Today in K-Pop

BTS has demonstrated enduring market power following its full-group comeback, raising expectations for a revival in the K-pop album market. The septet’s fifth LP, “Arirang,” which released Friday, has contributed to reaffirming BTS’ dominance. The album surpassed 4 million sales within just three days of its release, debuting at No. 1 on the Hanteo weekly album chart. In doing so, BTS quickly surpassed its own first-week sales record of 3.37 million copies for 2020 album “Map of the Soul: 7,” hi

BTS

Hybe is launching a large-scale audition in India to discover and develop the next generation of global stars, extending its “K-pop methodology” to one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment markets. Hybe India announced Tuesday via its official social media channels that it would hold the “Hybe India Audition,” with both online applications and in-person tryouts across major cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

Barely 10 seconds after pressing the "Buy Tickets" button, fans are met with a blunt message: "No seats available." Even reaching the ticketing page can feel meaningless, because by then, most seats are often already gone. The frustrating experience K-pop fans repeatedly face reflects a growing reality of concert ticketing: getting a seat is no longer simply a matter of luck. Fans are not just competing against one another’s quick hands. Increasingly, they are up against automated macro programs that dominate the process. A recent crackdown by the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police on an organized scalping ring that used macro systems has cast fresh light on rampant scalping in K-pop concert ticketing. Police said the group made 7.1 billion won ($4.7 million) by hoarding tickets with macro programs and reselling them. Fans, however, say cracking down on domestic scalpers alone is not enough. Attention is increasingly turning to overseas operators — particularly organized scalpers in China — accused of distorting the normal ticketing process by entering queues before sales open or us

BTS member Jin’s absence from the credits of the group’s latest album has sparked a debate among fans after what has been seen as a tense moment during a live broadcast went viral. BTS held a full-group livestream on Friday to celebrate the release of their fifth full-length album, "ARIRANG," where members discussed the production process and revealed some behind-the-scenes stories. During the broadcast, RM said, "Everyone’s color is in the album," before adding, "If Jin's tour had ended a bit earlier, he would have been able to join us." V also said, "There was time we could have worked together, but his condition wasn’t good. He kept touring." RM added, "He worked really hard. It was a shame," while Jimin said, "Thanks to him protecting the team, we were able to release the album," adding a note of appreciation. Jin himself said, "I’m happy there are so many great songs." However, the explanation did little to calm fans. Jin, who was the first BTS member to complete his mandatory military service, had been on a solo tour at the time BTS held a group songwriting camp in the Unit

JinRMV

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- Park Ji-hoon, the co-star of the Korean film sensati...

K-pop boy group Stray Kids will release a new digital single, titled "Star, Light (Stay)," to mark the eighth anniversary of its debut Wednesday. The track will drop at 1 p.m. to mark the day eight years ago when the group debuted. The release serves as a musical tribute to the group's fandom, also known as Stay, JYP Entertainment said in a statement. Blending band sounds with guitar and piano melodies, the song delivers an emotional message about hope for the future, likened to the universe and stars, made possible through "togetherness." Members Han and Seungmin took part in composing the track and penning its lyrics, while all eight members collaborated on designing the online cover image. Stray Kids will hold its sixth official meet-and-greet event for fans at Inspire Arena in Incheon on March 28-29 and April 4-5. All tickets for the shows have sold out, according to the agency.

HanSeungminStray Kids

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- K-pop boy group Stray Kids will release a new digita...

Stray Kids

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- Netflix's animation sensation "KPop Demon Hunters" s...

The livestream of K-pop sensation BTS' first concert in nearly four years attracted 18.4 million viewers on Netflix, the streaming service announced Tuesday (U.S. time). The figure combined real-time audiences and those who watched within 24 hours of the broadcast, according to the service. Following the broadcast, the show topped Netflix's weekly movies charts in 24 countries, the company added. The K-pop septet staged the live performance at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night in front of tens of thousands of fans to mark the release of its fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," the previous day. The event also sparked a wave of online buzz. According to Netflix, BTS-related content on its official channels recorded 2.62 billion impressions, while hashtags linked to BTS and Netflix trended across multiple countries, such as the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Argentina, Britain and Turkey. Netflix is scheduled to release a behind-the-scenes documentary film, titled "BTS: The Return," on Friday, chronicling the making of the new album.

BTS

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- The livestream of K-pop sensation BTS' first concert...

BTS

About 18 million people around the world tuned in to watch BTS’s comeback concert on Netflix, the global streamer said. The Saturday night livestream drew 18.4 million viewers worldwide within its first day of release. Since its release, the broadcast has landed in the weekly Top 10 rankings across 80 countries and reached No. 1 in 24 territories. The event, held in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, was broadcast globally in real time. Netflix revealed the livestream was supported by the company’s streaming i

BTS

Park Ji-hoon, the co-star of the Korean film sensation "The King's Warden," will return to the music scene next month with his first release in three years, his agency said Wednesday. YY Entertainment said Park will release his first single album, "Re:flect," on April 29, marking his first release since his seventh EP, "Blank or Black," released in April 2023. The new record explores "the process of reflecting on his present self by revisiting past times and emotions," the agency said in a statement. Ahead of the release, Park is scheduled to hold a meet-and-greet session for fans in Seoul on April 25 and 26. The historical drama "The King's Warden," featuring the unlikely friendship between a village chief and the exiled King Danjong (Park) of the Joseon Dynasty, has become the third most-watched film of all time in Korea, attracting more than 14 million moviegoers.

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- The livestream of K-pop sensation BTS' first concert...

BTS

Mainstream Korean celebrities are increasingly flocking to TikTok LIVE to capitalize on lucrative virtual currency payouts, signaling a broader industry shift from traditional broadcast television to direct-to-fan streaming. Yulhee, a former member of the K-pop girl group LABOUM, actively promoted her TikTok channel on Monday. She told viewers she broadcasts each day that she does not have a formal schedule. During her stream, she danced to girl group songs and exchanged greetings with fans. When a viewer referred to her as a "yeocam" — a cultural term for female cam streamers that often carries negative connotations associated with explicit or suggestive content — Yulhee pushed back, arguing the term simply means a broadcast hosted by a woman. "What you are watching right now is a yeocam," Yulhee said. "Isn't it a difference in the speaking nuance? I think I am a yeocam, a female streamer." Rapper MC Mong also used the platform on Sunday to celebrate his 100th day of streaming. "One hundred days in two hours and 30 minutes since communicating on TikTok," he said. "Everyone come to Ti

YulheeLaboum

Netflix's animation sensation "KPop Demon Hunters" saw its original soundtrack climb again on both the main singles and albums charts of the U.S. Billboard after the film won two Oscars earlier this month, the latest charts showed Wednesday. "Golden" from the soundtrack rose two places to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, logging its 39th consecutive week on the chart. The film's soundtrack album climbed a spot to No. 10 on the Billboard 200, also extending its chart run to 39 weeks. On March 16, the U.S. animated film won Best Animated Feature, while its breakout track "Golden" was named Best Original Song during the 98th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Elsewhere on the chart, boy band P1Harmony landed at No. 4 with its ninth EP, "Unique," released March 12. It marked the group's second top 10 entry following last year's English-language album "X," which peaked at No. 9, and its highest position to date. Enhypen's "The Sin: Vanish" ranked No. 43, while girl group Katseye's "Beautiful Chaos" was No. 96. BLACKPINK's latest release, "Deadline," fell to No. 98 from last week's No. 41.

P1HarmonyENHYPENKatseye

The livestream of K-pop sensation BTS' first concert in nearly four years attracted 18.4 million views on Netflix, the streaming service announced Tuesday (U.S. time). The figure combined real-time audiences and those who watched within 24 hours of the broadcast, according to the service. Following the broadcast, "BTS the Comeback Live: Arirang" easily topped Netflix's weekly non-English series chart by a massive margin by garnering 13.1 million views for the week ending March 22, the company added. Netflix calculates its views used for the chart by dividing the total viewing time by the running time. It also topped weekly charts in 24 countries, including South Korea, Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bulgaria, and debuted in the top 10 in 80 countries overall. The K-pop septet staged the live performance at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night in front of tens of thousands of fans to mark the release of its fifth studio album, "Arirang," the previous day. The event also sparked a wave of online buzz. According to Netflix, BTS-related content on its official channels recorded

BTS