Korea-US ties. In an acceptance speech, leader RM mentioned the “pain of history” in a reference to the 1950-1953 Korean War. His seemingly innocuou

K-pop megastar BTS has ranked fifth on the Billboard's main singles chart with its latest hit "Dynamite" that had topped the list for three weeks, Billboard reported. "BTS' 'Dynamite' drops 2-5 on the Hot 100, after three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, as it posts an eighth week atop Digital Song Sales," the US music publisher said Monday (US time). The seven-member act made history with the English-lyric pop song by becoming the first South Korean band to top the Hot 100 c

Seventeen released its new album, “Semicolon,” Monday, with a message of encouragement for young people to take some time off in their busy lives. “Just like the album’s title symbolizes a pause in a sentence, we wanted to convey a message that it’s OK to take a break from the everyday struggles and that it’s going to be a preparation for a journey called life,” said Vernon during an online press conference in Seoul on Monday. Marking the group&rsquo

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's latest album ranked No. 6 on Billboard's main album chart this week, coming in the top 10 on the chart for the second consecutive week, according to Billboard. "The Album," the first full-length album of the quartet, ranked No. 6 with 35,000 equivalent album units earned in the second week of its release, Billboard reported Sunday (US time). The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart last week, setting a new record for a South Korean girl gro

Chen, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, will join the military later this month to fulfill his mandatory military service, his agency said Friday. The 28-year-old, whose legal name is Kim Jong-dae, is set to enlist on Oct. 26, according to SM Entertainment. The agency did not elaborate further on the venue and schedule of the enlistment. "I will fulfill my duty with a fit mind and body so that I can come back and say hello as a more mature person," he said in a handwritten note posted

AKMU’s Lee Suhyun is stepping forward to show her own colors with her first solo single “Alien.” “Working as part of AKMU, I realized my musical preference was evolving, and feeling the change, I wanted to produce something of just my taste. That was how ‘Alien’ was born,” Suhyun said in an interview with The Korea Herald ahead of the single’s official release at 6 p.m. Friday. “It’s full of unique yet peppy sounds. And I hope that,

The upcoming special album by K-pop boy band Seventeen has scored more than 1 million preorders ahead of its release next week, the group's management agency said Friday. "Presales of 'Semicolon' topped 1.1 million as of Friday," Pledis Entertainment said. "It is expected to become its second million-seller album, following the previous 'Heng:garae.'" The 13-member band will release its new special album "Semicolon" on Monday, along with the music video of its tit

K-pop boy band BTS won the Top Social Artist award at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), their fourth consecutive victory in the category. At the award event held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles without spectators on Wednesday (US time), the septet beat Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, as well as fellow K-pop acts EXO and GOT7. BTS has won the fan-voted Top Social Artist category since 2017. The group thanked its global fanbase, called "Army," for helping it earn the awa

K-pop superstar BTS became the first-ever musical act in history to top Billboard's Social 50 chart for 200 weeks in a row this week. Billboard said Tuesday (US time) that BTS ranked No. 1 on this week's Social 50 chart, reigning the chart for the longest ever streak by any musician. The Social 50 chart, launched in December 2010, measures an artist's popularity and engagement on social media. The seven-member boy band first landed on the chart in October 2016, climbed to No. 1 on July 29, 2

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK called its latest project -- appearing in the first K-pop documentary produced by Netflix -- something that gave "much-needed time" for the quartet that has emerged as one of the most successful acts in the K-pop industry. Netflix is set to release "BLACKPINK: Light up the Sky," an original documentary that follows BLACKPINK's journey from being teenage trainees to a K-pop phenomenon. "It was a time for us to get to know each other mor

Director Caroline Suh hopes to deliver the “human side” of the K-pop superstars

The eccentric yet addictive tourism promotional videos featuring Korean music act Leenalchi and the Ambiguous Dance Company are back -- with three more videos featuring other South Korean cities. The latest videos, released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) late Tuesday, introduce the picturesque seaside city of Gangneung; Andong, known for its traditional ambience; and the southwestern port city of Mokpo, with its rugged charm. The three videos have together racked up more than 1 millio

K-pop superstar BTS will open online pop-up stores inspired by its latest studio album, "Map of the Soul: 7," next week amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, the band's management agency said Tuesday. "BTS Pop-up: Map of the Soul" will first open on the septet's online fan community BTS Weverse for fans in South Korea and the United States on Oct. 23 and run until Jan. 24, 2021, according to Big Hit Entertainment. From Nov. 14, separate online stores will be availa

The music video of "Boombayah," K-pop megastar BLACKPINK's debut song, became the band's third video to exceed 1 billion YouTube views on Tuesday. The music video hit the milestone around 8:26 a.m., four years after its release in August 2016, according to YG Entertainment. Prior to "Boombayah," "Ddu-du Ddu-du," a hit song released in 2018, and "Kill This Love," dropped in 2019, achieved the feat. No K-pop band other than the quartet has three music vid