A rush of veteran K-pop boy groups returning with new releases stirred up nostalgia among old K-pop fans and enriched the music scene. That includes the so-called "second-generation" boy groups, those who debuted between 2003 and 2011, such as legends SHINee, Ukiss, Infinite, Teen Top and TVXQ. SHINee started the comeback race with the release of its eighth studio album, "Hard," in June, breaking a hiatus of more than two years. The group celebrated its 15th anniversary this

Rookies who embarked on a new journey as K-pop idols this year wrote many firsts in K-pop history. Even in the overpopulated industry, the debut acts managed to set the bar high for those following their footsteps by setting new records. Zerobaseone, a group of nine artists chosen through Mnet’s idol survival program, “Boys Planet,” made its grand debut in July with its first EP, “Youth in the Shade.” According to local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart, 1.24 million

K-pop artist G-Dragon unveiled a plan on Monday to donate 300 million won ($230,237) to an anti-drug foundation he is establishing next year. According to G-Dragon's agency Galaxy Corporation, G-Dragon named the foundation "JusPeace Foundation," a word that combined “justice” and “peace.” The 35-year-old artist is donating 300 million won in the name of his now defunct group Big Bang’s fan community, VIP, to the JusPeace Foundation. “The foundat

Jennie of Blackpink announced a new beginning under a new agency that she has established for her solo career. “This year was filled with many accomplishments, and I’m so thankful for all the love I’ve received. I’m also excited about what’s to come, as I start my solo journey in 2024 with a company that I have established called OA. Please show lots of love for my new start with OA and of course, Blackpink,” Jennie wrote in a post uploaded on X, formerly Twit

BTS member Jimin topped the iTunes Top Song charts in 90 countries around the world with his new solo single, "Closer Than This," on Saturday, a day after its release, his agency said. The digital single was at No. 1 on the charts in the United States, Japan, Germany, France and dozens of other countries as of 8 a.m., according to BigHit Music. The tune is dedicated to ARMY, the band's fandom, in which Jimin promises he won't let go of "your hold" no matter what cha

Jungkook of BTS logged 100 million views on YouTube with the music video for his solo single “3D (Feat. Jack Harlow),” according to Big Hit Music on Friday. This is Jungkook's second solo music video to reach the milestone, following “Seven (Feat. Latto).” “3D” was released in late September and debuted on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and the UK’s Official singles chart at No. 5. The single stayed on Billboard’s main songs chart for nine weeks i

A digital single from Jimin of BTS will come out on Friday, said label Big Hit Music on Thursday. With solo single “Closer Than This,” he reminds fans of his love for them and promise he wants to keep. The artist also left a message to fans via the band’s YouTube channel asking fans to stay healthy and just be happy. He joined the military training camp along with bandmate Jungkook on Dec. 12. The two, as well as RM and V, will return in June 2025. In the meantime, the septet&

Singer-actor IU recently launched a civil lawsuit seeking compensation from an individual who raised plagiarism allegations against her, as local media outlets on Thursday reported that South Korean police have submitted the information related to the individual to court. The 31-year-old singer has been engaged in a legal battle seeking compensation for what her representatives claimed was defamation via groundless acts of slander. After investigators cleared her of plagiarism allegations in Sep

Pledis Entertainment, the agency that produced K-pop idol group Seventeen, is launching a new boy group for the first time in nine years. Called TWS, it is also the first rookie group that Pledis has produced after the company was acquired by Hybe in 2020. TWS, short for "Twenty-four seven with us," implies its music will be around fans all the time, Pledis said, adding that it aims to debut the group within January next year. "Like Seventeen, Pledis has followed a unique naming

K-pop artist G-Dragon is making a comeback next year and will establish a foundation aiming to, in his words, "eradicate drugs." In a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday, G-Dragon’s new agency Galaxy Corporation explained the result of the recent police investigation on the artist’s alleged illegal drug use and his plans for next year. G-Dragon did not attend the press conference. “The Police wrapped up the drug investigation on G-Dragon without suspension. We

Tomorrow X Together entered Oricon’s annual ranking 2023 for fourth consecutive year, according to the chart published on Wednesday. Its second studio album in Japan, “Sweet” made No. 11 on the album ranking followed by its third studio album in Korea, “The Name Chapter: Freefall,” and fifth EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” at Nos. 13 and 21, respectively. All three albums the quintet released this year made the chart. They also were on Billboard Jap

Two popular Korean webtoons available on Tappytoon, a digital webtoon platform developed and operated by Contents First, will be released as e-books in English. “The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway” written by author Kim Chacha and “I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog” by Jaekyum, will be released as English-language e-books, according to Contents First on Tuesday. The English e-book version of these webtoons was released on Amazon Kindle on Wednesday and wi

Key of SHINee is set to hold a solo concert in Seoul on Jan. 27-28, according to label SM Entertainment on Tuesday. The live show, named “2024 Keyland On: And On,” is his first solo gig in Korea in 15 months since the previous concert “G.O.A.T. In the Keyland.” The poster for the upcoming event featured a vending machine with several of the veteran idol’s signature furry mascot Boksiri wearing different costumes. Meanwhile, Key and his bandmates honored the late Jo

K-pop powerhouse Hybe unveiled the training and development program that gave rise to its superstars such as BTS, TXT, Le Sserafim and NewJeans. On Tuesday, the label released five episodes of training and development stories on its official YouTube channel. The video clips show many artists who have been trained by Hybe, including members of BTS, TXT, Enhypen, Le Sserafim and &Team, as well as the people in charge of the training and development program talking about their experiences. Hybe

JYP Entertainment has finalized the members of its new Japanese boy group, NexZ, through the global audition "Nizi Project Season 2." In the final episode of "Nizi Project Season 2," which ran on JYP's official YouTube channel and streaming service Hulu Japan, the seven members -- Tomoya, Haru, Yuki, Ken, Yu, Yuhi and Seita – were announced with their new group name NexZ. All but Ken, the only Korean member, are Japanese nationals. The global audition held prelimin