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NewJeans tops 300m Spotify streams with ‘Cookie’
NewJeans reached 300 million plays on Spotify with “Cookie” as of Tuesday, Ador announced Thursday. It is the group’s eighth song to accomplish the feat. “Cookie” was released in August 2022 as one of the three lead tracks from its debut album, along with “Attention” and “Hype Boy.” The dance pop tune incorporating toned-down hip-hop beats was chosen as one of the “Best Songs of 2022” by the New York Times, commending “its ease — no maximalism, no theater.” Meanwhile, a South Korean court ruled
Oct. 30, 2025 -
NCT’s Doyoung, Jungwoo to enlist in December
Doyoung and Jungwoo of NCT will begin their mandatory military service on Dec. 8, label SM Entertainment announced Thursday. After a basic training camp, Doyoung will serve as an active member of the army, and Jungwoo, having received an acceptance notification the previous day, will join the army's marching band. Doyoung’s older brother, actor Gong Myung, had said that the idol will enlist by the end of this year in a variety show aired earlier this week. The two, as members of subunit NCT127,
Oct. 30, 2025 -
Court rules NewJeans must stay with Ador, upholding exclusive contract
The Seoul Central District Court ruled Thursday that Ador’s dismissal of its former CEO Min Hee-jin did not constitute a violation of its exclusive contract with the girl group NewJeans. The court found insufficient grounds to support the group’s key claims for terminating the contract — namely, Min’s dismissal and Ador’s alleged failure to protect the members. “It is difficult to conclude that Ador breached the exclusive contract solely on the grounds of Min Hee-jin’s dismissal,” the court said
Oct. 30, 2025 -
BTS' RM compares K-pop to 'bibimbap' in landmark speech at APEC CEO Summit
BTS frontman RM on Wednesday became the first K-pop artist to deliver a keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit, likening the genre's global appeal to "bibimbap," the Korean mixed rice dish that blends diverse ingredients into one harmonious whole. Speaking at the Gyeongju Arts Center in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on "the cultural and creative industries in the APEC region and the soft power of Korean culture," the 31-year-old said K-pop's power lies in its abi
Oct. 29, 2025 -
&Team eyes path to global stardom with Korean debut
With the ambition to achieve global stardom, Hybe's first Japanese idol group &Team developed under Korea's K-pop production system, made its Korean debut on Tuesday evening at the home of K-pop. The nine-member multinational group comprises seven Japanese members, one Korean member and one Taiwanese member, all selected through the competition shows "I-Land" and "&Audition — The Howling." Members K, Nicholas, EJ and Taki competed in "I-Land," a 2020 program co-organized by local music cable cha
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Park Bo-gum to host first day of 2025 MAMA Awards
Actor Park Bo-gum will host the first day of the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards, according to CJ ENM on Wednesday. The 2025 MAMA will be held Nov. 28-29 at the newly opened 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, featuring spectacular stage productions and world-class performances. Now in its 26th year, the awards ceremony has adopted the theme "uh-heung," a Korean expression meaning fun or excitement, to symbolize K-pop's ambition to spread positive energy globally and to evolve the annual
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Le Sserafim tops Oricon chart with new single
Le Sserafim made a chart-topping debut on the Oricon Daily Single Ranking with “Spaghetti,” said agency Source Music on Wednesday, citing the latest chart. The group of five has hit the chart at No. 1 twice this year, after doing so with its fourth single in Japan, “Different,” in June. The group will be able to thank its fans in Japan during its encore concert for the "Easy Crazy Hot" tour in Tokyo next month. Le Sserafim is also set to make its debut at Tokyo Dome on Nov. 18-19. The single alb
Oct. 29, 2025 -
WEi drops 8th EP with Kim Yohan back
WEi brought out a new album after about nine months with Kim Yohan back on the team, WE Entertainment said Wednesday. The boy band releases its eighth EP, “Wonderland,” inviting everyone to have fun without worries and to enjoy the music. The mini album consists of five tracks including lead single “Home,” which Jang Daehyun participated in writing and arranging. Kim Yohan, who could not join the band’s promotion for the previous set, “The Feelings,” while shooting a TV drama, rejoined the group
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Itzy to launch 3rd international tour in February
Itzy will host an international tour in February, starting with three shows in Seoul, label JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday. “Tunnel Vision” kicks off Feb. 13-15 and is named after the group's 11th EP, which releases Nov. 10. The new set, comprising six tracks, is slated to hit shelves about five months after the 10th EP, “Girls Will Be Girls.” That mini album topped iTunes' Top Albums chart in 10 regions as well as its Worldwide Albums chart. The upcoming tour comes approximately 1 1/2 ye
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Babymonster’s ‘We Go Up’ dance video logs 100m views
Babymonster surpassed 100 million views on YouTube for its performance video for “We Go Up,” YG Entertainment announced Tuesday. The dance video reached the milestone in 14 days to become the group’s 13th video to hit the same mark, on the heels of the music video for the same single doing so the previous week, only 13 days from its release. “We Go Up” is the main track from the seven-member act’s second EP of the same title. The mini album came out on Oct. 10 and landed atop a series of music c
Oct. 29, 2025 -
CJ ENM's K-pop platform Mnet Plus unveils major growth strategy
South Korea's entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM laid out an ambitious roadmap for its mobile-based K-pop content platform Mnet Plus on Tuesday, revealing plans to quadruple content investment while cementing its position in the global music landscape. Speaking at the company's Culture Talk event in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kim Ji-won, senior vice president of Mnet Plus, revealed the service has surged to 40 million cumulative users since its 2022 launch, with monthly active users peaking at 20 million. The
Oct. 28, 2025 -
Team Bunnies’ fundraiser representative revealed to be a minor: report
The representative of Team Bunnies, a segment of the NewJeans fandom under investigation for illegal fundraising in support of the group, has been revealed to be a minor, local media reported Tuesday. According to Chosun Biz, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office determined that Team Bunnies’ online campaign on Oct. 21, 2024, which raised more than 50 million won ($35,000), was an unregistered fundraiser in violation of the Donations Solicitation Act. However, since the person behind t
Oct. 28, 2025 -
K-pop idols delight fans with surprise gifts during military hiatus
Military service, compulsory for all able-bodied men in Korea, is often a setback for K-pop singers as they face a long absence from the music scene and fans struggle with the sudden silence. Faced with the challenge of staying relevant while out of the public eye, several K-pop idols have found ways to stay active musically even while serving. Cha Eun-woo of Astro, who enlisted in the military in July as a member of the Army marching band, surprised fans with news that he will be releasing his
Oct. 28, 2025 -
BTOB’s Seo Eunkwang signals solo return
Seo Eunkwang of BTOB will unveil a song from his first solo studio album in advance on Wednesday, according to BTOB Company on Tuesday. He will prerelease “Last Light” and give fans a taste of the LP that is to be fully unveiled in December. From Dec. 20-27, the singer will host solo standalone shows in Seoul and Busan. The new album will mark a solo comeback for the artist about 5 1/2 years since his first solo EP, “Forest: Entrance.” In the meantime, the leader and main vocalist of BTOB went l
Oct. 28, 2025 -
Billlie to celebrate 4th debut anniversary with fan meetup
Girl group Billlie will mark its fourth debut anniversary with a fan meeting in Seoul on Nov. 10, announced agency Mystic Story on Tuesday. It will host “Homecoming Day with Belllie’ve,” sharing memories with fans and putting on a special performance. The group of seven is putting together an album as well, which, it said in an interview with a magazine, “will showcase Billlie’s identity and color more clearly.” Billlie's last full-group effort was its fifth EP, “appendix: Of All We Have Lost,”
Oct. 28, 2025