South Korean defence minister says it is “desirable” that BTS carry out military service

Netflix is currently in talks to stream upcoming Korean blockbuster The Match exclusively on its platform.South Korean news outlet The Korea Herald reported on October 12 that The Match – which stars Squid Game’s Lee Byung-hun and Hellbound’s Yoo Ah-in as its leading stars – is currently considering forgoing a theatrical release in favour of a Netflix premiere.The producers of The Match had reportedly previously sorted out a release date for its theatrical premiere, but are now in talks to change tactics considering local movie theatre attendance has yet to improve since the ease of COVID-19 restrictions in South Korea. However, representatives of Netflix told The Korea Herald that “nothing has been decided yet”.Based on true events, The Match follows the tale of two notable Go (a traditional Chinese board game) players set in the ’80s and ’90s.

HYBE’s request to trademark V from BTS‘ popular ‘Borahae’ phrase.The phrase, now synonymous with BTS, was first coined by V during a BTS fanmeet event in 2016. The term, a portmanteau of the Korean words saranghae (I love you) and borasaek (purple), was created with the following message in mind to be used between BTS and their fanbase, per Soompi: “Just as purple is the last colour of the rainbow, I will trust and love you until the very end.”A report from Sports Kyunghangclaims that the South Korean entertainment giant’s request to trademark the ‘Borahae’ phrase was rejected as it went against the “principles of good faith”, as translated by Soompi.KIPO noted in their statement that the term was first coined by V – referred to in the report by his birth name, Kim Tae-hyung – during a BTS fanmeet on November 13, 2016, and that the entity entitled to the trademark is V himself.

South Korea’s military appears to want to conscript members of the K-pop supergroup BTS for mandatory military duties, as the public remains sharply divided over whether they should be given exemptions.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In what plays like Singapore’s answer to “About Schmidt,” never-too-late-to-live dramedy “Ajoomma” follows a widowed housewife as she steps out of her comfort zone by making a solo trip to South Korea. This upbeat debut from director He Shuming — whose title is the Korean equivalent of all-purpose Asian term of respect “Auntie” — offers longtime TV actor Hong Huifang (“Housewives’ Holiday”) a chance to shine in the title role, which has already netted her a Golden Horse Award nom. Selected to rep Singapore at the Oscars, affable “Ajoomma” is more of a dark horse in that race, albeit one with art-house sleeper potential. Mrs. Lim’s life is light on excitement. What it lacks in drama, she fills by binging on Korean soap operas — a not at all uncommon obsession among Asian women (and a growing number of Americans, thanks to services like Kocowa and Viki). “Auntie,” as most of the other characters call Hong’s character, fusses a bit too much over her only son, who long ago agreed to accompany her on a special tour of Seoul. Now, mere days before they’re to depart, he backs out for a job interview in New York — one that would put some much-needed distance between the closeted young man and his overly suffocating mom.

EXCLUSIVE: Gang Dong-Won, the South Korean actor whose credits include the Train to Busan sequel Peninsula and most recently the Hirokazu Kore-eda-directed Broker, which premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has signed with Range Media Partners.

The door for members of BTS to put their music careers on pause to serve in South Korea’s mandatory military draft is still very much open. In comments flagged by the Associated Press, Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, said on Friday that it would be “desirable” for BTS members to take part in the draft in order to preserve the appearance of fairness. The government of South Korea appears close to deciding on whether or not the members of one of the biggest pop groups in the world will be forced to serve in the military.

whether they should be given exemptions.Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, told lawmakers on Friday that it’s “desirable” for BTS members to fulfill their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service.Earlier this week, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made almost identical comments about BTS at a parliamentary committee meeting, and Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon said his ministry would soon finalize its position on the issue.Whether the band’s seven members must serve in the army is one of the hottest issues in South Korea because its oldest member, Jin, faces possible enlistment early next year after turning 30 in December.Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to perform 18-21 months of military service. But the law provides special exemptions for athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers who have won top prizes in certain competitions that enhance national prestige.Without a revision of the law, the government can take steps to grant special exemptions.

HYBE Labels, home to acts like BTS and SEVENTEEN, has reportedly acquired Supertone, a Korea-based AI voice company.South Korean news outlet Pulse reported on September 27 that the entertainment giant had acquired the startup for approximately ₩45billion (roughly £28.3million), following an investment it made last year when it acquired an 18 per cent stake in Supertone.Valued at about ₩22billion (roughly £13.8 million), Supertone is known for its “adversarially trained end-to-end Korean singing voice synthesis” technology founded in 2020. Dubbed commercially as the ‘singing voice synthesis’ (SVS), Supertone’s AI technology first gained traction when it was featured on a local television programme last year, for mimicking the voice of the late Korean musician Kim Kwang-seok on the Kim Bum-soo classic ‘I Miss You’.According to Pulse, several unidentified sources claimed that HYBE made the decision to acquire Supertone in order to synergise its own artist intellectual property with Supertone’s technology for future endeavours in content production.

BTS‘ exemption from military service by December.The announcement was made during tourism minister Park Bo-kyun’s attendance of the South Korean National Assembly’s parliamentary inspection of the administration yesterday (October 5), per Ten Asia. Park shared a timeline for the decision after People Power Party member Lee Yong-ho requested for him to “actively review the issue of BTS’s military service”, as translated by Soompi.“Member Jin’s enlistment is set to be sorted out by December, but the MCST will finalise our stance as soon as possible before then,” Park said in response.

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday morning local time, just two days after Pyongyang sent an intermediate-range ballistic missile flying over Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.  About 40 missiles have been launched by North Korea this year, including six in the past two weeks, but Tuesday's test marked the first time in five years that the country has sent a missile over Japan.  The U.S. and South Korea staged joint drills on Wednesday in response, with the USS Ronald Reagan moving into waters east of South Korea.

BTS‘ potential military enlistment continues to be a hot topic.

Netflix has shared the first look at its upcoming K-drama, The Fabulous, starring SHINee’s Minho.The much-anticipated first glimpse at the new series was shared by Netflix on October 5, and features snippets pulled from The Fabulous encompassing the fast-paced, glamorous world of South Korea’s illustrious fashion scene. Freelance photo editor Ji Woo-min (played by SHINee’s Minho) is at the heart of its schemes, crossing paths and eventually developing a romance with PR manager Pyo Ji-eun (Rookie Cops’ Chae Soo-bin).It also features cameo appearances from several top South Korean models, most notably including Choi So-ra, best known as the winner of the third cycle of Korea’s Next Top Model. Slated to make its global premiere on the streaming platform on November 4, The Fabulous, set against the backdrop of Seoul’s fashion industry and will depict the stories of young men and women as they navigate their work, personal lives, friendships and romances, along with their struggles to stay afloat in a fast-changing and competitive fashion landscape.Other cast members previously announced to be joining Minho and Chae on The Fabulous include Kim Min-kyu, a past Produce X 101 contestant, as well as Byun Jun-seo (Woori The Virgin), Lee Mi-do (Kiss Sixth Sense, House Of Lies), Kwon Hae-sung (Cafe Minamdang, The Devil Judge) and rookie actress Ye Seon-ho, among others.The first official details of the upcoming romance series first surfaced as early as September 2021.

Naomi Osaka is making every second count.

Big Hit Music has issued a new statement claiming that it has filed new criminal complaints against “malicious postings” about BTS.The South Korean music label published the statement via the band’s Weverse page earlier today (September 29), where it shared that it is allegedly currently pursuing legal action against unidentified “perpetrators of malicious activities related to BTS”.“We have recently filed additional criminal complaints against postings with personal attacks and defamation using new information provided by fans as well as collected through our monitoring initiatives,” the company wrote in the statement.Big Hit Music added that it had come across “multiple defamation postings” containing false information about BTS on social media platforms both in and outside of South Korea, and have also located the person responsible for spreading and sharing “ill-intentioned rumour[s]”.“[Big Hit Music has] filed a criminal complaint against the poster after gathering all of the repetitively uploaded postings,” the label continued, adding that this was in accordance to its legal response process, where the company supposedly monitors and collects evidence on “malicious postings” for 365 days before including them in their formal complaints to the relevant authorities.“We would also like to share with you that after an extended police investigation, we were able to identify the suspect and the case has been sent to the prosecutor’s office,” Big Hit Music’s statement read. However, details regarding the identities of the offenders and circumstances of the posts in question were not publicly disclosed.

After two years of holding in-person but stripped down editions of the festival, South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, October 5-14) is back in full force this year with a packed line-up of screenings, red carpets, parties, awards and industry events.

HYBE will be launching BTS’ ‘The City’ project in Busan ahead of the boyband’s forthcoming free concert in the city next month.On September 26, the agency shared that it would be transforming the southern city of Busan into a “concert play park” offering a variety of entertainment events both before and after BTS’ ‘Yet To Come’ concert on October 15.‘The City’ in Busan is set to begin on October 5, kicking off with the launch of ‘2022 BTS Exhibition : Proof’ at Haeundae LCT, which will highlight the past nine years of BTS’ career, per Korea JoongAng Daily.Other experiences coming as part of the project include the launch of limited edition BTS and Busan-themed goods at the Lotte Department Store chain.Between October 14-31, Lotte World Adventure amusement park in Busan will undergo a BTS transformation: the park will be lit up in the group’s signature purple and play their music, and serve purple-themed food and beverages during this time.Outdoor afterparties will also be held at the amusement park on October 15 and 16 following BTS’ concert in Busan.Additionally, five hotels – namely Paradise Hotel Busan, Grand Josun Busan, Park Hyatt Busan, Lotte Hotel Busan and Fairfield by Marriott Busan Songdo Beach – will be launching BTS-themed packages.

Lookism.On September 25, the streaming platform premiered the trailer on its YouTube channel, at the same time revealing that Lookism will begin streaming on November 4.The trailer follows an overweight high school student named Park Hyeong-seok, who is frequently bullied and harassed by his peers who consider him unattractive. One day, Hyeong-seok wakes up and discovers that he has received a new, conventionally attractive body, which he can use while his original body is asleep.With his days spent split between the two different bodies, Hyeong-seok begins to realise just how differently the world treats him based on his physical appearance.The trailer is soundtracked by a snippet of an original song performed by K-pop boyband ATEEZ.

BTS have released a music video for ‘Yet to Come (Hyundai Ver.)’, a British rock remix of the septet’s latest title track.The new visual sees BTS performing the song live from a rooftop, interspersed with shots of children playing soccer, as well as crowds and families tuning in to watch World Cup events.“We’re going straight to the stars, they never thought we’d make it this far / Now the vision is clear, the goal of the century is here,” Suga and J-hope declare in revised lyrics for the chorus.The remixed version of ‘Yet to Come’ was produced in partnership with Hyundai as part of ‘Goal of the Century’, the car company’s promotional campaign for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. Following the track’s release, Hyundai is set to launch the #TeamCentury12 challenge on TikTok to promote the messaging behind BTS’ track.BTS are also set to hold a free live performance in Busan next month.

Thania Garcia South Korean R&B singer Crush, who is in the midst of a comeback after a two-year military service hiatus, has recruited BTS’ J-Hope for his new single, “Rush Hour.” The celebratory song arrived on Thursday with an accompanying music video which also stars J-Hope and sees both artists skating through elaborate dance numbers in an alleyway. After Crush begins the track, he’s joined by the BTS member, who playfully raps, “Wherever I go now it’s a red carpet feel / Cameras snapping wherever I go like flash, flash,” as a crowd of camera flashes appears behind him. Crush told the Korean entertainment publication Soompi that his decision to collaborate with J-Hope was natural, as they are both going in a similar musical direction, and added that he “was so grateful for [J-Hope] when he helped monitor and provided coaching.”

HYBE has published a new statement addressing the issue of expenses for BTS‘ forthcoming ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan.South Korean broadcast network KBS reported yesterday (September 21) claiming that the Busan government had sent out sponsorship request emails to the 10 biggest corporations in Korea as a means of funding BTS’ ‘Yet To Come’ Busan concert on October 15. The concert has been touted as free-of-charge for audiences, in order to support Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.KBS also reported that the Busan government had done so while attaching a contact for HYBE in their correspondence, claiming the request was passed down from the entertainment company.