BTS’s J-Hope announces plans to enlist in South Korean military

APPOINTMENTSBeatport Group has appointed Sofia Ilyas to the newly created role of Chief Community Officer. In that job she will “oversee the company’s diversity, inclusion and social action efforts” and also “head corporate communications, set the strategy for emerging growth markets and manage the company’s numerous partnerships with DJ and producer community organisations around the world”.The UK’s Entertainment Agents’ Association has a new President, Paul Winteridge from Exeter-based agency the Vern Allen Group. Says he: “It is with pride and excitement that I take on the role of President in what continues to be a difficult time for live entertainment.

Jinyoung is set to enlist into the South Korean military next month.Today (April 5), South Korean news outlet JTBC reported that the GOT7 member has received his military enlistment notice and would begin his mandatory service in May, adding that the K-pop idol would serve as an active-duty soldier.The report has since been confirmed by Jinyoung’s agency BH Entertainment. In a statement to South Korean media, BH Entertainment said that the K-pop idol “will receive basic military training at the training center [starting] on Monday, May 8 and fulfill his military duty as an active-duty soldier”, per Osen, as translated by Soompi.Jinyoung will be the second member of GOT7 to enlist in the South Korean military, following leader JAY B in February.

Suga of K-pop boyband BTS has announced his debut solo album under his alias Agust D.Big Hit confirmed in a tweet today that the album will be called ‘D-Day’ and is set to land on April 21 at 1pm Korean time and at midnight Eastern time.Solo music from Suga had been anticipated for some time following BTS’ hiatus. He had already announced back in February that he will be the first member of BTS to go on a solo world tour.

P1Harmony are set to perform in Canada and Latin America later this year, as part of their ‘P1ustage H: P1ONEER’ tour.Today (March 29), the K-pop boyband released a poster for the upcoming Canadian and Latin American legs of their ‘P1ustage H: P1ONEER’ tour. The forthcoming concerts will take place from July 9 to 30, with more details set to be released soon.P1Harmony’s ‘P1ustage H: P1ONEER’The new tour dates follow the South Korean and US legs of P1Harmony’s ‘P1ustage H: P1ONEER’ tour, which saw the boyband perform 14 shows over two months in January and February this year.[Notice] 2023 P1Harmony LIVE TOUR [P1ustage H : P1ONEER] IN CANADA AND LATAM 개최 안내➕ https://t.co/GYYydKO9sv#P1Harmony #피원하모니 #P1H #P1ustage_H #P1ONEER pic.twitter.com/DBlZN6kd3I— P1Harmony official (@P1H_official) March 29, 2023At the same time, tour organiser Studio PAV has released a Google Forms survey for fans to give feedback on which cities they would like to see P1Harmony perform in.

GOT7 member BamBam has unveiled his first full-length album ‘Sour & Sweet’, along with a music video for the lead single of the same name.Today (March 28), the Thai K-pop idol made a comeback with his debut studio album ‘Sour & Sweet’. The release was accompanied by a music video for its lead single, featuring the singer playing cat and mouse with a potential love interest.“It’s sour then it’s sweet / Sometimes, I could be more than what you see / This tastes like fantasy, fantasy / Dare to taste or fall into my recipe / It’s sour then it’s sweet,” he sings on the dance-pop song.‘Sour & Sweet’ features eight tracks, seven of which – including the title track – were co-written by the GOT7 singer.

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK and Lady Gaga have been invited to perform for US president Joe Biden and South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at an upcoming state dinner.According to a report by South Korean news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily, the pop stars have been invited to perform at an upcoming US state dinner between US president Biden and South Korean president Yoon.Yoon is set to make a state visit to the US on April 26, which will feature a joint cultural event at a state dinner with the US president. The dinner will reportedly begin with an opening ceremony, at which BLACKPINK and Lady Gaga have been invited to perform at.YG Entertainment has since confirmed that the girl group have received an invitation.

Red Velvet have announced their upcoming ‘R to V’ world tour.Today (March 27), the quintet revealed that they will be bringing their upcoming ‘R to V’ concert tour to major cities in Asia and Europe. The girl group had initially announced two shows in Seoul, South Korea for their concert tour.The Asia leg of Red Velvet’s ‘R to V’ world tour will kick off an April 21 in Singapore.

Tamar Herman South Korean alt-rocker Loren (stylized LØREN) has written songs for Blackpink and G-Dragon, appeared at South By Southwest and recently partnered with 88Rising, leading to a performance at the influential collective’s summertime Head in the Clouds festival — all before he released his first album. Out Friday (March 24), the EP “Put Up a Fight” is the result of a years-long effort while working at the Black Label, a prominent South Korean record company associated with Blackpink’s home YG Entertainment. According to the singer-songwriter, a full-length follow-up is almost finished.  Loren, born Lee Seung-joo, hopes to ingest a bit of punk and grunge to South Korea’s rock scene, and “Put Up a Fight” is his call to arms to like-minded music fans. Even amid waning popularity worldwide, and especially in South Korea where only the occasional indie or pop-rock band makes registers a blip, Loren is undeterred. 

WOODZ has announced his 2023 ‘OO-LI’ world tour.The K-pop musician is set to kick off his tour with a two-night concert in Seoul, South Korea on May 20 and 21. WOODZ will then start the Asian leg of his world tour, which will feature 7 shows in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and more over the next month.At the start of July, the singer will wrap up the Asia leg with two shows in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok, before headed to Mexico on July 6.

BLACKPINK have announced that Sabrina Carpenter, The Rose and more will join them as support acts for their upcoming appearance at BST Hyde Park this summer.Back in October, it was revealed that BLACKPINK would be making their debut UK festival performance at the 2023 edition of British Summer Time. The announcement means that they will soon become the first K-pop act to headline a major UK festival.Now, four new artists have been added to the line-up – set to support the K-pop band at the event on Sunday, July 2.

CRAVITY have announced the dates for the North American leg of their upcoming ‘Masterpiece’ world tour.The Starship Entertainment group will start the North American leg of their world tour at Webster Hall in New York on June 16, before heading to Chicago’s Copernicus Center on June 18. CRAVITY will also play a show in the US territory of Puerto Rico on May 20, before heading back stateside with concerts in Atlanta and Dallas, before wrapping things up in Los Angeles.Aside from the US leg, CRAVITY’s ‘Masterpiece’ world tour will also see the boyband perform two shows each in the Japanese cities of Osaka and Yokohama.

IVE are set to release their debut album in April, as confirmed on Twitter.The girl group shared the news earlier today (March 16), writing “IVE, THE 1ST ALBUM, <I’ve IVE>. 2023.04.10 MON 6PM (KST).

In “Kill Boksoon,” a female hitman finds out that killing is simpler than raising a kid. Fresh off its world premieres at the Berlinale last month, South Korean director Byun Sung-hyun‘s new film stars “Secret Sunshine” actress Jeon Do-yeon as an assassin that sees her family and professional lives collide to antic results.

Minhyuk, a member of the boyband MONSTA X, has confirmed that he’s set to enlist in the South Korean military very soon.Yesterday (March 13), the singer shared a handwritten letter, per TV Report, on the group’s fan cafe site to inform fans of his enlistment date. Under South Korean law, all able-bodied male citizens must serve a military term of 18-21 months.Minhyuk revealed that he will be enlisting on April 4, adding that he is already “feeling sad” about the situation.

BTS member J-Hope has just become the first member of the K-Pop supergroup to achieve a solo entry in the Official Singles Chart Top 40. 

Suga of K-pop boyband BTS and soloist IU are reportedly set to reunite for yet another collaboration.Today (March 10), South Korean media outlet SpoTV News reported that the two K-pop idols are set to release a new song together. If true, it would be the duo’s second collaboration, following their 2020 song ‘eight’.Big Hit Music has since spoken out about the report in a statement to Sports Today, saying that it is currently “difficult to confirm” whether or not Suga and IU are working together on new music.Suga will be the first member of BTS to go on a solo world tour.

While it's nothing new, and we're certainly not complaining, Harry Styles' name is inescapable right now.

Rebecca Souw Whether it’s overcoming a mental handicap or fighting for their rights, Korea’s women-led stories are evolving as the local industry kicks some of its dated stereotypes for female characters. Recent shows “The Glory,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Little Women” and “Twenty-Five, Twenty-One” not only delve into social issues in Korea, but highlight the strength and depth of character of their female leads. Three of these were top-10 shows for Netflix in 2022, while data from FlixPatrol shows revenge thriller “The Glory” as the number one TV show on the streamer this year in South Korea, as of Feb. 24.

VIXX rapper Ravi has admitted to recent charges of attempting evading military service.In January, The Korea Times reported that the 30-year-old idol had been identified by prosecutors as a possible client of a broker known as Mr Gu, who was indicted for helping men receive exemptions from South Korea’s compulsory military service by falsifying health records.Gu reportedly promoted his services by sharing that a famous idol rapper had utilised their service, and consequently received a grade IV in his fitness and health evaluation, allowing him to serve in the social services department instead of becoming an active duty soldier.Back in October 2022, Ravi had announced his enlistment as a social service worker due to unspecified “health reasons”.Following the news reports, Ravi’s self-founded agency GROOVL1N released a statement that it was “closely examining the truth about the situation”, adding that the idol would cooperate fully in the investigation. At the time, neither the agency nor Ravi confirmed or denied the claims of his alleged attempt to evade service.According to Newsis, Ravi admitted to violating South Korea’s Military Service Act at the Seoul Southern District Court on March 6.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV production operations, the T-Joy cinema chain and Toei Animation. Last month, it said that it had beaten its film revenue record, thanks to the success of titles including “The First Slam Dunk,” “The Legend of Butterfly” and “One Piece Film Red.” The stake increase also follows PIF’s February announcement that it had increased its stake in Japanese games and console maker Nintendo to 8.26% and that (along with the Singapore state fund GIC) was a buyer of a $966 million bond issue from Korean entertainment-tech firm Kakao Corp.