K-pop Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Queen of Tears.Today (March 27), Hankook Ilbo via The Korea Times reported that Kim Soo-hyun was paid about KRW300million per episode of his new K-drama series, Queen of Tears. That comes to a total of about KRW5billion over the show’s 16-episode run.According to the news outlet, the actor’s salary for the new K-drama is lower than the KRW500million he was reportedly paid for the 2021 series One Ordinary Day.

XG have announced an upcoming new single titled ‘Woke Up’, due out in May.XG announced the new song via their social media channels earlier today (March 27), revealing its title, format, release date and cover art. Titled ‘Woke Up’, the new track will be released on May 21 both physically and on digital platforms.Meanwhile, the cover art features a close-up shot of someone’s lips with black lipstick, along with silver grills designed to look like the girl group’s official logo.

Physical: 100 is currently airing on Netflix – read on for updates on both eliminated and remaining contestants on the show.Physical: 100 brings 100 individuals from various athletic backgrounds and pits them against one another in gruelling tests of physical ability – from strength and balance to endurance and strategy.The show was created by reality show producer Jang Ho-gi, and made its debut on Netflix in January 2023 to great fanfare.

Physical: 100 has become the most-watched reality show on the streaming service this week.According to data shared by Netflix, Physical:100 season two was the most viewed non-English show for the week of March 18 to 24, logging 6.1million views with 25.3million hours viewed. Notably, the new season of the Korean reality show topped the list just over a week after it premiered on March 19.Season two of Physical: 100 is also notably the most-watched reality show and the fourth most-watched series overall on the streamer this week.

HYBE, home to K-pop juggernauts BTS, have inked a new 10-year “global alliance” with Universal Music Group (UMG).HYBE – also home to other K-pop groups such as SEVENTEEN, NewJeans and more – announced an expanded agreement with UMG. The new deal will give UMG “exclusive distribution rights” to HYBE releases for the next 10 years, while HYBE’s roster of artists will have access to the former’s “global network”.The new agreement will also see UMG further working with HYBE’s fan platform Weverse, in order to “[bring] more of a direct connection between UMG artists and their fandom[s]”.

T-ARA singer Areum has reportedly been hospitalised after a suicide attempt.South Korean news outlet Osen (via journalist Jeff Benjamin) reported that Areum had been taken to a hospital after attempting to take her own life in the early morning of March 27. The publication also reported that the singer has yet to regain consciousness and had left a suicide note.The news comes just a day after Areum accused her ex-husband, businessman Kim Young-gul, of being physically and emotionally abusive towards the singer and her children in a post on Instagram.

NewJeans have made a surprise announcement of two new single albums and a 2025 world tour – find all details below.The K-pop girl group have been teasing new music since the beginning of this month, and have unveiled not one, but two new single albums. NewJeans shared the announcement via their app Phoning, where they revealed the first single album will drop on May 24, and then on June 21.The first single album will be called ‘How Sweet’ and will feature its title track and another song called ‘Bubble Gum’.

mimiirose are set to make their return to music under new management later this year.Today (March 26), K-pop agency Pocket7 Entertainment announced that all five original members of mimiirose have signed a new exclusive contract with the company. This comes months after the quintet left YES IM Entertainment, following fraud allegations against its CEO Im Chang jung.“We are glad to welcome mimiirose, a group with a very unique and original music style, as the first new family members under the company,” Pocket7 Entertainment said in a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily.

Epik High member Tablo has announced his brand-new solo single ‘1000 Years’, featuring Taiwanese musician J.Sheon.Earlier today (March 26), Epik High’s Tablo released a teaser for the upcoming music video for ‘1000 Years’, a collaboration with J.Sheon. The clip features a soothing piano melody and follows several characters as they try to chase down others.Over on X (formerly Twitter), the Korean-American rapper also revealed that ‘1000 Years’ will be performed in English and Mandarin and shared that the song will “speak to anyone who has experienced heartbreak”.

NCT Dream have released their brand-new mini-album ‘Dream( )scape’, which dropped alongside a music video for title track ‘Smoothie’.In the trippy music video for ‘Smoothie’, members of the boyband wield swords while slicing up giant fruits. Other scenes in the clip also feature various fruit-inspired visuals, alongside thrilling action scenes and more.“Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, shake it all out and grind it / Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie / Dirty taste, take it,” the band rap on the new song’s chorus.‘Dream( )scape’ marks NCT Dream’s seventh mini-album and features six new tracks: ‘icantfeelanything’, ‘Smoothie’, ‘Box’, ‘Carat Cake’, ‘Unknown’ and ‘Breathing’.NCT Dream are set to embark on a world tour in support of their new mini-album.

Pyramid Game‘s growing popularity.Pyramid Game follows the lives of students at the fictional Baekyeon Girls’ High School, where every month they cast a vote in a popularity poll that will subsequently sort them into ranks. The system establishes the school’s hierarchy, leaving those at the bottom vulnerable to physical, verbal and psychological abuse from classmates.The K-drama, which premiered in late February, has caused concern among teaching staff in South Korea that children may begin emulating the show due to its growing popularity, which includes depictions of school violence and bullying.South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo reported on March 22 that several elementary and middle schools across the country, mainly in the city of Jeonju, issued letters to students and parents in order to “prevent the spread of Pyramid Game” among cohorts in school.In the letter, the institutions also advised parents to guide their children accordingly.

YG Entertainment has refuted reports that it spent US$30million on BLACKPINK‘s contract renewals.According to a business report released by the company on March 22, YG Entertainment had stated a KRW41.2billion (about US$30million) sum for intangible assets last year.Per Korea JoongAng Daily, this is an accounting practice commonly used by music labels in South Korea when funds are needed for contract renewals. Of note, last year YG Entertainment had secured the contract renewal of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK for group activities, following a months-long negotiation process.However, YG Entertainment has since denied that all the funds were used for that purpose, in a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily. “There were various other contract renewals as well as new contracts formed over various intellectual property,” a YG Entertainment spokesperson said.The label added that it “cannot disclose the contract details”, but noted that “the amount in question cannot be considered exclusive to BLACKPINK’s contract extension”.In the same report, Korea JoongAng Daily also noted that YG Entertainment said that it is “planning” for group activities from BLACKPINK.

Queen of Tears star Kim Soo-hyun has denied dating rumours with controversial actress Kim Sae-ron in a statement.On the morning of March 24, Kim Sae-ron took to her Instagram Stories to post a selfie of herself and Kim Soo-hyun. The post was taken down shortly after it was uploaded, however fans were quick to spot the photo and it was reposted on social media soon after.Following the post, rumours about a romantic relationship between the two actors quickly spread online.

EXO singer D.O. – real name Doh Kyung-soo – has announced his upcoming 2024 ‘Bloom’ fan concert tour of Asia.Today (March 25), EXO’s D.O.

Tyla has revealed that she’s currently in talks to potentially collaborate with BLACKPINK‘s Lisa on a new song.Last week, the ‘Water’ singer took to her Instagram Stories to post a video of herself and the Thai K-pop idol vibing to ‘Art’, a cut from her newly released eponymous debut album. She captioned the post with: “sweetest gorllll, played her some of my favourite songs on the album… Definitely a LISA x TYLA collab down the line.”Following the Instagram Story post, Tyla has since confirmed to Reuters, during an interview in support of her new record, that she and Lisa are currently discussing a potential collaboration.

ILLIT have dropped a teaser for the music video of their upcoming debut single, ‘Magnetic’.ILLIT’s label Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, shared the clip yesterday (March 21). The teaser is formatted vertically for mobile phone screens, and feature silhouettes of the ILLIT members performing the choreography to ‘Magnetic’.“This time I want you, you, you, you, like it’s magnetic / You, you, you, you, you, you, you, super attraction,” the new K-pop girl group sing on the song’s upbeat chorus.ILLIT – comprising Wonhee, Minju, Iroha, Moka and Yunah – were formed through the JTBC reality TV series R U Next?. The girl group will be the second K-pop act to debut under Belift Lab, following boyband ENHYPEN.The quintet will release their debut mini-album ‘Super Real Me’ on March 25.

(G)I-DLE vocalist Yuqi will make her official Korean solo debut in April, her agency CUBE Entertainment has announced.CUBE Entertainment announced Yuqi’s upcoming solo debut today (March 22) in a statement to South Korean news outlet XSports News. “Yuqi plans to release a solo single in April and promote it on music broadcasts,” the label shared, per Soompi.Information about the (G)I-DLE member’s upcoming solo debut, including the release’s format, tracklist and more, is expected in the coming weeks.

Resident Playbook, a spin-off of the popular Hospital Playlist, has been postponed into the second half of 2024.South Korean news outlet OSEN reported yesterday (March 21) that the premiere of Resident Playbook would be moved to the second-half of 2024. The show was previously scheduled to begin airing on May 11, following the finale of K-drama Queen of Tears, which will wrap up on April 28.OSEN also claimed that a separate series titled The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, starring Wi Ha-joon and Jung Ryeo-won, will have its broadcast moved up to fill Resident Playbook‘s original spot.The report has since been confirmed by tvN.

BoA has shared a new teaser for her new single ‘Emptiness’, which will be released next week.BoA dropped the teaser yesterday (March 21), which included snippets from its accompanying music video and of the song itself. The clip starts with a shot of BoA lying on her bed, before she sits up and flashes of a mysterious man play before it concludes.‘Emptiness’ and its music video are both due out next week on March 26 at 6pm KST.

LE SSERAFIM have opened up about their upcoming Coachella debut at this year’s instalment of the annual music festival.LE SSERAFIM are notably one of three K-pop names on the line-up of Coachella 2024, alongside boyband ATEEZ and rock band The Rose. They will follow in the footsteps of BLACKPINK, who headlined the festival in 2023 and also performed in 2019.Speaking to Rolling Stone about their upcoming Coachella debut, LE SSERAFIM singer Chaewon said that being invited to the festival “this early in our career” is something that she is “still trying to grasp”.

aespa have announced their new concert film, aespa: World Tour in Cinemas.aespa’s upcoming concert film will bring audiences back to their first world tour, ‘SYNK: Hyper Line’, which run from February to September in 2023 for 31 shows. The new movie is reportedly based on footage from the London date of that tour at the O2 Arena.According to Billboard, the concert movie will be a 125-minute feature that will include behind-the-scenes interviews with the girl group, solo performances by the members and more.“Since this is our first world tour, it will always hold a special place in our hearts as it gave us the opportunity to see MYs from all over the world,” aespa said in a statement.

Gyeongseong Creature star Han So-hee has denied she was dropped by brands over her relationship with actor Ryu Jun-yeol.Han So-hee’s agency, 9ato Entertainment had addressed speculation that the actress was dropped by several brands over her controversial relationship with actor Ryu Jun-yeol.The pair were confirmed to be dating last week, but soon stirred controversy on the internet over rumours that Ryu had started dating Han while still in a relationship with actress Hyeri.Soon after news broke, 9ato Entertainment had confirmed that Han So-hee’s sponsorship deals with soju brand Chum Churum and Nonghyup Bank had expired.“The allegations that actor Han So-hee’s advertisement contracts ended due to the recent issues surrounding the actor’s personal life are completely false,” the agency said, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“The agreement to end Han’s contract for beverage advertisement was made early this year, and for bank advertisement, toward the end of last year,” the agency clarified in its statement.Han So-hee recently starred in the Netflix K-drama series Gyeongseong Creature opposite Park Seo-jun. In a glowing four-star review, NME‘s Rhian Daly called it “a gripping story that’s not for the faint-hearted”.The streaming service has since confirmed that season two of the K-drama series will premiere sometime this year, with both Han So-hee and Park Seo-joon set to return as leads.Meanwhile, Ryu Jun-yeol recently starred in the South Korean film Alienoid: Return to the Future, a sequel to 2022′ Alienoid.

YOUNG POSSE have officially dropped their sophomore mini-album ‘XXL’, alongside a music video for its title track of the same name.A music video for ‘XXL’ was also released in conjunction with the mini-album, featuring the members of YOUNG POSSE driving to a fast food restaurant’s drive-thru only to find out they’ve got a flattened tire.While trying to fix the tire, they press the ‘XXL’ button on a mysterious remote control, which transformed their car into a monster truck, causing the restaurant’s giant mascot to fall into the building.Aside from ‘XXL’, the new mini-album includes B-sides such as ‘Scars’, ‘ROTY’, ‘Skyline’ and ‘DND’, the last of which most notably features vocals from BM of KARD. He was also credited as a co-writer on the track.‘XXL’ the mini-album comes about five months since YOUNG POSSE debuted in October 2023 with their first-ever mini-album titled ‘Macaroni Cheese’.

This story contains mention of alleged sexual assault.OMEGA X member Hwichan has refuted allegations of sexual assault against the ex-CEO of his former label, SPIRE Entertainment.On March 19, SPIRE Entertainment held a press conference “to announce that [the label’s] former CEO [Kang Seong-hee] is not a criminal but a victim of sexual harassment,” according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Notably, members of the boyband had pressed charges against Kang for “threatening, assaulting and exploiting” the group in 2022, an allegation that the ex-CEO denied.Korea JoongAng Daily also reported that the company’s current CEO Hwang Sung-woo – who is also Kang’s husband – and the company’s lawyer were present at the press conference, however Kang herself was absent.

Big Bang singer Taeyang joined bandmate Daesung on stage during the latter’s fan meeting event this past weekend.Both of Daesung’s Big Bang bandmates G-Dragon and Taeyang attended the singer’s second and final showing of his solo fanmeeting concert at the Blue Square Hall in Seoul, South Korea, held on the evening of March 17.G-Dragon was spotted watching the show among the audience, while Taeyang joined Daesung on stage for a performance of several Big Bang songs as well as the former’s hit solo song ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips’.Taeyang and G-Dragon’s public appearance at Daesung’s show marked the band’s first public reunion in years.

CLC singer Seunghee has left long-time label CUBE Entertainment after nine years with the company.CLC’s Seunghee has been represented by CUBE Entertainment since 2015 both as a musician and actress. The company announced earlier today (March 20) that her contract with the label has since expired and has since left the company after nearly a decade with the K-pop agency.“We at CUBE Entertainment inform you that our exclusive contract with actor Oh Seung-hee, who has been with us for 9 years since March 2015, has ended,” reads the statement, which was released on the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the company’s subdivision for actors.“We express our deepest gratitude to Oh Seung-hee, who has displayed endless passion and talent as an artist under CUBE,” the label added.

Tomorrow X Together — aka TXT — have officially announced their 2024 ‘<ACT: PROMISE>’ tour in support of their upcoming EP “Minisode: TOMORROW.” This time around, Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai will play back-to-back concerts at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2.According to The Music Universe, “The new world tour presents itself on a grander scale compared to its 2023 predecessor ‘Act: Sweet Mirage.'”And if you can’t wait to see what the “Sugar Rush Ride” quintet have up their sleeve this summer, you can grab tickets for all 11 arena concerts as soon as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Thursday, March 21, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.A complete calendar including all North American tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.At the time of publication, TXT most recently performed at Tokyo’s Tokyo Garden Theater on March 8.Here’s what they performed that night, courtesy of Set List FM:01.) “MOA Diary (Dubaddu Wari Wari)”02.) “Our Summer”03.) “Blue Hour”04.) “Ito”05.) “CROWN”06.) “Wonder” (ADOY cover) (Beomgyu solo)07.) “Instead of Saying Goodbye” (RAIN cover) (Soobin solo)08.) “Sk8er Boi” (Avril Lavigne cover) (Huening Kai solo)09.) “Finesse” (Bruno Mars cover) (Taehyun solo)10.) “Guilty” (TAEMIN cover) (Yeonjun solo)11.) “Chasing That Feeling”12.) “Hydrangea Love”13.)

Lollapalooza doesn’t play around when it comes to their massive genre-hopping lineups.Year in and year out, the early August festival brings the best in music to Chicago’s Hutchinson Field at Grant Park for four days of rock, punk, Hip-Hop, R&B, K-Pop and more.The 2024 go-round will be no different. This year, the fest, taking place Aug.

Day6 have released their new single ‘Welcome to the Show’, their first as full group in almost three years.‘Welcome to the Show’ leads Day6’s brand-new album ‘Fourever’. The music video for the new song captures the band performing the song in a studio, alongside a loose storyline about a couple falling in love.“The future that you’re welcoming with me might be risky / But there might also be tear-filled impassion / Even so, if you won’t let go of my hand / If so, then let’s go, welcome to the show,” they sing on the anthemic new song.Speaking to The Korea Times, Day6 said that they had “opted for a more upbeat song as the title track” as compared to the “melancholic tone” of their previous singles hoping to “exude a welcoming and exhilarating vibe”.