Boy band NexZ returned Monday with a playful but confident declaration of identity, unveiling its second EP, “Mmchk,” built around the group’s own rhythm and attitude. At a press showcase in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, the seven-member act — Tomoya, Yu, Haru, Sogeon, Seita, Hyui and Yuki — introduced the album as its first release in six months, since “Beat-Boxer” in October 2025. “‘Mmchk’ reflects how we define ourselves — choosing our own standards and enjoying things in our own way rather than

JYP Entertainment's seven-member global boy group NEXZ opened its 2026 chapter, Monday, with the release of its second single album "Mmchk," signaling a confident new push for wider recognition at home and abroad. The group, composed of Tomoya, Yu, Haru, So Geon, Seita, Hyui and Yuki, is returning roughly six months after its October mini-album "Beat-Boxer" and nearly two years since its global debut with "Ride the Vibe" in May 2024. To mark the occasion, NEXZ took the stage at a press showcase at Blue Square in Yongsan District, Seoul, just a few hours ahead of the album drop, so that members could discuss its creative process and what lies ahead. For Yu, whose birthday happened to fall on release day, the moment carried personal weight. "We're already entering our second year, and it still doesn't feel real," he said. "I still vividly remember our debut. We've gained so much experience along the way, and starting with this album, we want to work harder to introduce ourselves to even more people." The album title itself is deliberately hard to pin down. "Mmchk," the eponymous title track,

Korean music channel Mnet has once again come under fire for alleged manipulative editing, this time over “Street World Fighter: Directors’ War.” The latest controversy could further erode viewers’ trust in the channel, which already stands on shaky grounds after past allegations of voting rigging involving its K-pop audition programs. The repeated nature of the controversy makes it harder to dismiss such cases as isolated incidents. The controversy centers on “Street World Fighter: Directors’ War,” a dance competition program Mnet announced late last month. The channel described the series as a large-scale project built on the legacy of the globally popular “Street Woman Fighter” franchise, focusing on performance directors who choreograph, design and stage performances for top-tier dancers around the world. The controversy emerged after Mnet released a teaser for the show, which is scheduled to air in August. Kiira Harper, who appeared in the teaser and was shown listing various performances she had apparently worked on, later wrote on social media that she had not

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- K-pop girl group NewJeans is preparing to resume mus...

The possible indictment of Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk for violating capital markets law could send ripples far beyond the company, dealing a significant blow to the broader K-pop industry, according to industry insiders. Bang is alleged to have misled Hybe's existing investors in 2019 — a year before the company's initial public offering — by falsely claiming there were no IPO plans, while arranging for the company executives to offload their shares through a special-purpose company established