ODD EYE CIRCLE Interview: Life After LOONA & the K-Pop Trio's Next Chapter, 'Version Up'

It’s so hard to say goodbye, but sadly, several K-pop groups are disbanding for good.

told the Los Angeles Times that attempts to arrange a meeting with Netflix — to demand that members be compensated with the same residual model as American members of SAG-AFTRA — have gone unanswered for months.“One of [Netflix’s] first priorities when entering the local market should be to establish some channel of communication with groups like us,” the country’s answer to Fran Drescher said.“But there’s no answer at all.”Residuals have recently been in the news as American actors and writers striking for fair compensation post their often insultingly meager checks, ranging from a single penny to a few dollars. As opposed to the royalties paid in broadcasting, residuals must be paid in perpetuity to actors in the United States, based on how many times their films and shows are streamed.

Following his debut solo tour earlier this year, Suga, the K-pop superstar rapper/singer/songwriter, has become the third member of BTS to begin South Korea’s compulsory military service.

Kim Se-jeong has announced her return as a musician with a new album titled ‘문(門)’ due out in September.The announcement was made over Twitter (X) at midnight KST today (August 8), detailing the upcoming project’s format, title and release date of September 4 at 6pm KST. ‘문(門)’ directly translates to English as “door”.

Marta Balaga Raven Banner Entertainment continues to rack up sales for Richard V. Somes’ action spectacle “Topakk.” “Topakk”(“Trigger”) has been sold to Aud (South Korea), Superfine Films (India), Kinologistika (CIS and the Baltics) and Lighthouse (German-speaking Europe). It’s not the end of good news, as the film – debuting its trailer and produced by Fusee, with Strawdogs Studio Production and Nathan Studios co-producing – is also set to bow at Locarno next week.

LE SSERAFIM have announced a brand-new remix of their hit song ‘Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife’, this time featuring Demi Lovato.The rework of LE SSERAFIM’s popular song will feature brand-new vocals from Demi Lovato. “I see it written on your face, yeah / I know you want a little taste, yeah / You know I’ll put you in your place / You’re crawling on the floor, begging me for more,” she sings in the new teaser.Last week, LE SSERAFIM teamed up with Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama on a new remix of the English version of ‘Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife’.

Loossemble have announced their upcoming 2023 ‘LOONA Assemble: the US Debut Ceremony’ tour.Loossemble, a portmanteau of “LOONA” and “assemble”, is a quintet that recently formed under CTDENM and features five LOONA members: Hyunjin, Yeojin, Vivi, Gowon and Hyeju. The five K-pop idols had signed to the label in June and July, following their departure from former agency Blockberry Creative.At midnight today (August 3), Loossemble and South Korean app Fromm Store announced the girl group’s upcoming 2023 ‘LOONA Assemble: the US Debut Ceremony’ tour.

Red Velvet have revealed plans to release their third studio album sometime this year.Yesterday (August 1), Red Velvet held a livestream called ‘Ladies Night’ to commemorate their ninth anniversary as a group. During the event, the girl group revealed that they are working on their long-awaited third studio album, which they aim to release sometime this year.“We are preparing our third full-length album,” member Yeri revealed near the end of the broadcast.

There is so much K-pop excellence in 2023!

If you’ve ever wondered if the colors you’re wearing suit your skin tone, then a personal color analysis appointment might be for you.

Todd and Julie Chrisley's lawyer is speaking out about the condition of their prisons. ET spoke to the couple's new lawyer, Jay Surgent, after their children claimed that Todd and Julie are facing «nightmare» conditions behind bars. «I would like to say that they're doing well, but they're not,» Jay, of Weiner Law Group, told ET.

Perthshire scout groups waved off a dozen of their members on a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to South Korea on Monday, July 24.

SISTAR member Soyou has opened up about the possibility of the girl group having a reunion in the future.Yesterday (July 26), Soyou released her second mini-album ‘Summer Vibe’, the follow-up to her April 2022 release ‘Day & Night’. The project is notably led by the single ‘Aloha’, which featured fellow ex-SISTAR member Bora.At a showcase for the mini-album’s release, held at the Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul, Soyou revealed that the four former members of SISTAR – completed by Bora, Hyolyn and Dasom – often “always talk about performing as a group again” whenever they meet up with one another.“We all miss SISTAR,” Soyou said, per South Korean news outlet SBS Star.

LE SSERAFIM are set to release a new remix of ‘Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife’ with Rina Sawayama.Today (July 27), LE SSERAFIM dropped a teaser for a brand-new remix for their hit song, which will now feature Rina Sawayama. The upcoming rework is set to feature vocals from Japanese-British singer, alongside a reworked instrumental, and will drop tomorrow (July 28).Meanwhile, the visuals for the teaser features a giant apple rolling through the hallway of a school, towards a bright orange light.

King the Land has become Netflix’s most-watched TV show of the week.According to Netflix’s official most-watched list, which tracks the platforms most popular content based on views, South Korean drama King the Land is the most-watched TV show on the streaming platform for the week of July 17-July 23.While Netflix ranks its TV shows in separate English and non-English categories, the total views for King the Land stand at 4,700,000. That exceeds the Number One English language series Sweet Magnolias latest season, which clocked in 4,600,000 views.It is also the romantic-comedy series’ sixth week in the Top 10 most-watched non-English TV shows.

J Balvin is sharing his excitement after Colombia’s recent win in Australia. The singer surprised the women’s soccer team following their match against South Korea at the Women’s World Cup 2023.The game took place at the Sydney Football Stadium and Balvin and his girlfriend Valentina Ferrer wanted to celebrate with the team. The pair joined the players at the locker room, as they were celebrating their win and dancing to Karol G’s hit song ‘Amargura.’Una publicación compartida por Selección Colombia (@fcfseleccioncol)The singer was coincidentally in Australia, performing during his latest tour.

The youngest player in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup was born in the United States, but she’s not playing with Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the USWNT — she’s playing for South Korea.

Jaden Thompson The inaugural Hudson Film Festival in Hudson, NY will premiere the 20th anniversary remastered edition of Park Chan-wook’s classic film “Oldboy” this August. In partnership with Neon, the premiere will be in advance of the film’s theatrical re-release on Aug.

Linda Caicedo is one of the players we expect to see playing against South Korea, at 10 pm EDT, and has an inspiring story for women and athletes playing all sorts of sports. Scroll down to learn more about her.The U.S. kicks off World Cup tonight with Trinity Rodman wanting to earn her stripesGoogle celebrates the 2023 Women’s World Cup kick-off with a special DoodleCaicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 15 years old, a diagnosis that proved to be a challenge for her career as an athlete.“I remember I was going into surgery one day and I was feeling really bad because I thought that I was not going to be able to play top-level football again,” said Caicedo according to AP News.

So many K-Pop superstars also happen to be social media sensations – and the top accounts have millions and millions of followers!