A South Korean civic group has filed criminal complaints over the alleged leak of tax investigation details involving celebrity Cha Eun-woo, warning that unchecked disclosures risk repeating the kind of reputational damage seen in the case of late actor Lee Sun-kyun. The Korea Taxpayers Federation said on Tuesday it had reported a tax official accused of leaking confidential information and the journalist who first reported it to police. The federation said the complaint cites violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and criminal law provisions on disclosure of official secrets. The group said the leak concerned details of a tax investigation into Cha, a member of K-pop boy band ASTRO who is also active as an actor. It said the information could only have been known to tax investigators or officials in the approval chain, raising strong suspicions of an internal leak. “The accused parties unlawfully disclosed specific details related to Cha Eun-woo’s tax investigation, infringing on confidentiality principles guaranteed by the Framework Act on National Taxes and the rig

K-pop supergroup BTS' upcoming comeback concert in central Seoul is expected to draw about 15,000 ticketed fans, music industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, Hybe, the K-pop company behind BTS, is coordinating with the Seoul metropolitan government on a plan to admit 15,000 fans in the standing and reserved seating sections for the "BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang" concert on March 21. The free concert will take place at Gwanghwamun Square the day after the release of BTS' fifth studio album, "Arirang," named after the famous Korean folk song. It will be its first release since "Proof" in June 2022 and the first since all members completed their mandatory military service. The septet plans to walk from inside Gyeongbok Palace, passing through the Gwanghwamun gate and the "woldae," a traditional ceremonial stage located in front of the gate, before moving onto a stage built at the northern end of the square to open the show. Applications for 2,000 standing tickets opened on Tuesday via Hybe's K-pop fan community platform Weverse for those who preordered the album. Accordin

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- K-pop supergroup BTS' upcoming comeback concert in ce...

An increasing number of K-pop acts are leaning into electronic music, signaling what could emerge as one of the genre’s defining sonic currents this year. From rookie groups such as KiiiKiii to established acts including Ive and Blackpink, artists are selecting house or electronic dance tracks as their lead singles. Even BTS is reported to have collaborated with American DJ and producer Diplo on its upcoming album “Arirang,” due March 20, further fueling expectations around an EDM-driven directi

Girl group TripleS will begin touring Asia on Feb. 28 featuring all 24 members, agency Modhaus said Tuesday. For tour “My Secret New Zone,” the group will go live for two days in Taipei. So far, it is also scheduled to perform in Hong Kong on March 14 and two in Seoul the following month. The idol group is expected to roll out two albums this year, as per the video the agency uploaded late last month. Under the title “Assemble26,” it will show “Love Side” in the first half and “Pop Side” in the

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- KiiiKiii, the youngest girl group from the K-pop agen...