BTS to play and live-stream free concert in Busan, supporting city’s bid to host 2030 World Expo

VIXX rapper and soloist Ravi has returned with his fifth EP ‘Love&Holiday’ with two new music videos.On September 12 at 6pm KST, the musician dropped his latest EP ‘Love&Holiday’ under his self-established label GROOVL1N along with the music video for one of its two title tracks, ‘Kiss You’.The new music video is a compilation of clips from Ravi’s 2022 ‘Revoir’ concert, including interactions with the crowd and his backup dancers. The end of the video features a snipper of the musician saying to fans at the end of the show: “I will never forget this, goodbye! I love you.

Disney+ Day, the streaming service has announced that BTS’ Permission to Dance on Stage: LA is now available to stream exclusively on the platform.Permission to Dance on Stage: LA is a concert film recorded during the septet’s four-day residency at the SoFi Stadium on November 27 and 28, and December 1 and 2, 2021—a show that went on to become the biggest single venue concert engagement by any act in almost a decade, after selling 214,000 tickets and grossing US$33.3million (£25million).The film, shot in cinematic 4K, features performances from their first in-person concerts after two years, after live events were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.BTS are set to hold a free live performance in Busan next month, in support of the South Korean city’s bid to host the forthcoming 2030 World Expo. The concert, titled ‘Yet to Come in Busan’, will be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on October 15, 6PM KST.

A surprise for BTS fans on Disney+ Day. At 12 AM Thursday, Disney+ began streaming the concert film BTS Permission To Dance On Stage – LA worldwide as part of Disney+ Day.

Neon has acquired North American and UK rights to the horror-drama Handling the Undead, marking the narrative feature debut of Thea Hvistendahl, who previously directed the documentary Adjø Montebello and several short films, including the SXSW Grand Jury Award-nominated Virgins4lyfe. The project reteams the distributor with Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, who starred in its Oscar-nominated romantic drama The Worst Person in the World, directed by Joachim Trier.

Stray Kids have announced their upcoming return with ‘Maxident’ through a stunning new comeback trailer.On September 6 at Midnight KST, Stray Kids dropped a two-minute trailer for their upcoming mini-album ‘Maxident’, thereby officially announcing the release. This record, which marks the boyband’s seventh mini-album, will arrive on October 7 at 12am EST/1pm KST.In the new trailer — which appears to have been filmed in North America during their ‘Maniac’ world tour — the boyband wander the streets while soundtracked by a serene piano instrumental.The music switches up to an energetic EDM beat as they begin storming the city, but the members are soon interrupted by a mysterious phone call.

BTS’ potential military exemption.South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence has followed-up on minister Lee Jong-sup’s previous comments regarding a potential public poll on BTS’ military exemption, announcing that it will not be going forward with the poll.During an August 31 parliamentary hearing, defence minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers of plans to implement a national survey to gauge public opinions on exempting the boyband from mandatory military service. The ministry later clarified that officials were only examining the need of such a survey at the time.As of September 1 however, it confirmed that it will not be conducting a poll on BTS’ enlistment.“The Ministry of National Defence will not arrange a public poll on the matter, nor making decisions on the issue of BTS’ military service solely based on the result of the poll,” it shared through an official statement, as reported by SBS News.All able-bodied male citizens of South Korea are to enlist in the military by the age of 28, serving at least 18 months of mandatory service under the current law.

Big Mouth has come under fire for dialogue that allegedly perpetuates racial insensitivity.In the second episode of Big Mouth, which first aired on July 30, the series’ main character Park Chang-ho (played by Lee Jong-suk) provokes a fellow inmate on death row, asking if his mother had seaweed soup after giving birth to him.In South Korea, it is custom for Korean mothers to have seaweed soup after giving birth. However, Chang-ho continued to rile the inmate up by asking what his mother had eaten after his birth for him to grow into a psychopath.“Did your mother eat seaweed soup after giving birth to you? I am really curious as to what she ate to have given birth to a psycho like you.

As the debate in South Korea over whether or not BTS should serve military service continues to drag on, the latest idea is to put the matter to the South Korean public, as the country’s government has failed to reach a conclusion.Yeah, that’s right, a referendum on the future of a pop group. Why can’t we have votes like that, instead of bloody Brexit? Actually, this is more a survey to gauge public opinion than a full on referendum.

Jeff Benjamin With new headlines dropping daily about the global expansion of K-pop, overseas investors now have a chance to cash in. Today, Sept. 1, a K-pop and Korean-entertainment ETF — under the ticker name KPOP — launched on the NYSE Arca Exchange through South Korean IP investment company Contents Technologies. With top pop-culture players on board, KPOP marks the first time investors in the U.S. and Europe can access the companies most directly involved in the expanding K-pop music scene. Of the 30 corporations in the exchange-traded fund, the major holding companies of KPOP include several of the scene’s most internationally influential names, all publicly listed on the local Korea Composite Stock Price Index. 

ARMAGEDDON TIME (d. James Gray, U.S., 2022) BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico-U.S., 2022) BOBI WINE, GHETTO PRESIDENT (d.

BTS exemptions from mandatory military service.Debates over the necessity of BTS’ fulfilment of local military conscription requirements have long been a point of public contention, which have recently intensified as the boyband’s oldest member, Jin, is due to turn 30 this December. The law calls for all male Korean citizens – no older than age 30 – to enlist in the military for mandatory service.On August 31, The Korea Times reported that South Korea’s defence minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers that he has ordered officials to implement a survey to gauge the public’s opinions on BTS’ enlistment.

Officials in South Korea announced they are considering conducting a public survey to discern whether members of the K-pop band BTS should be exempt from the mandatory military service required of all men in the country. The oldest band member, Jin, will soon be forced to enlist, after he turns 30 in December, leading South Korean officials wondering how to move forward.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief More than 600 buyers from companies in 30 countries are expected to be in Seoul, South Korea from Wednesday for the in-person return of the Broadcast WorldWide convention, better known as BCWW. Although BCWW bills itself as Asia’s largest broadcasting content market, given the strength of the Korean wave, much of the focus will be on Korean content and the business of working with Korean companies. Registered buyers and potential partners include Amazon Prime, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, PCCW the Hong Kong-based owner of Viu, and China’s iQiyi, all of which have already become purveyors of K-programming. “For the past 22 years, BCWW has served as a foundation for K-content to garner the global attention it is getting today,” said Cho Hyun-rae, president of the government-backed Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). He added that he expects KOCCA and BCWW to “provide continuous support for K-content.”

P Nation was reportedly raided last week by the country’s labour ministry amid investigations into the death of a construction worker who was dismantling a Psy ‘Summer Swag’ concert set.South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour released a statement on August 25 sharing that its Gangwon Province branch office had raided the southern Seoul headquarters of P Nation, the label and agency founded by ‘Gangnam Style’ singer Psy, along with its subcontractors that day, per a report by The Korea Times. The raid was conducted as part of the ministry’s investigation into the death of a construction worker who was hired to work on Psy’s ‘Summer Swag’ concert in Gangneung, Gangwon Province on July 30. The unnamed worker, a Mongolian man in his twenties, fell from a height while dismantling the concert’s set the day after the event.

BTS rapper RM will be a featured guest on Balming Tiger’s new single ‘Sexy Nukim’, due out next week.The new collaboration was announced via BTS’ official Twitter page on August 24, which noted the single’s release date of September 1. The announcement also included a preview of ‘Sexy Nukim”s accompanying track art – an illustration of Balming Tiger’s eight members as colourful, animated characters set against a funky, psychedelic orange-themed backdrop.Other information about the new track, including a preview of ‘Sexy Nukim’ and whether an accompanying music video will be released, has yet to be shared.SEXY NUKIM (feat.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean pop icons BTS confirmed that they will play a free concert in Busan in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo. The ‘Yet To Come’ concert will be held at 6pm on Oct. 15, at the Busan Ilgwang special stage in Gijang-gun. The date is also one day after the end of the Busan International Film Festival. Organizer, Big Hit Music said the in-person concert is expected to be attended by 100,000 people. An in-person live broadcast LIVE PLAY will host approximately 10,000 people at Busan Port International Passenger Terminal Outdoor Parking Lot. The concert will also be livestreamed on Weverse, Zepeto, and Naver Now.