Today in K-Pop

Soompi

The stars brought their A-game to the red carpet at the 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon! On December 25, top idols arrived in style at INSPIRE Arena in Incheon, turning heads ahead of the highly anticipated year-end music festival. Check out the standout red carpet looks from today below! MCs DAY6’s Young K, IVE’s An Yu…

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Stray Kids spend 17 weeks on Billboard 200
Korea Herald

Stray Kids logged its longest run on Billboard 200 as its fourth album made the main albums chart for 17 weeks in a row. “Karma” ranked No. 130 on the chart dated Dec. 27, clinching the record streak for the eight-member act. Its latest release, mixtape “Do It,” sat at No. 19 on the chart in the fourth week. Both albums made chart-topping debuts on the chart, becoming the group's seventh and eighth consecutive albums to do so. "Karma" claimed the No. 128 spot on Billboard’s Year-End 200 and No.

Soompi

Oricon’s year-end rankings for 2025 are out! Each year, Oricon—Japan’s largest music statistics site—publishes its annual rankings of the best-selling albums and singles in Japan. K-pop made a strong showing on this year’s charts, with K-pop artists and artists affiliated with K-pop labels (such as NiziU, who debuted under JYP Entertainment) taking up nearly half…

Christmas song covers by K-pop artists to get into holiday spirit
Korea Herald

While original Christmas releases help to set the festive mood, K-pop’s holiday season is just as defined by covers. Each year, K-pop artists revisit well-known seasonal songs and classics, reshaping them with their distinctive vocals and musical arrangements, with some featuring their own special music video. Here are some playfully rearranged covers listeners can enjoy this season to slow down and lean into the spirit of the holidays. “The Christmas Song” – cover sung by BTS’ Jungkook, P1Harmo

Why dating rumors still shake K-pop, even as it goes global
Korea Times

When a dating rumor linking BTS' Jung Kook and aespa's Winter — arguably two of the highest-profile stars in the current K-pop landscape — began circulating online, the response followed an all-too-familiar script. Neither artist nor their agencies confirmed or denied the reports, but silence did little to slow the conversation. Instead, the rumor reopened one of the genre's hottest debates: how much of an idol's personal life truly belongs to their fans? Within days, fan communities split along predictable lines. Some urged respect for privacy, while others expressed concern that a relationship could affect group activities or public image. A smaller but louder faction even sent protest trucks to the artists' agencies, turning speculation into a public dispute. The episode echoed events from last year, when aespa member Karina was linked to actor Lee Jae-wook. That controversy culminated in Karina issuing a public apology to fans, drawing international attention not because idols dating was unusual, but because the expectation of remorse felt increasingly misaligned with how pop st

MC Mong denies alleged affair, vows legal action
Korea Times

Singer MC Mong has denied allegations of an extramarital relationship with Cha Ga-won, chair of P-arc Group and CEO of One Hundred, an entertainment company, and said he plans to take legal action over the reports. On the 24th, MC Mong issued a statement on his social media account in response to a report alleging that he had been in a relationship with Cha, who is married. The report also claimed that Cha gave him large sums of money and luxury vehicles on several occasions and published what it said were private conversation records between the two. MC Mong said the messages were fabricated, saying the person “did not simply edit messages but created them from scratch” and “came to my home, threw things, slapped me, and threatened me like a gangster to force me to sign a contract.” He added that he left the company because he wanted to “protect it,” rejecting the affair allegation and suggesting he would take legal action against the media outlet that published the article. One Hundred also moved quickly to deny the allegation, saying its internal fact-checking found that

BTS' Jung Kook releases holiday cover of 'Christmas Song'
Korea Times

BTS’ Jung Kook released a cover of “The Christmas Song” on YouTube and SoundCloud on Christmas Eve, along with a music video he filmed himself, BigHit Music said. “The song is Jung Kook’s Christmas gift to BTS fans at the end of the year,” the agency said. The video features nighttime views of Seoul, with N Seoul Tower in frame. Jung Kook covered the version by U.S. singer-songwriter Johnny Stimson, who remade the classic in 2020. The original song was written in 1945 for the Nat King Cole Trio. He is currently appearing alongside fellow BTS member Jimin in the Disney+ travel reality show “Are You Sure?” A documentary about his journey as a solo artist during the release of his 2023 debut album “Golden” was also released on Sept. 18. BTS is anticipated to release a new album and embark on a world tour next year.