K-Pop Star Hwasa Reportedly Dating Entrepreneur 12 Years Older Than Her, Agency Responds

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Exports of K-pop albums increased by 17% year on year to reach an all-time record of $133 million in the first six months of the year. The U.S. is now the second biggest overseas market for Korean music worth $25 million, having overtaken China, but still trailing Japan ($48 million), according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The next largest were Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Canada, the U.K. and France.The record was achieved despite the absence of BTS as a group (though BTS members Jimin, and Suga put out solo efforts) and saw Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen, Ateez and Twice all make an international impact.

The Silent Sea star Gong Yoo is set to lead Netflix’s upcoming original series The Trunk.Today (July 17), Netflix announced that the Gong Yoo has been cast as the lead of its new original series The Trunk. The actor will be joined by Seo Hyun-jin, who previously led popular K-dramas like The Beauty Inside and Why Her.According to Netflix, The Trunk will be a mystery series about the unexpected events that unfold after a strange trunk is found in a lake.

Naman Ramachandran Jennie Kim of immensely popular girl group Blackpink has opened up about her acting debut in HBO’s “The Idol” and the pressures of being a K-Pop idol. Kim was born in Korea, but moved to and studied in Auckland, New Zealand when she was 10, for five years before returning to Korea and joining YG’s talent academy. The four-member group was formed in 2016 and has gone on to enjoy global success. They were the first music group and Korean female act to have five music videos accumulate one billion views each on YouTube and are the most-followed girl group on Spotify. in “The Idol,” created by Sam Levinson, Kim acts under the stage name Jennie Ruby Jane and plays a backup singer and dancer to Lily-Rose Depp’s pop star who gets the opportunity to break out on her own.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Specialty distributor, Trinity CineAsia is releasing China’s summer blockbuster “Lost in the Stars” in the U.K and Ireland on some 30 screens from Friday. “I was fortunate to watch the film when it opened in China and once I saw it I just knew we had to have it,” said Cedric Behrel “‘Lost In The Stars’ is a very clever, uncanny thrill of a ride that harks back to classic Hitchcock and any noteworthy thriller since – the master himself had in fact once optioned the rights to the same story. We organized the fastest turnaround premiere known to man and we’ve been delighted by the reactions to the early previews. It epitomizes the best of what new Chinese cinema can bring to audiences.”

Extraordinary Attorney Woo star Park Eun-bin has been cast as lead in Castaway Diva, a Netflix drama about an aspiring singer who becomes stranded on a desert island.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean star Park Eun-bin is confirmed to lead Netflix’s upcoming series “Castaway Diva,” set to premiere in late 2023. Park previously starred in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” the hit series that featured in Netflix’s non-English global top ten chart for 21 weeks and reached the top ten titles in 57 countries. In the new series, Park brings to life the character of Seo Mok-ha, an aspiring singer turned castaway who, after being stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, commences her journey to become a diva. Joining her are renowned actors Kim Hyo-jin, Chae Jong-hyeop, Cha Hak-yeon, and Kim Joo-hun. Kim Hyo-jin portrays a once-popular singer who is the idol of Seo and who seeks a new lease of life after encountering her fan from the island.

Hwasa of MAMAMOO has been reported to the police over an alleged “indecent performance”.Today (July 10), South Korean news outlet The Korea Herald reported that the Student Parent’s Rights Protection Union had filed a complaint against Hwasa over an “indecent performance”.“Hwasa’s gesture suggested a perverted sexual act and was enough to bring embarrassment and shame to the public who witnessed it,” alleges the Student Parent’s Rights Protection Union, per Chosun Ilbo as translated by Koreaboo. “As the gesture doesn’t fit the context of the choreography, it can not be interpreted as performance art.”MBN added in its report that the Seongdong Police Station in Seoul confirmed that they had received a complaint against Hwasa, and are currently investigating the claims.In a statement to MBN, Hwasa’s agency P Nation said: “We understand that the police are reviewing the case,” as translated by Soompi.Hwasa’s appearance at the Sungkyunkwan University Festival was part of the filming for the tvN series Dancing Queens on the Road, which the K-pop idol is a cast member of.Earlier this month, Hwasa officially joined P Nation, the K-pop agency founded by ‘Gangnam Style’ singer Psy.

Enhypen just announced that they’ll be playing six huge arena shows in the U.S. as part of their upcoming ‘Fate World Tour.’That includes back-to-back concerts at Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center on Wednesday, Oct.

LOONA members Yeojin, Gowon and Olivia Hye have reportedly signed with the new K-pop agency CTDENM.On July 5, South Korean news agency ETNews reported that LOONA’s Yeojin, Gowon and Olivia Hye have signed exclusive contracts with CTDENM, citing industry insiders. The news follows the trio’s recent departure from former agency Blockberry Creative.While CTDENM has yet to comment on reports, the newly established agency had signed LOONA members Hyunjin and Vivi last month.

BST Hyde Park, BLACKPINK have made history as the first K-Pop band to headline a major UK festival. Check out footage of the show, as well as the full setlist below.Taking to the stage this weekend, the girl group performed an electrifying 17-song set to their sold-out crowd of 65,000 fans, and made history as the first Korean pop group to headline a major UK festival.Introducing themselves to their London audience, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa kicked off their milestone set with ‘Pink Venom’, ‘How You Like That’, ‘Pretty Savage’ and ‘Kick It’, before breaking into a rendition of their first-ever single ‘Whistle’ — which first launched them to fame in 2016.The four-piece also brought the energy to their 90-minute-long set, blasting through back-to-back choreography and outfit changes. During the show, Rosé declared: “​​We’re absolutely honoured to perform here at Hyde Park… It’s a dream come true!”Other fan favourites played at the gig included ‘Tally’ and ‘Typa Girl’, as well as a “solo” part of the show where each member took the limelight and performed an individual rendition of one of their favourite tracks.

The National Association of Theatre Owners VP & Chief Communications Officer Patrick Corcoran is departing after 24-plus years.

Netflix's runaway success Squid Game is set to return for a second season and its final cast members have been revealed. Production of season two is set to start later this year and one huge star has been named as one of the new actors involved.

FIFTY FIFTY is suing their agency, ATTRAKT.

K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY have filed a lawsuit against their agency Attrakt to suspend their exclusive contracts.On June 28, South Korean law firm BARUN released a statement on behalf of the girl group, announcing that they had filed to suspend their exclusive contracts with entertainment agency Attrakt due to its violation of contract terms.“The four members filed an application for provisional disposition suspending the validity of their exclusive contracts to the Seoul Central District Court on June 19, and the trial is currently underway,” said BARUN, per eDaily and translated by Soompi. “This is due to the fact that Attrakt violated contract terms and took actions that resulted in the destruction of a relationship based on trust.”The firm also alleged that Attrakt had been “discrediting” the members of FIFTY FIFTY through its continuous media statements in recent days.

MAMAMOO member Hwasa will be leaving her long-time agency RBW, the company has confirmed.Today (June 27), RBW released a statement, per OSEN and translated by Soompi, that MAMAMOO’s Hwasa will be leaving the company after the expiration of her contract. The singer has been with RBW since 2014, when she made her debut as a member of the K-pop girl group.“We inform you that our exclusive contract with Hwasa, who we have worked together with until now, recently expired,” RBW said in its statement.

P Nation, founded by Psy, has confirmed that it is in talks to sign MAMAMOO member Hwasa.Today (June 27), South Korean news outlet Xportnews reported that Hwasa is currently in the final stages of contract discussions with Psy’s P Nation agency. It also noted that the singer’s contract with long-time label RBW is set to expire at the end of June.In response to the news report, P Nation told MyDaily that “A contract with Hwasa has not been confirmed”, while also confirming that it is “currently under discussion”, as translated by Soompi.Hwasa has been signed to RBW since 2014, when she made her debut as a member of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO.

TikTok recently to share the news, writing the following text across one of his videos that featured him listening to music in a car: “When ur dating a girl but ur also a lil bit into men.” Now, it seems clear that Lauv is not straight, but how exactly he identifies isn’t obvious, at least from what was shared in the clip. Lauv continued the conversation in the comments on the video, explaining how he’s come to this realization.

EXCLUSIVE: Korean multi-hyphenate powerhouse Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok) is set to star in and produce an English-language feature adaptation of New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s dystopian sci-fi novel series Hell Divers. The film will draw from the first three books in the series whose first installment was published by Blackstone in 2016; there are 10 books in total. 

the Korea Times reported.They ruled that Choi had taken his own life due to undisclosed circumstances at home, as well as a note he’d uploaded to YouTube a day before his passing. In it, he’d apologized “to all who suffered from my foolish mistake.”Choi was referring to the highly-publicized scandal, in which he was exposed for falsely claiming he had cancer and soliciting donations to fund his treatment, the Hollywood Reporter reported.Choi is perhaps most famous for competing on the 2011 season of “Korea’s Got Talent,” solidifying his spot in the finals with a knockout rendition of Ennio Morricone’s “Nella Fantasia” that reduced the judges to tears.The rising star wound up placing second behind lace behind dancer Joo Min-jungby with just 280 votes, per the Independent.However, the blossoming pop star’s spot resonated beyond the confines of the reality TV competition.

Choi Sung-bong, a South Korean pop star, has been found dead at the age of 33.