City Seoul Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Netflix has expanded the Season 2 cast for To All The Boys spinoff series XO, Kitty, as production gets underway in Seoul. (You can watch a start of production clip below). Audrey Huynh (ANZBBGRL, Wyrm) has joined as a new series regular, and Sasha Bhasin (Brave the Dark) and Joshua Lee (Gangnam Project) are set to recur in the half-hour dramedy inspired by the popular movie trilogy and Jenny Han’s bestselling book series.

Netflix has issued a huge update on the second season of its hit rom-com drama XO, Kitty.

Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone are teaming up for a new movie!

Zico and BLACKPINK member Jennie have released their new collaboration, titled ‘Spot!’.The music video for ‘Spot!’ features Zico and BLACKPINK’s Jennie performing the song on a variety of sets, from a photo studio to a recording booth. Later, the duo gather with friends on a roof-top for a late-night party.“As soon as I finished making the track, I knew it was executed to perfection without a doubt,” Zico said of ‘Spot!’ in a press release.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang will star in Bleecker Street and Shivhans Pictures’ remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 romantic comedy “The Wedding Banquet” from director Andrew Ahn. Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar winner Yuh-jung Youn and Joan Chen are also attached to star. The reimagination of Lee’s Oscar-nominated film is based on a screenplay by Ahn and James Schamus.

NCT Dream‘s Renjun will be taking a hiatus amid health concerns, his label SM Entertainment has announced.In a statement, per Xsports News, SM Entertainment announced that NCT Dream singer Renjun would be taking a break from his scheduled activities for the foreseeable future, following medical advice he’d received from doctors.The K-pop agency said that the singer was told by doctors that he requires “plenty of rest and stability”, after having recently visited the hospital “due to a recent worsening of his physical health and symptoms of anxiety”, per Soompi.“We deemed our artist’s health our top priority and after careful discussion with Renjun, we decided that he would focus on his treatment and recovery,” SM Entertainment said, adding that the company would “make another announcement in the future when he is able to resume his activities”.As part of this newly announced hiatus, Renjun will also miss NCT Dream’s upcoming three-date May concert at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, as part of their ‘The Dream Show 3: Dream( )scape’ world tour. It’s currently unclear if the singer will join the boyband on the tour’s other dates.In addition, SM Entertainment also added that it will take legal action against malicious commenters who post content involving hateful slander, sexual harassment, defamation and more for not only Renjun but for all SM artists.In other K-pop news, aespa has dropped the first trailer for their upcoming studio album ‘Armageddon’, slated for full release on May 27.

Zico and BLACKPINK member Jennie have teased their upcoming collaboration, titled ‘Spot!’.Today (April 18), Zico posted a video of him and BLACKPINK’s Jennie in a recording studio dancing along to a preview of their upcoming single on Instagram. The snippet features vocals from the girl group member singing: “Up and down, round and round, hit the spot, spot, spot, spot”.A post shared by 우지호/ZICO (@woozico0914)Soon after, Zico revealed that the new collaboration is titled ‘Spot!’ and will be out on April 26 at 6pm KST.

Laufey has today (April 16) released a new short film for her song ‘Goddess’, which has been directed by Past Lives director Celine Song – watch it below.The video stars Laufey alongside William G. Hardy (from Netflix’s Heartstopper), and was shot in Brooklyn, New York on 35mm film.Speaking about the video, Laufey said: “It was so special to work with Celine on the ‘Goddess’ short film.

Concert film Suga – Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie from Trafalgar Releasing took in $990k for Saturday alone, rounding out the North American box office top ten — testament to the power of concert films post-Covid and the enduring popularity of the K-Pop powerhouse. The band is currently on hiatus as members entered military service required in South Korea. But Suga, the youngest, got in one last solo concert in Seoul last year. It was beamed into theaters globally for two playdates on April 10 and April 13, for a cume of $2.2 million.

Park Bo-ram died Thursday afternoon, the singer’s agency, Xanadu Entertainment, said.

EXCLUSIVE: Isabel J Kim’s debut novel Sublimation, which has been causing quite a stir in publishing and television circles, has landed at Universal International Studios.

Goodbye Earth.Today (April 9), the streamer revealed though its Netflix K-Content account on X (formerly Twitter) that Goodbye Earth will premiere April 26. The announcement was accompanied by 10 stills from the upcoming K-drama, which will star Ahn Eun-jin, Jeon Sung-woo and more.Notably, none of the stills feature actor Yoo Ah-in, who has been embroiled in controversy regarding his alleged drug use since early-2023.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) have released their sixth mini-album ‘minisode 3: Tomorrow’, alongside a music video for its lead single ‘Deja Vu’.‘minisode 3: Tomorrow’ was released today (April 1) at 6pm KST. The accompanying music video for ‘Deja Vu’ features the five members of TXT caught in different, trippy dimensions, yet still connected through their relationships with each other.“I remember the answer I finally found / My future is you / Say my name, I’ll hug you, as promised on the first day / Like deja vu, you’re like deja vu,” they belt on the song’s affecting chorus.‘minisode 3: Tomorrow’ is the third installation in the boyband’s ongoing ‘minisode’ series of mini-albums.

Jesse Lingard's manager at FC Seoul has slammed the former Manchester United star's effort since his move to South Korea last month.

"2024, we coming," was the pledge Jesse Lingard made on New Year's Eve, with the Burj Khalifa as his backdrop on an Instagram post to his nine million followers.

Celeb Confirmed.Following the Seoul shows, the remaining four member of VANNER will host concerts in the East Asia cities of Taipei, Tokyo and Hong Kong in May and July 2024. More information about the concerts, including venue and ticketing details, are expected in the coming weeks.Meanwhile, tickets to the Seoul dates of VANNER’s 2024 ‘The Flag: A to V’ tour are on sale now from the official Yes24 website.

NCT Dream have released their brand-new mini-album ‘Dream( )scape’, which dropped alongside a music video for title track ‘Smoothie’.In the trippy music video for ‘Smoothie’, members of the boyband wield swords while slicing up giant fruits. Other scenes in the clip also feature various fruit-inspired visuals, alongside thrilling action scenes and more.“Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, shake it all out and grind it / Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie / Dirty taste, take it,” the band rap on the new song’s chorus.‘Dream( )scape’ marks NCT Dream’s seventh mini-album and features six new tracks: ‘icantfeelanything’, ‘Smoothie’, ‘Box’, ‘Carat Cake’, ‘Unknown’ and ‘Breathing’.NCT Dream are set to embark on a world tour in support of their new mini-album.

BM of K-pop group KARD has announced his upcoming 2024 ‘After the After Party’ tour.Today (March 19), KARD’s BM and tour organiser Konnect’d Entertainment revealed that the K-pop idol is set to go on his first solo tour of the US, titled ‘After the After Party’.According to the announcement the rapper will embark on his tour this May. Information about the tour, including cities, dates, venues, ticketing and more is expected in the coming weeks.

XG have announced their 2024 ‘The First Howl’ world tour, featuring concerts in Asia, North America, Europe and more.On March 18, XG announced that they would be embarking on their first-ever world tour, title ‘The First Howl’, which will include shows and concerts in Asia, North America, Europe and more.The girl group will kick-off their trek with a two-date show at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan on May 18. In the same month, they will also play concerts in the Japanese city of Yokohama.While the dates for the rest of XG’s 2024 ‘The First Howl’ world tour in Asia have yet to be announced, they have teased concerts in cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul and more.The girl group have also revealed upcoming legs in North America and Europe, set to take place in October and November this year.

Big Hit Music has uploaded footage from TXT’s recent fan concert, including that of Taehyun’s exclusive cover of Bruno Mars’ ‘Finesse’.The 2024 TXT ‘Fanlive Present X Together’ was held in person early this month, at Seoul’s Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium from March 2 to 3. The concert also received a Japanese edition, held at Tokyo’s Tokyo Garden Theater on March 8.Last night (March 17), an official video of singer Taehyun’s special solo stage was uploaded to the group’s YouTube channel, which saw him perform an abridged cover of Bruno Mars’ ‘Finesse’.

Sara Cox, the presenter of BBC Radio 2, has had quite a journey from being shockingly stalked by a paedophile to securing herself an impressive net worth.The 49 year old, who hails from Bolton, is now taking on her next venture as she joins this series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.The radio star will tackle technicals and showstoppers as she masters baking in the iconic GBBO tent alongside the likes of Danny Dyer, Paloma Faith, Oti Mabuse and Spencer Matthews.The 2024 celebrity series will kick off from 7.40pm on Sunday, 17 March on Channel 4 with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith returning as judges and Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond as hosts. As we watch Sara mix her way to become Star Baker, we've taken a look at her life away from the spotlight.

Zendaya’s impressive 2024 is just starting. Her year, which kicked off with the premiere of “Dune 2,” an appearance at the Oscars, and innumerable stunning looks, continues with a new project. “Challengers,” her new film, will be released in April 26th, with a new teaser being released.Zendaya’s best looks at the ‘Dune: Part 2’ press tour: From vintage Givenchy in Seoul to Mugler in LondonZendaya looks angelic in vintage Roberto Cavalli during her latest fashion momentA post shared by Challengers Movie (@challengersmovie)“Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi, a promising tennis player who loses her career after experiencing an injury.

Here’s a first look at J-Hope‘s Prime Video doc, Hope on the Street.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Pleasant Outcast,” a 10-part Korean series that is set to appear at Canneseries next month, is a companion piece to “Concrete Utopia,” the hit film from last year that was selected as South Korea’s Oscar contender. Both the Lotte Cultureworks series and “Concrete Utopia,” a dystopian drama-thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Seoul, are adapted from best-selling webtoon “Cheerful Outcast,” by Kim Soong Nyung. The film was frequently compared to William Golding’s seminal novel from the 1954 “Lord of the Flies” and its 1964 film adaptation. Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school.

Best Picture nominee “Past Lives,” wore a turtle pin to the 2024 Oscars in memory of his pet tortoise that died in August 2023. “OK, so my pet tortoise passed away last year and I had him for 10 years,” Yoo, 42, explained to a Variety reporter on the Los Angeles red carpet Sunday.In the video, the South Korean actor revealed that he named his reptile Momo after a children’s fantasy novel of the same name written by German author Michael Ende. The novel was published in 1973.Yoo, who was born in Germany, joked that his fan club back home named themselves “Momos” after the turtle.

Attrakt has been cleared of charges in a lawsuit filed by former FIFTY FIFTY members over alleged breach of trust.This is according to a statement given to South Korean news outlet Yonhap News today (March 11) by a representative from Attrakt, who said that the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul has “decided not to transfer the case of breach of trust filed by former FIFTY FIFTY members Saena, Sio and Aran [with no charges]”, as translated by Soompi. The K-pop agency also said that it would “hold those who deceived the members, who do not understand the accounting principles of corporate funds and encouraged them to file a complaint accountable for their actions of tampering [with their contracts] until the end”.On the same day, Attrakt also announced the upcoming return of FIFTY FIFTY, with new faces set to join remaining original member Keena in “June or July this year”, per Korea JoongAng Daily. More details about the group’s new line-up and music are expected to arrive in the coming months.In August last year, FIFTY FIFTY’s legal counsel – led by law firm Barun – officially announced that the idols had filed a criminal complaint against Attrakt CEO Jeon Hong-joon for “violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc.

Seoul-based sales company Finecut has boarded international sales on the action-comedy Boss and will launch sales at this week’s Filmart in Hong Kong. 

Karina and Lee Jae Wook are making major headlines right now.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER, otherwise known as TXT, are coming back!

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran unscripted agent and producer Bill Thompson, former Head Of Unscripted Television at Verve, is launching his own management and production company, Artists Group | Unscripted.

Black Country, New Road have performed a variety of new songs at a show in Shanghai. Check out footage below.The live show took place on Monday (February 26), when the band took to the stage at the Bandai Namco Dream Hall in Shanghai.During the set – which comprised 12 songs from across their discography – the band also treated fans to three unreleased songs: ‘For The Cold Country’, ‘Socks’, and ‘Geese’.The first was used to open the setlist on Monday, although didn’t mark the first time that the track had been played live.

“I’m happy and I’m gon’ get up / Sweet and bitter memories / With everything behind, just look forward, I am glad to take a step ahead,” they belt on the song’s affecting chorus.The ongoing ‘H1-KEYnote’ project started with the release of the single ‘Thinkin’ About You’ late last month, which sports a similar style to ‘Deeper’ in terms of vocal emphasis. It remains unclear if both singles will appear on a larger body of work in the near future.Comprising Seoi, Riina, Hwiseo and Yel, H1-KEY made their official debut in early 2022 with the single album ‘Athletic Girl’, and have released one other single album and two mini-albums in the time since.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe, the Korean entertainment group behind BTS, saw revenues and profits both grow by more than a fifth in 2023 as album sales doubled and post-COVID conditions allowed more concerts. The company Monday reported annual revenues of KRW2.17 trillion ($1.63 billion), up 23% compared with 2022. Net profits reached KRW187 million, more that three times 2022’s depressed result and exceeding 2021’s figure.

ITZY member Lia has made her first public appearance since she went on hiatus at the band’s ‘Born To Be’ concert in Seoul this past weekend.The JYP Entertainment girl group held the first kick-off concerts over the course of two nights last weekend (February 24 to 25) at Seoul’s Jamsil Indoor Stadium. Notably, the concerts were attended by Lia, a member of the group who has been on hiatus since September 2023 after experiencing “extreme levels of anxiety”.The Korean-Canadian idol was seen among the audience and was later shown on the venue’s LED screens on stage, marking her first-ever public appearance in approximately five months.

has taken the juggernaut to Korea, where she’s supporting local talent through the lens of her current sci-fi style. Those that assumed she’d tap out of the method-dressing game after wriggling into for the London premiere have been put back in their boxes, thanks to a Juun.J look that says sandstorm chic is still very much it for spring/summer 2024.Zendaya and her “image architect” Law Roach have taken method dressing into a new league on the Dune: Part Two promo moment.Insiders will know that Seoul-based Juun.J and his deconstructed tailoring have been on the scene since the late ’90s, when he founded his first brand Lone Costume, but that he pivoted and moved his eponymous 2007-born label to Paris to demonstrate his skills at splicing and dicing, cutting and construction on the European fashion stage.

Lee Hi will be holding a “mini-live performance” in Singapore next month, as part of Marquee Singapore’s ‘OH-K!’ event.The nightclub announced the details for its ‘OH-K!’ event today (February 20), revealing Lee Hi as its special guest performer. The event is being billed as one that “spotlights a diverse and eclectic mix of Korean artists and DJs”.Lee Hi will be performing at Marquee Singapore on March 16, with tickets on sale now via the nightclub’s official website.