Today in K-Pop

The announcement that Heeseung of K-pop boy band ENHYPEN will leave the group and pursue a solo career sparked a wave of surprise, with fans expressing grief and confusion while speculating about what the decision means for both the singer and the group. Belift Lab, the HYBE Labels subsidiary that manages ENHYPEN, announced Tuesday that the singer would depart the seven-member act but remain with the company to pursue a solo career. Since debuting in November 2020 through the survival program "I-LAND," ENHYPEN has built a strong global following, driven by its distinctive fantasy vampire concept and polished performance style. Heeseung, widely recognized as the group's main vocalist, has been regarded as one of the musical anchors of the team by fans, known collectively as ENGENE. In a handwritten letter shared with fans on Tuesday, the singer described the decision as the result of "extensive discussions" with the agency about how to present his individual work. "The six years I have spent have been filled with moments too precious to describe," he wrote. "After sharing the results of m

HeeseungENHYPEN

SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- K-pop singer Choi Yena said Wednesday she hopes her ...

Yena

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it had identified 1,868 suspected scalping listings tied to upcoming BTS concerts in Goyang and Seoul’s Gwanghwamun area after monitoring major online resale platforms. Authorities said four cases involving 105 tickets appeared to reflect organized attempts to resell seats at steep premiums, and those cases have been referred to the National Police Agency for investigation. According to data released by the ministry, the majority of susp

BTS

For the past three years, the K-pop scene has been swept by girl groups backed by major agencies and veteran hitmakers such as Min Hee-jin, creative director behind NewJeans. But one of the most talked-about breakthroughs came from a far smaller company: Kiss of Life, a girl group launched by the little-known S2 Entertainment. The group’s rapid rise — often described in the industry as a “miracle from a small agency” — has drawn attention to the creative force behind it: Lee Hae-in. The former i

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K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's latest single "Go" debuted at No. 63 on the U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart, according to the chart unveiled Tuesday (U.S. time). "Go," the lead track of the quartet's third EP, "Deadline," highlights the group's signature confident and upbeat energy, driven by an explosive hook. The single earlier debuted at No. 44 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100, while the album landed on the Billboard 200 at No. 8 this week. "Golden" from the original soundtrack of the hit Netflix animation "KPop Demon Hunters" slipped two places to No. 8 on the Hot 100, extending its run on the chart to 37 consecutive weeks. Another track from the same soundtrack, "How It's Done," rose eight spots to No. 86. On the Billboard 200, the soundtrack dropped two notches to No. 13, also marking its 37th consecutive week on the list. Elsewhere, boy band ATEEZ placed "Golden Hour: Part. 4" at No. 109, while Enhypen's "The Sin: Vanish" ranked at No. 135. Hybe's U.S.–based K-pop girl group Katseye logged two chart entries with "Beautiful Chaos" at No. 113 and "SIS (Soft Is

BLACKPINKATEEZENHYPEN

When K-pop girl group AtHeart debuted in August 2025 with its first EP "Plot Twist," the title track captured the emotional swings of teenage life. Crushes felt mysterious, feelings were confusing and the members leaned into the carefree brightness of youth. Seven months later, the group says it has found something new — confidence. Returning with the paired singles "Shut Up," released Feb. 26, and "Butterfly Doors," set to follow Wednesday, AtHeart is presenting what the members describe as a more "self-assured side" of the group. The back-to-back releases mark the group's first comeback since its debut and form a connected story about growth. "When we debuted, all of us were teenagers, so the concept naturally reflected that youthful energy," member Arin said in an interview at The Korea Times office Monday. "This time, some of us have become adults, so we naturally wanted to show a more mature side. It feels like our atmosphere as a team has developed." The new era is also visually anchored by a symbol the group calls "The Black Heart." Ahead of its comeback campaign, AtHeart unveil

AtHeart

Taemin of SHINee has signed an exclusive contract with Galaxy Corp., an AI entertainment technology company home to G-Dragon, the agency announced Tuesday. "Galaxy Corp. has signed an exclusive contract with artist Taemin," the company said in a statement, Wednesday. "We will provide full support so that Taemin’s unique artistic capabilities can create synergy with our advanced technology." Galaxy Corp. describes itself as Korea’s first AI entertainment technology company, combining artificial i

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Korean entertainment company RBW, the agency behind girl groups Mamamoo and Oh My Girl, said Tuesday that it acquired 257 Entertainment through its subsidiary WM Entertainment as part of efforts to strengthen its global expansion strategy. According to RBW, WM Entertainment recently signed a comprehensive business transfer agreement with 257 Entertainment and has begun post-merger integration procedures. Under the agreement, WM Entertainment will take over 257 Entertainment’s intellectual proper

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Heeseung of Enhypen announced his sudden departure from the boy group to pursue his own solo career through agency Belift Lab on Tuesday — raising questions across the industry about the rare circumstances surrounding the move. Departures from idol groups are not uncommon, but it is highly unusual for a member of a thriving group to leave the band specifically to pursue a solo career while remaining under the same agency. Speculation has quickly spread within the K-pop community, ranging from po

HeeseungENHYPEN

K-pop's fictional universes are no longer confined to music videos and album teasers. From science fiction writers to bestselling poets, some of Korea's most respected literary voices are turning up inside idol group album packages — commissioned to write short stories, lyrics and narrative passages to accompany their releases, in one of the more unlikely creative collaborations the industry has seen. When boy band EXO released its eighth album, “REVERXE,” on Jan. 19, the group included a short story titled “EX-VISION,” written by novelist Lee Hee-joo, whose fictions such as “Holy Boy” (2021) and “Creamy(nal) Love” (2025) frequently draw on K-pop fan culture. The story places the members in everyday scenes — Sehun and Chanyeol preparing food, D.O. handling the music, Lay and Suho arriving with a custom-made cake — with references to symbols long associated with the group's lore, such as the tree of life, the red force and the full lunar eclipse. For Lee, the creative process was familiar but the audience was not. “When I work on my own novels, my personal style ma

SehunChanyeolSuho

A new catalog highlighting Korean paintings preserved in major museums around the world has been published with support from RM of BTS. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, affiliated with the Korea Heritage Service, announced the publication of "It's ___ Here: Korean Paintings Shining Abroad," a richly illustrated catalogue that documents significant Korean paintings currently held in overseas museum collections. The project was made possible through a donation by RM in 2022, refle

RMBTS

SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- RBW, the agency behind K-pop acts Mamamoo and Oh My ...

Mamamoo

SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's latest single "Go" debu...

BLACKPINK

K-pop's fictional universes are no longer confined to music videos and album teasers. From science fiction writers to bestselling poets, some of Korea's most respected literary voices are turning up inside idol group album packages — commissioned to write short stories, lyrics and narrative passages to accompany their releases, in one of the more unlikely creative collaborations the industry has seen. When boy band EXO released its eighth album, “REVERXE,” on Jan. 19, the group included a short story titled “EX-VISION,” written by novelist Lee Hee-joo, whose fictions such as “Holy Boy” (2021) and “Creamy(nal) Love” (2025) frequently draw on K-pop fan culture. The story places the members in everyday scenes — Sehun and Chanyeol preparing food, D.O. handling the music, Lay and Suho arriving with a custom-made cake — with references to symbols long associated with the group's lore, such as the tree of life, the red force and the full lunar eclipse. For Lee, the creative process was familiar but the audience was not. “When I work on my own novels, my personal style ma

SehunChanyeolSuho

Solo artist Yena returned Wednesday with a brighter, more self-assured take on love, unveiling her fifth EP, “Love Catcher,” a five-track release that blends playful energy with a more mature emotional perspective. At a press conference in southern Seoul, Yena introduced the album as a project that captures different shades of love through a mix of sounds and collaborations, from the punchy main track “Catch Catch” to softer, more reflective B-sides featuring renowned artists such as Dindin, Mrc

Blackpink continues to expand its presence on global music charts, setting new records for K-pop girl groups on both the US Billboard and UK Official Charts. According to the latest chart update released by Billboard on Monday, the group’s newly released song “Go,” the main track from its third EP “Deadline,” debuted at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. The entry marks Blackpink’s 11th appearance on the Hot 100, the most among K-pop female artists to date. Other tracks that made the chart include

BLACKPINK

More seats will be added to the much-anticipated live show signaling BTS’ return, according to Big Hit Music. The group is set to go live in central Seoul on March 21 under the title “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang,” a day after the rollout of its fifth studio album “Arirang.” All 15,000 tickets sold out upon release — with a waitlist of over 100,000 people — and the label decided to expand the outdoor venue for safety reasons and allow 7,000 more fans to enter. Seoul has gone on full alert to a

BTS

Ateez logged another week on the Billboard 200, ranking No. 108 with its 13th EP, agency KQ Entertainment said Wednesday. The EP “Golden Hour: Part 4” has spent four weeks on the main albums chart after entering it at No. 3. It is the group's sixth consecutive album to sit among the top three on the chart. The newest endeavor logged 200,000 units in streaming equivalent album sales in the US — a career-best for the octet. It also sold more than 1.5 million copies in the first week and became the

ATEEZ

Riize’s second Japanese physical single “All of You” has earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the organization announced Tuesday. Released Feb. 18, the single surpassed 250,000 cumulative shipments as of February, securing platinum status in the Gold Disc category and reaffirming the group’s strong popularity in Japan. It also topped the daily singles chart on Oricon three times. Following the release, Riize held three concerts at Tokyo Dome, performing

RIIZE

Illit surpassed 100 million streams in Japan with its first Japanese single, “Almond Chocolate,” according to Oricon on Wednesday. The track reached the milestone on Oricon’s Weekly Streaming Ranking, becoming the group’s second song to exceed 100 million plays on the chart following “Magnetic,” which has accumulated more than 300 million streams. Released in February last year, “Almond Chocolate” was produced as the theme song for the film “It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love.” The

ILLIT

The fifth solo set from Shinee's Onew debuted atop the iTunes Top Albums Chart in nine regions, his agency Griffin Entertainment said Wednesday. His five-track EP “Tough Love” rolled out on Monday. Onew co-wrote all five tracks on the album, including the title track — a first for the veteran idol — which landed atop the real-time songs chart on Bugs. A pop-up store is running in Seoul through March 15 to mark the album's release. Onew released his first solo album in 2018 and has since put out

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BTOB will drop a digital single on March 21 featuring all six members, according to a local media report on Wednesday. It will be the first full group effort since their 12th EP, “Wind and Wish,” released in May 2023, and will mark BTOB's 14th debut anniversary. After the mini album, the bandmates’ exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment expired. Lee Changseob and Yook Sungjae each signed with new agencies, while the remaining four set up a company named after the group. BTOB’s 13th EP “BToda