City Seoul Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Lee Hyori has returned with her first official single in six years, ‘Hoodie E Banbaji’, which translates to ‘Hoodie And Shorts’ in English.The singer debuted with the girl group Fin.K.L in 1998 and launched a successful solo career in 2003 with the album, ‘Stylish…E’.Now, Lee Hyori has shared her first official single since the release of her 2017 album ‘Black’. ‘Hoodie E Banbaji’ follows a handful of OST tracks and songs shared as part of her TV series Seoul Check-In and Canada Check-In.The video opens with Lee, dressed in a hoodie, shorts, and sparkly shirt, in an industrial area that’s buzzing with people out for the night.

Taemin has announced the first details of ‘Guilty’, his first solo comeback in over two years.The SHINee singer and dancer last released solo material in May 2021 with the mini-album ‘Advice’, which arrived shortly before he began his mandatory military service.‘Guilty’ is set to arrive on October 30 at 6pm KST (9am GMT). Further information, including a tracklist and single, is yet to be revealed.

BTS’ V has drawn criticism from fans for wearing a durag during his latest live broadcast on Weverse Live today (October 9).The star spoke to fans during a brief livestream on the fan community platform early this morning after attending an after-party for Lil Uzi Vert in Seoul.During the Weverse Live, V showed fans a red durag that was hanging on a keyboard stand behind him. After fans noticed it, he put it on to show them what it was, saying: “I received it as a gift.” After wearing the item for around 20 seconds, he removed it.

BTS’ Jungkook has announced details of his first solo concert, which will be titled ‘Golden Live On Stage’.The show will be held in the weeks following the release of the singer’s upcoming debut solo album, which is also called ‘Golden’.Jungkook will headline Seoul’s Jangchung Arena in Seoul, with the concert set to stream online for fans around the world. It will take place on November 20 at 8pm KST (11am GMT), with tickets available for fans who hold ARMY membership or who have purchased ‘Golden’ from the Weverse Shop.“Jungkook ‘Golden’ Live On Stage will feature performances of various tracks in the album,” a notice on Weverse read.

Seoul-based sales company Finecut has got off to a busy start at Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) closing a trio of deals on webtoon adaptation Brave Citizen, and picking up international rights to inspirational drama Victory. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Seoul-based sales company Finecut has struck key Asian deals for the vigilante action movie “Brave Citizen.” In Korea, the film is presented by Content Wavve, one of the country’s leading OTT platforms and is headed for a Korean theatrical release on Oct. 25.Finecut has sealed deals with Kadokawa Plus for Japan, with Moviecloud for Taiwan and with Lumix Medi for Vietnam.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Anthony Shim, the Canadian Korean director behind Toronto festival hit “Riceboy Sleeps,” is attached as writer and director of a film adaptation of “Offerings” an acclaimed Korean coming-of-age novel. Anonymous Content and Anthology Studios are to produce. “Offerings” tells the story of Dae, a young Korean American investment banker who finds himself back in his native Seoul as part of an international team brought in to rescue the country from sovereign default during the 1990s Asian Financial Crisi.

Xdinary Heroes have confirmed the cities and dates that will make up the first run of their first world tour, titled ‘Break The Brake’.The band will return with their fourth mini-album, ‘Livelock’, next week (October 11). Its lead single will also be titled ‘Break The Brake’.Xdinary Heroes will kick off the tour with three shows in Seoul in early November before heading over to Europe for a further six dates on the continent.

NCT 127 have returned with their fifth album ‘Fact Check’ and a futuristic video for the record’s title track.The new release follows the nine-member boyband’s 2022 album ‘질주 (2 Baddies)’ and its 2023 repackage, ‘Ay-Yo’.On the single ‘Fact Check’, NCT 127 deliver an energetic, Afrobeats-based track that finds them in supremely confident mode, even in the face of being fact-checked against timeless art pieces. “Hang me in the Louvre / Next to the Lisa, touché,” Johnny raps at one point, before the group declare in the chorus: “Check the facts, go check that / Check the stats, go check that.”In the accompanying video, the boyband hop around landmarks across Seoul, from Gyeongbok Palace to Incheon Bridge, as well as more futuristic landscapes.The rest of the album features lyrical contributions from Taeil, Taeyong and Mark on ‘Love Is A Beauty’.

MAMAMOO‘s Hwasa over her alleged “indecent” performance.Today (October 4), the Seongdong Police Station in Seoul said it would not be referring Hwasa’s case to the prosecution, per Yonhap News Agency. It comes after the MAMAMOO singer was questioned in early-September over the alleged “indecent” performance.In July, the Student Parent’s Rights Protection Union had filed a complaint against MAMAMOO’s Hwasa over an alleged “indecent performance” the singer had staged in May at the Sungkyunkwan University Festival.At the time, the union claimed that the K-pop idol made a gesture that “suggested a perverted sexual act”, saying that that incident was “enough to bring embarrassment and shame to the public who witnessed it”.Last month, Hwasa spoke about the controversy during a guest appearance on South Korean television personality Sung Si-kyung’s YouTube channel.

Manchester has been named one of the World’s Best Cities in a prestigious report - beating out the likes of Mexico City, Valencia and Bucharest, but missing out on the top spot, which was claimed by London.

KISS OF LIFE have performed a medley cover of Jessie J’s hit songs ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Ain’t Been Done’.KISS OF LIFE recently made an appearance at the 2023 ‘Runway To Seoul’ event, which was hosted by hosted by WWD Korea and Seoul Business Agency. During their set, the K-pop girl group performed a medley cover of Jessie J’s hit songs ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Ain’t Been Done’.Elsewhere during their performance, KISS OF LIFE also thrilled the crowd with their debut single ‘Shhh’.

All of Us Are Dead has begun teasing the series’ upcoming second season.On September 26, All of Us Are Dead director Lee Jae-kyoo visited the site of Universal Studios Singapore’s annual Halloween Horror Nights event, which will feature a themed haunted house based on the series in this year’s rendition. During his visit, Lee spoke about what fans can look forward to in its upcoming second season.“In season two, more powerful and evolved zombies will be featured, and the series will be set in the fallen Seoul.

Nakwon: Last Paradise, an apocalypse stealth survival game from the developer of Dave The Diver, will pit the player against invincible zombies that have overrun Seoul.Nakwon is the name of the last city that humans have been able to use as a sanctuary from the infection, explained studio Mintrocket in a post to Steam.As South Korea has a highly stringent set of regulations regarding gun ownership, things like revolvers and shotguns are rare and bullets are more expensive that the guns themselves in the game. Moreover, Seoul’s dense structure makes it advantageous for humans, allowing them to hide and find new locations for looting.Interestingly, Nakwon: Last Paradise‘s zombies are unkillable and all players can do to put some distance between themselves and certain death is “disable them just for a brief moment”.Mintrocket said that Nakwon: Last Paradise is split into two experiences, scouting and simulation.

Castaway Diva, starring Park Eun-bin of Extraordinary Attorney Woo fame.Castaway Diva will star Park Eun-bin as Seo Mok-ha, a girl who dreams of being a pop star. One fateful day, when she’s on her way to Seoul to pursue her dreams, Mok-ha finds herself stranded on an uninhabited island, where she’ll stay for the next 15 years.The upcoming K-drama will also star Chae Jong-hyeop (Nevertheless), an TV producer who gets entangled in Mok-ha’s life when he finds and rescues her from the deserted island.

Lee Sang Yeob is getting married!

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Mo Abudu is an entrepreneur on a mission to make her native Nigeria a bigger player in global media. The CEO of Lagos-based EbonyLife Media is tapping into wave of interest from streamers in content from outside the U.S. and Europe to generate a flurry of deals for her production banner, known for producing the detective drama series “Blood Sisters” for Netflix.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Steven Yeun has bucked stereotypes and carved a new niche as sexy Asian leading man with his roles in “Burning” and “Beef.” Justin Chon transitioned from a supporting role in “Twilight” to directing “Gook,” “Jamojaya” and half of Apple TV+’s “Pachinko.” And Busan-born Daniel Dae Kim has expanded from “Lost” and “Hawaii” to becoming one of Hollywood’s leading producers. The stateside successes of Korean-born and Korean American talent are growing and are worth celebrating. But the Busan International Film Festival’s planned party is being dialed down a notch under the impact of the twin writers’ and SAG Actors strikes in the U.S. Busan’s ‘Special Program in Focus: Korean Diasporic Cinema’ will go ahead with a screening schedule including six films, public talk sessions that include Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Isaac Chung, director of Oscar-winning film “Minari,” and John Cho, the Seoul-born “Star Trek” and “Searching” star.

Suga is about to start his military service.

in your area" has taken on a more literal meaning for the past year as the Korean girl group embarked on their Born Pink world tour. Spanning more than 60 dates across 22 counties and four continents, the Born Pink world tour isn't just a testament to Blackpink's global popularity—it's also a reminder of Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa's fashion dominance and their unrelenting commitment to serving looks.From 'fits dreamed up by the group's stylist Minhee Park to custom designer pieces, the Born Pink tour delivered plenty of memorable fashion moments.

K-pop girl group IVE have shared the tracklist for their upcoming mini-album ‘I’ve Mine’.Earlier this month, the six-member group began teasing their forthcoming return with ‘I’ve Mine’, which will be released in entirety on October 13 alongside lead single ‘Baddie’. The upcoming title track is penned by rapper BIG Naughty and K-pop producer Ryan Jhun, the latter of whom also co-composed all songs on the record.IVE have since shared the tracklist for ‘I’ve Mine’, revealing that it will include two pre-release singles, ‘Either Way’ and ‘Off The Record’.

MAMAMOO member Hwasa has been questioned by Seoul police after being accused of staging an “indecent” performance.Last month, the Student Parent’s Rights Protection Union had filed a complaint against Hwasa over an alleged “indecent performance” the singer had staged in May at the Sungkyunkwan University Festival.At the time, the union claimed that the K-pop idol made a gesture that “suggested a perverted sexual act”, saying that that incident was “enough to bring embarrassment and shame to the public who witnessed it”.The Seoul Seongdong Police Station confirmed on Sunday (September 10) that it recently questioned Hwasa over her controversial performance, per The Korea Times.In its report, The Korea Times also noted that the police are currently deciding whether or not to send Hwasa’s case to the prosecution. The singer could face a up to a year in jail or a fine of up to ₩5million (US$3,800), if found guilty.Hwasa also recently spoke about the controversy during a guest appearance on South Korean television personality Sung Si-kyung’s YouTube channel.

K-pop girl group H1-KEY and Young K have collaborated for a special performance of ‘Rose Blossom’.During the September 8 episode of late-night South Korean music talk show The Seasons: Long Day, Long Night with AKMU, rookie girl group H1-KEY made a guest appearance to perform their January single ‘Rose Blossom’ with Day6 member singer Young K, who penned the track.Their performance remained largely true to the original ‘Rose Blossom’, with its instrumental being performed by a live band. However, Young K took over several lines in the song and harmonised with the H1-KEY members during the special performance.“I’m a rose among the concrete / Until this bleak city is fills up with colour / I’ll keep my head up until the very end / Until they get drunk off my scent and smile,” they sing in the chorus.Both Young K and H1-KEY have recently released new music, with the former dropping his first solo studio album ‘Letters With Notes’ and its lead single ‘nothing but’ last week.Meanwhile, the girl group released their second mini-album ‘Seoul Dreaming’ in late-August.

TWICE, has been named Prada newest ambassador.On September 7, the Italian luxury fashion house held its Prada Mode event in Seoul, which was attended by Sana. Notably, in its post, Prada called her one of the brand’s ambassadors.

Dear Jinri.On September 6, Mystic Story confirmed that the late singer and actress’ final project Persona: Sulli will premiere at this year’s BIFF, which will take place between October 4 to 13. At the time of publishing, the production company did not announce its commercial release date.According to Sports Seoul, the film is split into two parts: A short film titled 4: Clean Island, and a feature-length documentary Dear Jinri (Sulli’s real name), which includes the star’s final interview.The new trailer for Dear Jinri features photographs and clips from Sulli’s childhood, before she sits down to begin the interview.

RIIZE have made their debut with their new single ‘Get A Guitar’.RIIZE are a seven-member group from SM Entertainment, featuring former NCT members Shotaro and Sungchan. The duo are joined by Eunseok, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee and Anton.“I love it when our eyes meet / Ooh, baby, ooh / I love it when I dance with you / Drawing sunshine in the rhythm / Full of dreams in my heart,” the boyband sing on the upbeat chorus of ‘Get A Guitar’.‘Get a Guitar’ is also the title of RIIZE’s debut single album, which include the previously released song ‘Memories’.At a press conference in Seoul for the release of ‘Get a Guitar’, SM Entertainment also announced that RIIZE will also be represented by RCA Records in the US, per Forbes.“RIIZE are ushering in an exciting new era of K-pop,” said Joseph Chang, CEO of SM and Kakao Entertainment America.

Ty Warner, the reclusive billionaire who founded Beanie Babies, breaks his silence in the wake of the harsh portrayal of the mogul in the recent movie, “The Beanie Bubble.” Warner, who has not done a media interview since the 1990s, takes issue with how he was depicted and wishes a more handsome actor than Zach Galifianakis was cast to play him. The film credits former workers — based on Patricia Roche and Lina Trivedi — for fueling the craze for the plush toy.The Post: What would you like people to know about you?Warner: I think several adjectives apply: Creative, collaborative, competitive, critical, analytical, disciplined, focused, perfectionist, driven, caring, kind, sincere. Also, I am both extroverted and private, which I admit is a bit of a paradox.The Post: How did you come up with the Beanie Baby idea? How similar is it to what was shown in the movie?Warner: It was nothing like the movie – not remotely. I envisioned a product that kids could afford with their allowance money.

K-pop girl group H1-KEY have made a comeback with their new mini-album ‘Seoul Dreaming’ and its title track ‘SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)’.In the visual for ‘SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City)’, the quartet connect to the rest of the city through soundwaves, before heading out to roam the streets as confetti falls from the sky. Later, H1-KEY sit on a rooftop together admiring the cityscape at night.“Such a beautiful city / Everything shines like it’s enchanted / I dance along with those lights (I dream) / In the bustling streets / Until everyone looks at me / I keep singing endlessly,” they sing in the synth-filled chorus.The girl group’s second mini-album ‘Seoul Dreaming’ also includes the pre-release single ‘Time to Shine’, which they released last week alongside its own music video.

LOONA member Chuu will soon be making her solo debut.On August 29, Sports DongAh reported that the K-pop idol was gearing up to make her solo debut. The news was later confirmed by her agency, ATRP, which said that Chuu is “preparing to release a solo album in October”.The upcoming release will mark Chuu’s first solo music since her firing from girl group LOONA in late 2022 by her former agency Blockberry Creative.

EXCLUSIVE: With Mipcom on the horizon, Sweden’s Eccho Rights is building out its sales team by hiring well-respected exec Tess Charman.

FIFTY FIFTY have been denied an injunction to suspend their contracts with agency Attrakt.Yesterday (August 28), the Seoul Central District Court rejected the injunction request the girl group had filed back in June, per Yonhap News Agency. At the time, the quartet claimed that their agency had “violated contract terms and took actions that resulted in the destruction of a relationship based on trust”.Attrakt CEO Jeon Hong-joon briefly spoke to Yonhap News Agency following the decision, saying that he now plans to “focus on the criminal lawsuit against Ahn Sung-il and Director Baek”, as translated by Koreaboo.

Y. Michele Kang has formed an incredible working relationship with emerging forward Trinity Rodman and the rest of the squad.

Stray Kids is Louis Vuitton’s newest house ambassador.The French luxury fashion house announced the Stray Kids’ member as the brand’s new house ambassador today (August 22) on its official Twitter account.“I am thrilled that Felix is joining Louis Vuitton – I love his audacious sense of style,” said Nicolas Ghesquière, the artistic director of women’s collections at Louis Vuitton. The post was accompanied by images from ELLE Korea of Felix wearing pieces by the brand.Captivating global audiences with his versatile talent, Felix brings a distinctive artistry to the 2023 MTV VMA nominated band, in the running for best K-Pop group.#Felix #StrayKids #LouisVuittonPhoto Credits: @ELLE_KOREA pic.twitter.com/08DRuDTFFJ— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) August 22, 2023“I discovered Felix when I presented my pre-fall collection in Seoul [in April],” Ghesquière told Women’s Wear Daily seperately about the ambassadorship.

Loossemble will make their official debut this September.Loossemble, a portmanteau of “LOONA” and “assemble”, is a quintet that recently formed under CTDENM and features five LOONA members: Hyunjin, Yeojin, Vivi, Gowon and Hyeju. The group were formed in late-July, following the five members’ departure from Blockberry Creative.Yesterday (August 20), Loossemble released a trailer called ‘..searching for their friends’, which teased that the girl group would be releasing new music on September 15.

Korea has selected the disaster thriller Concrete Utopia starring Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.

LOONA member Chuu in her contract lawsuit against Blockberry Creative.Today (August 17), several South Korean news outlets reported that the 23-year-old idol has won her lawsuit against the K-pop agency over her exclusive contract. Chuu had initially filed for a provisional injunction to suspend her contract with Blockberry in January 2022, which was accepted by the court.The 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Northern District Court has now officially nullified her contract with the agency.