Today in K-Pop

K-pop’s power structure was long easy to describe. While men and women equally shared the spotlight on stage as idols, the creative and managerial authority behind the scenes largely remained in the hands of men. For decades, the industry’s defining architects were figures such as SM Entertainment producer Lee Soo-man, JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young and YG Entertainment’s Yang Hyun-suk, later joined by HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk — producers whose creative direction and corporate leadership helped shape the modern K-pop system. In recent years, however, that balance has begun to shift. A growing number of women producers are stepping into roles that extend far beyond contributing songs or onstage choreography. Increasingly, they oversee narrative direction, overall aesthetics, branding and marketing strategy, shaping not only individual artists or groups but also the broader creative trajectory of the industry. The change reflects a wider transformation in how K-pop itself is now produced. Where the industry once revolved largely around music production and stage performa

Park Jin-young, best known as a member of the K-pop boy band GOT7, and Kim Min-ju, formerly of IZ*ONE, are set to star together in a youthful melodrama that captures the beauty of growing up and finding love. The pair will lead JTBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama “Still Shining,” which follows the intertwined lives of two characters from their teenage years into their 30s. The series portrays how they become each other’s light throughout the changing seasons of life. Director Kim Yoon-jin, known for “Our Beloved Summer,” described the drama as “a story about Tae-seo (Park) and Eun-ah (Kim), who first meet at the age of 19 in the countryside and reunite years later to confront their true feelings” during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. “The writer didn’t place the characters amid any grand events. Instead, the story captures the quiet passage of seasons and the accumulation of time, which I believe will stay with viewers in a special way. While ‘Our Beloved Summer’ evoked the warmth of spring and early summer, ‘Still Shining’ portrays love that endures t

GOT7IZ*ONE

Nmixx will hit the stage in Tokyo in August for its first international “Episode 1: Zero Frontier” tour, label JYP Entertainment announced Thursday. The group of six will have two shows in the city, more than a year after performing there for its fan concert, “Nmixx Change Up: Mixx Lab.” Nmixx launched the tour November in Incheon and will begin the European leg on March 17 in Madrid. It will visit five cities in the region before heading to Toronto, the first stop of the North American leg. The

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SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- K-pop girl group i-dle has said it will return to Nor...

I-DLE

Bob McCooey, vice chairman and head of global capital markets at Nasdaq, visited Galaxy Corp.’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday to review the company’s growth strategy and assess the possibility of a US stock market listing. The visit — unusual for a senior figure from a global capital market — has raised speculation that the Korean entertainment-tech firm behind K-pop icon G-Dragon could be preparing a US debut. Yet the move has also prompted skepticism within the industry over whether

YG Entertainment is preparing a slate of major projects as it marks its 30th anniversary in 2026, signaling both a return to legacy acts and a push toward the next generation of K-pop. In a video titled “2026 YG PLAN | YG ANNOUNCEMENT” released through the company’s official social media channel Wednesday, executive producer Yang Hyun-suk outlined the label’s upcoming activities. The most notable reveal was the return of K-pop boy band BIGBANG. Marking its 20th debut anniversary this year, the group has agreed to hold concerts with YG, according to Yang. Although the three remaining members — G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung — are currently signed to different agencies, they plan to reunite under the BIGBANG name for the performances. YG also confirmed plans for intensified activities from its current roster. Rookie girl group BABYMONSTER is set to release two albums this year alongside a large-scale world tour, while boy band TREASURE will launch the next phase of its career with a mini album in June. Yang said the group would return with a sound rooted in what he described as

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Netflix on Thursday released a trailer and poster for its upcoming comeback event, “BTS The Comeback Live Arirang,” offering fans a first glimpse of the group’s long-awaited return ahead of the release of its fifth full-length album. The teaser video opened with the roaring sound of fans cheering — echoing the atmosphere of past concerts. Reacting to the sound, the members can be heard expressing their longing for their supporters, with remarks such as “I really miss them,” conveying their antic

BTS

Actor Rowoon, currently serving in the South Korean military, will appear as the new storyteller for the Defense Ministry’s content series “These Days in the Military,” following the removal of videos featuring singer-actor Cha Eun-woo after tax evasion allegations. The Hankook Ilbo learned on Wednesday that Rowoon has confirmed his appearance as a storyteller for the series on the Defense Media Agency’s channel, KFN Plus, and is preparing for filming. “These Days in the Military” is a content series in which celebrities serving in the military appear as storytellers, introducing historical events and figures related to the armed forces. The series previously drew attention with appearances by actor Song Kang and NCT member Taeyong. Cha Eun-woo joined the program as a storyteller last year and appeared in four episodes. However, after allegations of tax evasion surfaced, all videos featuring him were removed from public view. Currently, the episodes in which Cha appeared have been set to private, with the message “This video is unavailable” appearing in the program’s pl

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Singer and actor Park Jihoon is ready to roll out a solo album in April, his agency YY Entertainment said Thursday. It will be his first endeavor as a singer in three years, after his seventh EP “Blank or Black.” Since the release of the future hip-hop set, he has been focusing on his acting career, which he began as a child. He finished shooting the drama “The Legend of Military Cook,” based on a hit webtoon, while promoting the historical film “The King’s Warden,” a breakout movie in Korea in

Sandara Park unfollowed her 2NE1 bandmate Park Bom on Instagram on Wednesday, signaling a public rift after Park Bom accused her of drug use. Sandara Park denied the allegations on her social media account that day. "I have never used drugs. I wish her well," she said. As of Wednesday afternoon, Sandara Park no longer follows her bandmate's account. Fellow 2NE1 members CL and Minzy still follow Park Bom. The decision follows a handwritten letter Park Bom posted on Tuesday, addressing her past prescription drug controversy. Park revealed she was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and emphasized her medication was not a narcotic. In the post, Park Bom said she was used as a scapegoat. Park said she was "made into a drug addict" to cover up Sandara Park's alleged drug use. Representatives for Sandara Park said the claims were "groundless." She followed up with her personal denial the next day. The rift sparked widespread online speculation about the duo's relationship. Fans expressed understanding for Sandara Park's decision, with one saying the move is "essentially cutting ties." Other

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I-dle surprised fans with plans for a tour in North America. The five members broke the news on NBC’s “Today Show,” which aired Wednesday. The group's agency Cube Entertainment uploaded a poster for the tour on the following day listing 10 cities across the region, the largest yet for the group. The quintet will kick it off with its first stand-alone gig in Canada on Aug. 2 before hopping around eight cities in the US and Mexico City. The 10-city trip expands I-dle’s ongoing “Syncopation” tour,

I-DLE

K-pop girl group i-dle has said it will return to North America in August for its biggest tour to date in the region, performing in 10 major cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico. The announcement was made during an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" on Wednesday, where the members told viewers they were coming back with a North American tour and looked forward to meeting their fans, known as Neverland. "(Our last) tour was two years ago, so we miss our fans so much," Yuqi said. The quintet also performed its latest single, "Mono (Feat. skaiwater)," on the show. Cube Entertainment, the group's agency, released the official poster for the North American leg of the ongoing "Syncopation" world tour through the group's social media accounts Thursday. According to the poster, the North American leg will begin Aug. 2 in Hamilton, Canada, before moving to Newark, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, San Antonio, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle. It will mark the group's largest shows in the region. The world tour, which began in Seoul last month, is set to continue in other Asi

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TWS is slated to bring out a new album next month, according to a local media report on Thursday. Agency Pledis Entertainment confirmed that the group is planning for an April release but did not give details. The boy group’s last album was its fourth EP, “Play Hard,” from October last year. The mini album sold close to 640,000 copies in the first week, a career-best for the six-member act, and made a chart-topping debut on Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking. The six-track set was certified gold by th

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