GOT7 confirm May comeback, launch new social media accounts

P1Harmony and American singer-songwriter Pink Sweat$ are set to collaborate on the upcoming single, ‘Gotta Get Back’.Yesterday (May 16), the boyband announced the upcoming digital single on Twitter, and also released the song’s pastel-coloured cover art. According to Korea JoongAng Daily, Pink Sweat$ composed the forthcoming collaboration, while P1Harmony members Intak and Jongseob helped pen lyrics for the track.

SEVENTEEN have announced the North American leg of their forthcoming ‘Be The Sun’ world tour.Today (May 17), the 13-member boyband took to Twitter to reveal their upcoming world tour. Titled ‘Be The Sun’, the tour is set to kick off in Seoul this June, before heading to North America, where SEVENTEEN will play in 12 different cities across the US and Canada.From August to September, SEVENTEEN will perform in US cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

Girls’ Generation are confirmed to make a comeback this year, returning as a full group for the first time in five years.The news of Girls’ Generation’s upcoming return was first reported by South Korean news publication StarNews, with additional reports from Soompi, AllKPop KpopHerald to corroborate the news.Per reports, all eight remaining members of the K-pop act group will make a comeback with a new album in August to celebrate their 15th anniversary. In addition, Girls’ Generation are also scheduled to make appearances on TV shows and reality programmes to promote the upcoming release.Okay, so this is indeed happening for real.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System network is partnering with Naver Webtoon, South Korea’s leading digital comics platform, and Tokyo-based manga production house Shine Partners to launch a new webtoon company. Called Studio TooN and based in South Korea, the joint venture will plan and make webtoons with Japanese and Korean creators for the global market. One of TBS’s aim in launching the company, its first such venture in Korea, is to produce TV dramas, anime and other content from the webtoons.  Studio TooN will begin operations in June of this year with Shine Partners president Keita Iwamoto serving as CEO.     “When webtoon works are visualized, there is a synergy effect as the number of readers increases,” said Naver Webtoon CEO Kim Junkoo.

Creative Artists Agency announced on Monday that CAA Moebius, its annual screening series showcasing diverse graduate student filmmakers, will return as an in-person event from May 18-19.

Ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, the Davy Chou directed and written feature All the People I’ll Never Be has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday — especially when it’s New Music Friday! We’re breaking down this week’s best new tracks to keep on your radar.

IZ*ONE vocalist Jo Yu-ri will be releasing new music next month, as confirmed by her agency WAKEONE.The entertainment confirmed Jo’s impending comeback in a brief statement to South Korean news outlet Top Star News earlier today (May 13). WAKEONE noted that the K-pop idol will be “making a comeback with a mini-album in June”, as translated by Soompi.Jo’s forthcoming record will be her first release since making her solo debut in October 2021 with the single album ‘Glassy’.

South Korean director Park Chan-wook is set to premiere his new film, “Decision to Leave,” at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. A detective murder mystery with a romantic twist, the film is widely regarded as one of the most anticipated premieres of the festival.

HYBE girl group LE SSERAFIM have set a new first-week sales record with their debut mini-album ‘Fearless’.Today (May 9), Source Music announced that the six member group – comprising Kim Chae-won, Miyawaki Sakura, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, Kim Ga-ram and Hong Eun-chae – sold 307,450 copies of their debut record ‘Fearless’ in its first week.LE SSERAFIM are now sixth girl group to ever surpass 300,000 album sales within a week of release, a feat previously achieved by acts such as BLACKPINK, Red Velvet and IZ*ONE. According to the agency, this also makes ‘Fearless’ the highest-selling debut release of by a South Korean girl group of all time.‘Fearless’, which arrived last week, is led by the single of the same title.

GOT7 have confirmed that they will be releasing a brand-new EP later this month.Today (May 8), the group took to their newly establish social media pages – which were launched just two days ago – to announce their upcoming self-titled EP. The posts were accompanied by a teaser image, featuring the names of all seven members of the boyband, alongside the project’s release date.‘GOT7’, due out May 23, will be the group’s first EP since they departed from longtime agency JYP Entertainment in January last year.

Psy has dropped a performance video for his new song ‘Now’, featuring MAMAMOO singer Hwasa.The new clip, filmed in portrait mode, features both singers performing the song’s choreography in an empty white studio, save for a pair of telephone booth sets. They’re accompanied by back-up dancers, who are all adorned in similarly retro-inspired outfits.“That was such a good day / The day that I loved you so much / Now it’s gone and all that sadness is left / I miss myself so much,” they harmonise on the song’s chorus.‘Now’ is a cut from Psy’s ninth studio album ‘Psy 9th’, which dropped last week.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefK-pop superstars BTS could be given exemption from compulsory military service in South Korea.“It’s time to create a system for incorporating popular culture-art figures as art personnel,” said Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee, at a press briefing on Wednesday, according to reports by the Yonhap news agency. Hwang said he aims to push a new law through parliament that would allow the stars of popular culture to serve their country outside the military.Under the present Military Service Act all able-bodied Korean men must enlist for roughly two years of military service before they reach age 30.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based Global Screen has acquired family entertainment film “School of Magical Animals 2” for worldwide distribution. A first teaser will be presented at the Cannes Market for the project, which has a budget of more than $13 million.

Naman Ramachandran Paramount Global’s streamer Paramount+ will launch in the U.K. and Ireland on June 22, with other international territories to follow.

Paramount+ is to launch in the UK and South Korea next month and will be in India next year, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish has revealed in the past hour.

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean superstar PSY said his new album marks a “farewell to ‘Gangnam Style’" — the hit song that propelled him to superstardom exactly a decade ago.Indeed, the music video for the lead single — “That That” featuring Suga from BTS - shows PSY in the famous blue suit he wore in the “Gangnam Style” video.“So, a guy in a blue tuxedo comes out and gets a slap from Suga and goes on his way,” eluding to his old self walking away from the past, PSY told The Associated Press during an interview before the album's release. His latest album “PSY 9th," released Friday, has 12 songs, including one featuring Korean-Canadian rapper Tablo.PSY, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, swept the world with “Gangnam Style” in 2012. The song, with its addictive horse-riding dance and catchy melodies, made a global splash and currently has over 4.4 billion views on YouTube.In an interview, PSY discussed the long gap in recordings, whether he’s still pressured by the global success of “Gangnam Style,” and what he envisions for himself and the Korean pop industry.Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.———AP: “PSY 9th” took five years.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeMove over, Eurovision. The “Masked Singer” sensation is now launching an international competition where celebrities from various local editions of the show around the globe will face off in a worldwide battle.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNetflix has dropped the trailer for “Money Heist: Korea — Joint Economic Arena,” a remake of its hit Spanish crime drama. The streamer also announced that the show will premiere on June 24.The 12-episode series is directed by Kim Hong-Sun (Voice, Black) and is headlined by high-profile actors, including Yoo Ji-tae (“Oldboy,””Healer”), Kim Yunjin (“Shiri,””Lost”), Park Hae-soo (“Squid Game,””Prison Playbook”) and Jeon Jong-seo (“Call,””Burning”).