A casting director’s unexpected discovery of a smiling photo in a small academy in Daegu has resurfaced online, revealing the unlikely moment that helped launch the career of BTS’ V. The story of how the global K-pop star was first spotted is now drawing renewed attention from fans. Japanese outlet Oricon News recently published an interview with Kim Mi-jung, a former casting director at BigHit Music who helped recruit members of BTS and Tomorrow X Together. Kim said among the many trainees she encountered during her years scouting talent, the moment she first saw V stood out the most. “I’ve seen many trainees, but V was the only one who gave me chills the moment I encountered him,” she said. At the time, Kim had just begun working as a casting manager and was traveling across regional cities in search of new talent. She recalled spending an entire week scouting in the southern city of Daegu during a sweltering summer without finding anyone promising. “I had been searching all week in Daegu, but I couldn’t discover anyone,” she said. “I was exhausted and sitting down whe

Heeseung will part with Enhypen to pursue a solo career, his agency Belift Lab announced Tuesday. The agency shared the news through the fan community platform Weverse, saying it had been discussing the group’s future direction and goals with the members. According to Belift Lab, the discussions included in-depth conversations about each member’s vision and the team’s path forward. During that process, Heeseung expressed a clear musical direction he wanted to pursue, and the agency decided to re

SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- K-pop boy band Enhypen will be reorganized as a six-...

Heeseung of K-pop boy band ENHYPEN will leave the group, his agency Belift Lab announced Tuesday. In a statement posted on fan platform Weverse, the company said it had held extensive discussions with the members about the group’s future direction and goals. “Through deep conversations about each member’s vision for the future and the team’s direction, we confirmed that Heeseung has a clear musical path he wishes to pursue,” the agency said. “After careful consideration, we decided to respect his aspirations.” The HYBE Labels subsuduary said the 24-year-old singer will depart the group and ENHYPEN will continue activities as a six-member act beginning with its upcoming promotional schedules. “Although it is difficult to explain every detail in a short statement, we want to emphasize that this decision was made after a long period of deliberation,” the company said. “We understand that this news may be difficult for fans to accept, but we hope you will understand that it was made with the future of both ENHYPEN and Heeseung in mind.” Belift Lab added that ENHYPEN woul

BTS will open a special pop-up store in Seoul to mark the release of its upcoming album, “Arirang,” the group’s agency said Tuesday. According to Big Hit Music, the pop-up event will run from 1 p.m. on the day of the album’s release (March 20) through 8:30 p.m. on April 12 at two locations: Shinsegae Department Store’s The Heritage building in Jung-gu, central Seoul, and the Hybe headquarters in Yongsan. Merchandise for sale at the pop-up was created in collaboration with the National Museum Fou

SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- K-pop juggernaut BTS will perform before some 22,000...