BTS Member Suga Begins Alternative Military Service In South Korea

DAWN has announced that he has begun his mandatory military service and will serve as a public service worker.Under South Korean law, it is compulsory for all able-bodied male citizens to serve a military term of 18-21 months. Public service workers are assigned to public health centers, regional offices, and other government offices – men who are considered not fit enough for active duty often enlist in these roles.DAWN shared the news of his enlistment on Instagram earlier today (October 12). “I’m greeting everyone with slightly sudden news!” He wrote on his story (translated by Soompi).

BTS’ Jimin will release a vinyl edition of his debut solo record ‘FACE’, BIGHIT MUSIC announced earlier today (October 12).The album first arrived in March and marked Jimin’s official solo debut, following a handful of solo tracks shared on Soundcloud.The vinyl version of ‘FACE’ is available to pre-order in South Korea and Japan now, and from 11am KST (10pm ET) on October 18 in the US and Europe. It will start shipping on December 8 in Korea, December 15 in Japan and January 12, 2024 in the US and Europe.“It resonated deeply with the fans for its authentic expression of the emotions he had felt over the past two years,” the Weverse announcement said of ‘FACE’.

NMIXX member Jini has returned to music to make her solo debut with the single ‘C’mon’, taken from her first solo mini-album, ‘An Iron Hand In A Velvet Glove’.The singer and rapper left the JYP Entertainment girl group in December 2022 due to “personal circumstances”.Jini has collaborated with American rapper Aminé on ‘C’mon’, with the track – and the rest of the EP – composed and produced by NCT 127 and EXO collaborator MZMC. The record features both a Korean and English version of the track.In the accompanying music video, Jini plays a school girl distracted in class as she sees visions of animated characters.

Welcome to Deadline’s The Hot Ones, our guide to some of the best television being sold at Mipcom next week. Our editorial team has done extensive research in the run-up to the 2023 market and handpicked what we think are sure to be the shows that will be big talking points at this year’s event in Cannes. In between meetings and cocktail parties, you’re sure to hear whispers about the next potential global hit and The Hot Ones is here to guide you. Here’s our pick of top scripted titles headed for the Croisette.

NiziU is heading to South Korea!

MONSTA X, GOT7 and Wanna One performed dance covers of songs by NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM and their own groups at a military event this weekend.ArmyFest (also known as Ground Forces Festival) is an annual “military cultural festival” hosted by the South Korean Army and features performances and parades alongside military-related displays.This year’s event featured MONSTA X’s Minhyuk, GOT7’s Jinyoung and former Wanna One members Ha Sungwoon and Ong Seongwu performing dance covers for the audience.

BTS’ Jungkook has announced details of his first solo concert, which will be titled ‘Golden Live On Stage’.The show will be held in the weeks following the release of the singer’s upcoming debut solo album, which is also called ‘Golden’.Jungkook will headline Seoul’s Jangchung Arena in Seoul, with the concert set to stream online for fans around the world. It will take place on November 20 at 8pm KST (11am GMT), with tickets available for fans who hold ARMY membership or who have purchased ‘Golden’ from the Weverse Shop.“Jungkook ‘Golden’ Live On Stage will feature performances of various tracks in the album,” a notice on Weverse read.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Romantic comedy “Love Reset” grabbed the box office crown in South Korea on the weekend following the Chuseok holiday period. But numbers reverted to the pre-festival downtrend. Directed by Nam Dae-joong, “Love Reset” is the story of a young couple in the midst of divorce who are involved in a car accident and lose their memories.

In addition to her duties serving on the jury of Busan’s New Currents competition, U.S.-based producer Christina Oh will be meeting a group of Korean filmmakers at the festival to talk about upcoming film projects and attempt to build more bridges between the film industries of Korea and the U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “I hope we can communicate and reconcile again,” said Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon on the opening night of the South Korean city’s film festival. With so much of the dialogue in opening drama “Because I Hate Korea” discussing Korean societal rigidities, group loyalties, long working hours and poor pay (which cause the protagonist to emigrate to laid-back New Zealand), it is easy to forget that many of these characteristics are what may have saved this year’s Busan International FIlm Festival from going off the rails.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A trio of local films released in time for the Chuseok holiday season dominated the South Korean box office over the latest weekend. Comedy fantasy “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman” dominated. It earned $5.98 million between Friday and Sunday with a more than 48% market share.

Lee Sang Yeob is getting married!

All seven members of Korean singing sensations BTS have signed new contracts with Big Hit Music, a label operated by HYBE Corporation.

Thania Garcia BTS will be renewing their contracts under Big Hit Music, the seven-member South Korean boyband’s longtime label announced on Wednesday. With some of its members having enlisted in government-mandated military service, the label ensured fans that the band will continue to work with the Big Hit “on their future releases from 2025 onwards,” according to a statement shared by Big Hit’s parent company HYBE. “BigHit Music will take into consideration the military service status of some of the members and plans to sign with each BTS member sequentially,” their notice continued.

BTS have renewed their contracts with Big Hit Music, a subsidiary owned by South Korean media giant HYBE.This is according to a statement by Big Hit Music, as seen by several South Korean news outlets including Yonhap News Agency and Sports Chosun, following a decision by the company’s board of directors.Per Sports Chosun, the renewal of the BTS members’ contracts will not all happen at the same time. Instead, they will happen individually and sequentially, taking into account the military service status of the various members.“With the renewal of their contracts, we hope will be able to share with everyone a full group promotional period for BTS in 2025,” the K-pop agency said in the statement, as translated by Koreaboo.

Big Hit Music trainees have opened up about the members of BTS and whether the septet have changed since their debut.In a new interview with Korea Now, the English-language YouTube channel of South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency, former Big Hit Music trainees Kim Ji-hoon and Hwang Ji-hwan opened up about their experiences at the K-pop agency and training alongside the now-BTS members.Kim spoke about how he sometimes watches clips of BTS on YouTube, nothing that the septet are “the same as they used to be” when they were all trainees together. He added that, even then, he thought BTS leader RM “had leadership qualities”.

Suga is about to start his military service.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix and SK Broadband, one of South Korea’s largest internet service providers, said that they were ending all their lawsuits and would instead create a strategic partnership to provide better entertainment experiences to Korean customers. The legal dispute began in 2020 over whether content providers that generate large amounts of traffic should pay “network usage fees” in addition to the bills paid by the household end users, or whether that would go against the principle of net neutrality and lead to higher costs for consumers. Netflix said that it could offer a technological solution to traffic volume that it had provided to ISPs in other countries and to rival ISPs in Korea. But SK Telecom and its subsidiary SK Broadband held out and appeared to gain support for their position in the Korean parliament. “This strategic partnership with Netflix originates from the philosophy of SK Telecom and SK Broadband, where customer value is prioritized, and comes as part of our efforts to provide customers with an enhanced media service environment,” said SK Telecom’s Choi Hwanseok, VP of corporate strategy. “The partnership with SK Telecom, a leader in Korea’s telecommunication and innovative technology industries, holds special significance as it enables Netflix to enhance entertainment experiences for a broader Korean audience,” said Tony Zameczkowski, Netflix VP of APAC partnerships. “By teaming up with Netflix, SK Telecom and SK Broadband aim to help customers enjoy Netflix shows and films on mobile devices and IPTV (B tv) with easier access and payment options.

Veteran Korean actor Byun Hee-bong, best known for his collaborations with Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho, including Okja and Memories of Murder, has died. He was 81.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Byun hee-bong, a veteran South Korean actor who appeared in several films by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho, has died age 81. Byun died on Monday after complications related to a return of the pancreatic cancer that had previously occurred and been treated, according to the semi-official Yonhap News agency. The precise circumstances of his demise were not disclosed. He was born in Jangseon, South Jeolla Province, and started work at an unspecified time in live theater before becoming a voice performer for state TV network MBC in 1966. His TV work in the 1980s and 1990s included series including: 1981’s ”The First Republic”; 1985’s “The Joseon Dynasty 500 Years: Seouljungmae”; and 1999’s “The Legendary Doctor Hur Jun.” His first reliably recorded feature film work was in Bong’s breakout 2000 film “Barking Dogs Never Bite.” Byun appeared in significant roles in three other films by Bong: the cultish “Memories of Murder,” in 2003; 2006 Cannes presentation and box office hit “The Host”; and “Okja,” the creature feature which marked Netflix’s film production debut in Korea and which also appeared Cannes. Byun picked up half a dozen best supporting actor nominations in Korea and regionally in Asia for his role as Hie-bong in “The Host,” converting two of those into wins, at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and Korea’s Blue Dragon Awards.