South Korea Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas is officially a grandma!

IU aka Lee Ji-eun is scheduled to headline six huge concerts at arenas all over the U.S. as part of her “HER World Tour.”The sprawling tour, which officially got underway in IU’s home country South Korea on March 2, will mark the first time that the “LILAC” singer will perform in North America.In fact, as of now, she’s never performed outside of Asia.Once she arrives stateside, IU will kick off the tour at Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center on Monday, July 15.After that, she’ll drop into Atlanta’s State Farm Arena (July 19), Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena (July 22), Rosemont’s Allstate Arena (July 25), Oakland’s Oakland Arena (July 30) and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum (Aug.

V of BTS will be releasing a brand-new digital single titled ‘Fri(end)s next Friday, Big Hit Music has announced.V made the announcement earlier today (March 4) at midnight KST thought BTS’ social media platforms. The label described the upcoming track as a “love song in the pop soul R&B genre”, and included the first teaser for the upcoming song.

TWICE is achieving new heights!

released the first trailer for an upcoming comedy series in which a woman is accidentally turned into a chicken nugget. “A woman steps into an odd machine and becomes… a chicken nugget,” reads the South Korea-produced show’s synopsis on Netflix’s site. “Now, it’s up to her father and admirer to embark on a zany quest to bring her back.” The show, which is expected to hit the streaming site on March 15, stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Ahn Jae-hong and Kim You-jung.Netflix’s protein-packed comedy is directed by Lee Byeong-Heon, whose 2019 film “Extreme Job” also focused on chicken.

K-Pop is going strong in 2024.

The Masked Singer is back with a new season Wednesday (March 6) at 8 p.m. ET on FOX!

RIIZE’s Wonbin has revealed that he nearly quit after his first day as a trainee at SM Entertainment after meeting his then-future bandmates, Sungchan and Eunseok.The rookie boyband uploaded a vlog yesterday (February 29) that captured the band’s time in Paris, France. In one segment, Wonbin and Sohee were chatting about their first impressions of each other and of the other RIIZE members, which led the former to reveal why he had almost given up on becoming an idol.Wonbin recalled feeling dejected after seeing his then-fellow trainees on his first day training under SM Entertainment. “I remember it clearly.

SEVENTEEN leader S.Coups has received an exemption from mandatory military service, Pledis Entertainment has confirmed.In a statement to South Korean news outlet Edaily, Pledis Entertainment confirmed earlier reports that SEVENTEEN member S.Coups had been exempted from mandatory military service due to an injury.“Due to a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee joint, S.Coups underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery and anterolateral ligament reconstruction surgery,” the label explained, per Soompi.“Because it was a major surgery, he has been undergoing physical rehabilitation therapy for a long time, starting from last year up until now,” the label added. S.Coups had been absent from SEVENTEEN’s promotions for their ‘Seventeenth Heaven’ as well as the Asian leg of their ‘Follow’ tour since October last year due to the same injury.As a result of the severity of his injury and surgery, the South Korean military classified S.Coups as a Grade 5 during a medical examination determining his ability to serve the military.

Bang Yongguk has announced his upcoming 2024 US tour, titled ‘III’, featuring 11 concerts in April.Today (February 29), Bang Yongguk and his label YY Entertainment announced the dates and venues for the 2024 ‘III’ US tour, which will kick off on April 5 with at concert at the Warsaw in New York City.Thereafter, the rapper will play one-night-only shows in the cities of Louisville, Chicago and Orlando, followed by two concerts in the state of Texas. Those will be held in Dallas and Houston on April 14 and 17.Following those performances, the South Korean musician will hold concerts in Phoenix and Las Vegas, before heading over to California to play shows across three different cities in the state.

MAMAMOO member Moonbyul has announced her upcoming solo 2024 ‘Museum: An Epic of Starlit’ world tour, featuring concerts in Taiwan, Singapore and more.MAMAMOO’s Moonbyul revealed the first set of dates for her newly announced 2024 ‘Museum: An Epic of Starlit’ world tour today (February 29), through the girl group’s official social media accounts.The K-pop idol will kick-off her solo world tour this March with a two-night concert at the KBS Arena in Seoul, South Korea. In the following month, the musician will perform shows in the cities of Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong.Moonbyul’s solo tour will run into May 2024, with two concerts in Japan, as well as a second show in Taiwan.

It’s tough being a K-pop stan.

NCT WISH have made their official debut with the release of their new single, ‘Wish’, released in both Japanese and Korean.The six-member NCT sub-group released the song as part of their debut single album of the same name. The project also includes one other B-side track, titled ‘Sail Away’.

Imax saw sales dip in the fourth quarter to $86 million from $98 million, in line with Wall Street forecasts, as the company focused on the full year and its accelerated global expansion. The stock in up in after-market trading.

CRAVITY have released the music video for their new single ‘Love or Die’.According to a press release for the new song, the music video for ‘Love or Die’ is a look at the CRAVITY’s “journey for love”, and shows the boyband’s “heightened confidence and dedication to their love”.“I can’t stop this feeling / I keep falling / I only have this excruciating nightmare / But you are my only dream, love or die,” the K-pop idols sing on the chorus of ‘Love or Die’.‘Love or Die’ is the title track of CRAVITY’s seventh mini-album, ‘Evershine’. The project is their first release of 2024, and follows their September 2023 mini-album, ‘Sun Seeker’.CRAVITY are schedule to perform on Day 2 of We Bridge 2024, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this April.Other artists on the line-up include K-pop girl group NMIXX, co-ed quartet KARD, boyband AMPERS&ONE and more.

BTS rapper J-hope has released the tracklist for his upcoming ‘Hope on the Street Vol.1’ album, featuring collaborations with Jungkook, LE SSERAFIM‘s Huh Yunjin and more.Today (February 27), J-hope announced the tracklist for his upcoming ‘Hope on the Street Vol.1’ album. The record will feature six songs, four of which are brand-new and feature star-studded collaborators.Notably, the BTS member will team up with bandmate Jungkook on the song ‘i wonder…’, as well as fellow HYBE labelmate Huh Yunjin of K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM on ‘i don’t know’.In addition, J-hope has also enlisted hitmaking producer Benny Blanco and Chic‘s Nile Rodgers for the song ‘lock / unlock’. Meanwhile, South Korean rappers Gaeko and Yoon Mirae will join the BTS star on closing track ‘NEURON’.Elsewhere on the tracklist on ‘Hope on the Street Vol.1’ are a solo version of ‘On the Street’, which the rapper first released in 2023 with J.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has revealed multiple distribution deals for two Berlinale competition titles: German director Matthias Glasner‘s “Dying,” which won the festival’s Silver Bear for best screenplay, and Russian director Victor Kossakovsky‘s documentary “Architecton.” “Dying,” which stars Lars Eidinger, Lilith Stangenberg and Corinna Harfouch, also picked up the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas and the Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Jury Award. Variety‘s review describes the film as “a profoundly affecting exploration of life and loss.” The Match Factory closed deals for the film in France (Bodega Film), Italy (Satine Film), Benelux (September Film Distribution), Norway (Selmer Media), Poland (Aurora), CIS (Provzglyad), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF MegaCom Film), Hungary (Cirko Films), Greece (Cinobo), Romania (Freealize), Taiwan (Andrews Film) and South Korea (Pancinema).

The Match Factory has locked multi-territory deals on Berlinale titles Architecton by Victor Kossakovsky and Dying by Matthias Glasner, which picked up the festival’s Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.

NCT’s Taeyong has released his sophomore solo mini-album, ‘Tap’, along with a music video for its title track of the same name.In the whimsical music video for ‘Tap’, Taeyong, dressed in an oversized business suit, wakes up in the closet of an empty ryokan, which kick starts his exploration of Japan, as he searches for Japanese delicacies such as dango, omurice and more.“Tap, tap, tap, tap, tapping on me / Awkward stare and then slinkin’ away / Looks different now, you got that right / Then I’mma stare back like I know nothing,” the NCT leader raps on the song’s funky chorus.‘Tap’ was co-written by Taeyong, while the album’s five remaining B-sides – ‘Moon Tour’, ‘Run Away’, ‘APE’, ‘Ups & Downs’ and ‘404 Loading’ – also credit Taeyong as a co-lyricist. Most of the tracks on the ‘Tap’ record were co-composed and produced by SQUAR, who also worked with Taeyong on his previous solo work.Taeyong first debuted as a solo artist last June with the mini-album ‘SHALALA’, led by a title track of the same name.

Alex Ritman “La Cocina,” the Rooney Mara-starring drama that recently bowed in competition at the Berlinale, has been acquired for most international territories. HanWay Films has closed sales for France (Originals Factory), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Spain (Avalon), Italy (Teodora Film), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Scandinavia (Mis.

Lucas Wong, a former member of boybands NCT and WayV, has addressed his past controversies in a brand-new documentary titled Freeze. Lucas Wong released part one of Freeze on February 24 to his newly opened YouTube channel, who appears to be making his return to the music industry as an artist under SM Entertainment.

CIX have announced the North American leg of their 2024 ‘0 or 1’ tour, featuring concerts in Chicago, New York and more.Tour organiser Studio PAV announced the North American leg of the 2024 ‘0 or 1’ tour at 12 midnight KST today (February 26). CIX’s upcoming trek will feature concerts across eight cities in May 2024.The K-pop idols will kick off their tour with a two-date concert at the Mastercard Hall in Seoul, South Korea on April 6 and 7.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Occult drama-thriller “Exhuma,” dominated the South Korea box office in its opening weekend with a scarily good debut approaching $17 million. The film, about two shaman, a feng shui master and a mortician who attempt to undo the mysterious events happening to a U.S.-based Korean family, grabbed $14.5 million between Friday and Sunday, representing a 77% share of the overall box office market. Including the earnings since its Wednesday debut, the film earned $16.8 million in its full opening session, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

Seo In-guk has announced his first-ever fanmeeting tour of the US, with two stops announced so far.The US tour was announced by his agency Story J Company earlier today (February 23), and will mark the singer-actor’s first time touring the US since he debuted as a singer and an actor in the early-2010s.According to Story J, Seo In-guk will “communicate closely with fans through various game segments with a colourful stage to speak with his fans, who will be able to learn more about Seo In-guk as a human being”. The star will also be performing “several hit songs” during his shows.Seo’s fanmeeting tour will take place in late April, with the first show to be held in Los Angeles’ Saban Theater on April 22 and the second to be held in Washington D.C.’s Lisner Auditorium the next day.

ENHYPEN have surprised fans with a cover of One Direction‘s hit single ‘What Makes you Beautiful’.ENHYPEN’s cover of ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was released today (February 23), in collaboration with the South Korean television talk show The Seasons: Lee Hyori’s Red Carpet. The K-pop boyband’s rendition of One Direction’s debut song is largely faithful to the original, albeit shorter, skipping the second verse and chorus entirely.“Baby, you light up my world like nobody else / The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed / But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell / You don’t know, oh-oh, you don’t know you’re beautiful,” they sing on the chorus.

EXID, Apink and more, has died. He was 41 years old.The noted K-pop producer’s passing was reported today (February 23) by Yonhap News, as well as other South Korean media outlets, including TenAsia and Star News.

P1Harmony have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘P1ustage H : UTOP1A’ tour, with concerts in the US, Asia and more.Today (February 23), P1Harmony teased the cities for the concerts on their upcoming 2024 ‘P1ustage H : UTOP1A’ tour. Among the cities listed are 10 shows in the US, as well as one-off stops in South Korea and Canada.For the US leg of P1Harmony’s ‘P1ustage H : UTOP1A’ tour, the boyband will hold concerts in eight different states and districts.

Wedding Impossible, starring Moon Sang-min and Jeon Jong-seo.Wedding Impossible stars Moon Sang-min and Jeon Jong-seo in an adaptation of a web comic of the same name. It follows a chaebol heir Lee Ji-han (Moon), who proposes a fake marriage to unknown actress Nah Ah-jeong (Jeon) for mutual benefit.Despite her acceptance of Ji-han’s offer, his brother, Do-han (Kim Do-wan) goes above and beyond to put an end to their fake relationship, resulting in clashes between him and his future sister-in-law.Other members of the Wedding Impossible cast also include the likes of Bae Yoon-kyoung (Crash Course in Romance, The King’s Affection), Kwon Hae-hyo (Vigilante, Flex X Cop), Park Ah-in (Moonshine) and more.Prime Video released a teaser for Wedding Impossible on February 22.

posed Thursday at the much-anticipated franchise film’s premiere in Seoul, South Korea, the trio didn’t offer up your standard, simmering red-carpet moves. Instead, the performers each cupped one of their hands to the side of their smiling faces in a half-heart shape as photographers captured the unified gesture.Some confused baby boomers and Gen Xers were likely left pondering, “What are they doing?”Other fans also clamored about another gesture in which Chalamet crossed his thumbs and index fingers, with one X user asking in all caps: “WHY IS TIMOTHEE DOING AEGYO????” It turns out Gen Zers Chalamet, 28, and Zendaya, 27, joined millennial Butler, 32, in embracing forms of the Asian country’s cultural mainstay aegyo (pronounced “ay-gyo”).WHY IS TIMOTHEE DOING AEGYO???? https://t.co/orYbeJNf4sThe gestures are popular ways of posing — or, in another form, speaking — to convey love or to signify something cute or adorable, reportedly with roots in the Joseon dynasty reaching back to the late 1300s, according to Rolling Stone.

is on a whole other level. You might even say she's on a whole other planet. (Get it?).

Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler are taking their high-profile, high-fashion promo tour for Dune: Part Two on the road!

Krystal Jung, best known as a member of girl group f(x), has seemingly signalled her return to music.Today (February 22), Krystal Jung took to Instagram with a new post to announce her new cover of Lalah Hathaway’s 1990 song ‘I’m Coming Back’. Her cover was released on her new Soundcloud page, which also features a cover of Toto’s 1979 song ‘Georgy Porgy’.Notably, the singer’s post was a collaboration with South Korean label Beasts And Natives Alike (BANA), which was founded by Kim Ki-hyun, formerly of SM Entertainment’s A&R team.

IU has personally invited an elderly fan to one of her US concerts after the fan went viral on X (formerly Twitter).Last week, an elderly fan of IU who goes by “Zev Does KDrama” on YouTube went viral on the social media platform X after being noticed by fellow fans of the South Korean singer.The post, which has since received over 6,700 likes and 1,200 retweets, featured screenshots of Zev’s YouTube channel.

Marry My Husband star Park Min-young has opened up about how starring in the series has helped her out of a “dark” period of her life.Park Min-young spoke about how the series has been like “medicine” for her, following a two-year absence from the entertainment industry. In late 2022, the singer was caught up in a scandal involving her ex-boyfriend Kang Jong-hyun, a businessman alleged to have been involved in “illegal activities”.The actress described the past two years of her life as “a long and dark tunnel” in an interview with The Korea Times.

BLACKPINK singer Jisoo has officially launched her own solo label, named Blissoo.BLACKPINK’s Jisoo revealed that she has started her own label, called Blisso. In a statement on Instagram Stories, the singer described the launch of Blissoo as her “new start”.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Piper Perabo has been cast in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video spy series “Butterfly,” Variety has learned exclusively. Perabo joins previously announced series lead Daniel Dae Kim in the series along with cast members Reina Hardesty, Park Hae-soo, Kim Tae-hee, and Nayoon Kim.