Today in K-Pop

K-pop boy band EXO will release its eighth full-length album next month, its first group project in about two years, SM Entertainment said Monday. The nine-track album "REVERXE," set for release on Jan. 19, will feature six members — Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun and Lay. Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin will not take part due to an ongoing contract dispute with the company. EXO held a fan meet-and-greet event at Inspire Arena in Incheon, just west of Seoul, over the weekend, where the six members performed hit songs and premiered a new track, "I'm Home" from the upcoming album. The nine-member group had been on hiatus since members began their military enlistments in 2019. Sehun was the last to complete his service in September.

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SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- K-pop boy band EXO will release its eighth full-lengt...

Exo

G-Dragon continues to prove why he’s one of K-pop’s most prominent stars with an unmistakable style that has captured the imaginations of the global audience for nearly 20 years. Debuting in 2006 as the leader of BIGBANG, he helped take K-pop to new heights with classic hits such as “BANG BANG BANG” and “Fantastic Baby.” The K-pop icon returned as a solo artist in February with “mensch,” his first solo album in 12 years, and kicked off a world tour that showcased his musical evolution and lasting impact on pop culture across Asia, Australia and North America. The tour concluded in Seoul with an encore run of three nights at the Gocheok Sky Dome over the weekend, with all dates selling out in just eight minutes. Even before G-Dragon appeared on stage for Sunday’s concert, the stadium buzzed with anticipation, as if the crowd knew they were about to witness something extraordinary — a journey through the highlights of his storied career. The crowd's excitement was instantly worth the wait as the lights dimmed and G-Dragon was unveiled on stage wearing a crown. He got the

G-Dragon

Taeyong of NCT completed his mandatory military service Sunday. He wrote “I’m back” on the group’s social media alongside a picture of him wearing a large ribbon with a message celebrating his return. Taeyong served as a member of the Naval marching band from April last year and is the first member of NCT to complete his military service. Three members of the group are currently completing their military service: Jaehyun enlisted in November 2024 and Doyoung and Jungwoo enlisted early this month

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Dogyeom and Seungkwan of Seventeen uploaded a video of themselves covering “Die With a Smile” to the band’s YouTube channel on Sunday. Demonstrating their vocal prowess as they belt out the greatest hit of 2025, the pair also pays tribute to the original singers, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, by wearing similar costumes. The two returned from Tokyo last week along with their bandmates after two shows at Tokyo Dome, part of the band’s world tour, New_. The group returns to Japan this weekend for two

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Global interest in Korean culture — from K-pop and K-food to K-beauty — is hotter than ever. Yet animation remains a lagging sector. Even as well-made animated works gain attention both at home and abroad, the fact that Korea still lacks a globally recognized animated character beyond Pororo underscores a sobering reality. This year’s No. 1 film at the Korean box office was the Japanese animated movie “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle,” which overtook the Korean live-action hit “Zombie Daughter.” Other Japanese animated titles such as “Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” also enjoyed major success. The momentum has continued with animation. Disney’s “Zootopia 2” surpassed 4 million moviegoers just 13 days after its release and has dominated the box office without serious competition. Industry observers say the trend is likely to continue through the year-end peak season. Animation’s strength is also evident on streaming platforms. Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” recorded the highest cumulative viewership of any

The South Korean government is considering hosting a large-scale K-pop concert in China early next month, local media reported Monday, raising renewed speculation over a possible easing of Beijing’s restrictions on Korean cultural content. President Lee Jae Myung is reportedly weighing a visit to China in January as a reciprocal gesture following his recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsan

Belift Lab, a K-pop subsidiary label under Hybe, has filed a lawsuit against NewJeans fan group Team Bunnies for allegedly defaming its girl group Illit. In a complaint submitted Monday to the Seoul Western District Court, Belift Lab said the operator of Team Bunnies had persistently spread false claims accusing Illit of plagiarizing NewJeans, causing reputational and financial harm. The label is seeking 100 million won ($68,000) in damages. Belift Lab also took issue with Team Bunnies’ alleged

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Day6 released its first-ever Christmas single, “Lovin’ the Christmas,” on Monday at 6 p.m., marking the group’s foray into seasonal music a decade into its career. The release caps a milestone year for Day6, which marked its 10th anniversary with a series of major activities, including digital single “Maybe Tomorrow,” the group's fourth album “The Decade,” as well as fan meetings and concerts held in Korea and overseas. The new track blends holiday sentiment with a Motown-inspired sound, drawing

DAY6

The group CORTIS is reshaping the flow of the K-pop market in line with its stated ambitions. By breaking away from the conventional idol formula and debuting as a “young creator crew,” the group’s strategy has proven effective. CORTIS officially debuted last September with its debut album “Color outside the lines.” The group is the first new boy group launched by BigHit Music, a HYBE subsidiary, in six years since BTS and Tomorrow X Together (TXT). Even before its debut, CORTIS drew intense attention within and outside the industry simply by virtue of being a BigHit Music boy group. Given the lineage following BTS and TXT, expectations were high for a familiar BigHit Music-style idol group. However, CORTIS defied those expectations by presenting a completely different concept and direction from older groups. As reflected in the group name — formed by irregularly extracting six letters from the phrase “Color outside the lines” — CORTIS’ core value is freedom. True to the meaning of thinking freely beyond standards and rules set by the world, the group chose to differ

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Exo will make its long-awaited return at the start of 2026 with the release of its eighth full-length album, “Reverxe.” SM Entertainment announced Monday that the album will be released Jan. 19 across major music platforms and will feature nine new tracks. Preorders opened at noon the same day through online and offline retailers, following the release of a newly redesigned Exo logo image on the group’s official social media channels at midnight — immediately fueling anticipation among fans. “Re

Exo

G-Dragon concluded eight months on the road with “G-Dragon 2025 World Tour Ubermensch in Seoul: Encore” at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday, marking the end of his 39-show world tour that spanned 17 cities across Asia, North America and Europe. Around 54,000 fans attended the artist’s encore performance, waving G-Dragon’s official light stick, the Daisy Bong, as well as Big Bang’s VIP Bong, as they welcomed his grand finale. Opening with “Power,” G-Dragon quickly got the crowd on their feet,

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Babymonster is gearing up to promote another B-side track from its second EP, according to label YG Entertainment on Monday. A promotional photograph of Ahyeon and Rora posing for the camera against a sky blue background hints at the dreamy ambience of “Supa Dupa Luv,” from the EP “We Go Up.” The lyrical R&B hip-hop tune will be the third song the group will be presenting from the four-track mini album, following “Psycho.” Music videos for “We Go Up” and “Psycho” garnered 200 million and 100 mil

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Stray Kids maintained a top-ten spot on the Billboard 200 with “Do It.” The five-track set ranked No. 10 in its third week on the main albums chart, down six places from the previous week. "Do It" made a chart-topping debut on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's eighth consecutive album to do so, a first-ever in the chart's history. Stray Kids is now third in terms of groups with the most albums to top the chart, after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Stray Kids also claimed the highest s

Stray Kids