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· Bryan Ke
‘MARRY ME’: K-pop power couple HyunA, Dawn officially engaged
Former Wonder Girls and 4Minute member HyunA and former Pentagon member Dawn officially confirmed their engagement in two Instagram posts on Thursday. The K-pop power couple, who were both labelmates at Cube Entertainment before joining Psy’s P Nation in 2018, have been dating…
· Ryan General
K-pop’s latest female group M.M.D is made up of all moms
Six-member K-pop group M.M.D (MAMADOL) debuted on Jan. 27 with the release of its first single “WooAh Hip.” Formed through the variety show “Mama The Idol,” the new female group consists of all moms who were former K-pop stars. Members include Park Jung Ah (Jewelry), Sunye…
· Carl Samson
Disgraced K-pop star Seungri admits guilt, gets 3-year jail sentence halved
Former K-pop star Seungri, who rose to fame as a member of Big Bang, is facing nine charges related to prostitution, drug trafficking and police corruption. After pleading guilty to just one charge last August, he admitted to all charges in an appeal hearing on Thursday. His…
· Bryan Ke
K-pop star B.I banned on Chinese social media for past drug use
B.I, the former leader of South Korean boy band iKon, was banned from Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Weibo on Wednesday after Chinese K-pop fans condemned him for his history of drug abuse. The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kim Han-bin, was found…
· Michelle De Pacina
Chinese K-pop singer attacked online, told to ‘go back to China’ for not kneeling down to fans
Chinese “Everglow” K-pop star Wang Yiren sparked a controversy online for not bowing down to greet her fans at an event in Seoul. The rest of the group members were seen bowing deeply to their fans as a sign of respect that is part of the Korean New Years tradition. While there…
· Bryan Ke
K-pop fans slam GOT the beat’s ‘Step Back’ lyrics as literal step back in women’s representation
K-pop supergroup GOT the Beat’s “Step Back” drew controversy online after social media users deemed the lyrics to be a literal step back in women’s representation. One Twitter user accused lyricist Ryan Jhun of portraying women as “jealous” and “self-absorbed” in the song. Girls…
· Ryan General
‘Single’s Inferno’ newcomer: ‘Too good-looking’ K-pop dancer Cha Hyun-seung shakes things up
Cha Hyun-seung, a famous backup dancer for K-pop superstar Sunmi, joined the cast of Netflix’s “Single’s Inferno” in the show’s fifth episode, along with new contestants Kim Su-min and Seong Min-ji. Among the newcomers, Cha appears to have made the biggest impact due to his…
· Bryan Ke
‘Female Avengers of K-pop’ supergroup GOT the Beat debuts ‘Step Back’ video at New Year’s concert
SM Entertainment’s “female Avengers of K-pop” supergroup GOT the Beat made their debut at an online New Year’s Day concert. The performance video of their first song, “Step Back,” was released after the concert. SM Entertainment has officially unveiled the first stage video of…
· Carl Samson
Girls On Top: K-pop’s latest supergroup includes BoA, members of Red Velvet, Aespa, Girls’ Generation
South Korean label SM Entertainment has announced the formation of its first female supergroup, Girls On Top, or simply GOT. Who they are: The group, which will debut in January 2022, will consist of seven members from SM’s existing female acts. This makes them the apparent…
· Jiselle Lee
North Korea executes citizens for watching K-pop videos, says Seoul-based NGO
At least seven executions under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were the result of individuals watching K-pop, or pop music from South Korea, according to a report from a Seoul-based NGO. Deadly consequences: The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) published a report this…
· Carl Samson
K-pop group Aespa told not to look at hospital on NYC tour, because US medical care is too expensive
K-pop girl group Aespa is cementing their place in the U.S. music scene with their recent reappearance on the Billboard 200 chart and a pair of TV appearances this week. Billboard comeback: The quartet, composed of Karina, Ningning, Giselle and Winter — along with their avatars…
· Ryan General
First openly gay K-pop boy band releases single ‘Show Me Your Pride’
South Korea’s first openly gay boy band released an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community as their first song. Pride of the Lionesses: Four-member K-pop group Lionesses shared their first track, titled “Show Me Your Pride,” on Nov. 1, reported South China Morning Post.
· Editorial Staff
From ‘Squid Game’ to ‘Twilight,’ K-pop idols showed off their costume creativity for Halloween 2021
K-pop idols can have fun too! There are more stars that dazzled the Halloween night than we can count, but here are some of the costumes that caught our eyes. Karina of Aespa as the Queen of Hearts:
· Michelle De Pacina
K-pop superstar group BTS score 3 American Music Awards nominations, including artist of the year
The American Music Awards have unveiled the nomination list for 2021, and superstar K-pop group BTS is featured in multiple categories. Nominations: On Oct. 28, BTS was nominated for three categories at the American Music Awards (AMAs), reported Soompi.
· Carl Samson
Boston man allegedly harasses Asian women dancing to K-pop for ‘communism’ and mask wearing
A video showing a man who allegedly harassed a group of Asian women for wearing masks while dancing to K-pop in public has gone viral on TikTok. What happened: TikTok user @celenana_na and her K-pop dance group, Hush Crew, were filming a dance routine in Boston’s Downtown…
· Ryan General
Stan LOONA to Save LOONA: Fans are asking billionaire Elon Musk to help the K-pop girl group
Fans of K-pop girl group LOONA are asking Elon Musk, estimated to be the world’s wealthiest man, to rescue their idols from their agency’s financial crisis. The gravity of the situation: South Korean entertainment agency BlockBerry Creative, which created and represents LOONA,…
· Bianca Gray
GOT7’s Youngjae stokes K-pop fans’ anticipation with teaser image for his solo album
Choi Young-jae, a member of K-pop boy group GOT7, released a teaser image for his upcoming debut solo album. “Sunshine”: Choi, known as Youngjae, 25, released a teaser image for his solo album on Sept. 23, months after the K-pop group he belonged to, GOT7, left their…
· Ryan General
K-pop group BLACKPINK are the first Asian artists ever to be named SDG advocates by UN
South Korean girl group BLACKPINK was recently appointed by the United Nations (UN) as an advocate for its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to “encourage young people to take #ClimateAction to protect the planet.” SDG advocates in your area: The UN welcomed the popular K-pop…
· Ryan General
BTS ARMY unites to #ProtectBTS from superfans mobbing the K-pop group’s NYC hotel
Fans of BTS — known as the BTS ARMY — are calling out those flocking to the hotel that the South Korean supergroup is staying at in New York. The SDG Moment: BTS, who have been designated South Korea’s “special presidential envoy for future generations and culture,” is in New…
· Bianca Gray
BTS is the first K-pop act to ever appear on Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’
Iconic K-pop boy group BTS has made Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” with one of their three English-language songs. “Light it up like Dynamite”: Rolling Stone magazine released their list of the top 500 songs for the first time in 17 years on Sept.…
Answer
BTS connects to HYBE, Weverse, memberships, merch, and tickets.
People & Works
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Artist · K-pop
&TEAM
&TEAM is HYBE's first homegrown Japanese boy group -- a localization play that plants the HYBE system directly inside the world's second-biggest music market rather than exporting Korean acts into it.
Artist · K-pop
2PM
2PM invented the 'beast idol' -- JYP's masculine, acrobatic counter-brand that opened the Japanese arena market for K-pop boy groups and made Thai member Nichkhun one of the first non-Korean idols engineered as a pan-Asian sales asset.
Artist · K-pop
aespa
SM's flagship 4th-gen group turned streaming dominance into arena-scale global touring — the clearest sign K-pop's next tier can headline, not just chart.
Artist · K-pop
AKMU
AKMU are the sibling duo who won K-Pop Star and picked YG on their own terms -- 'The Nation's Siblings' whose songwriting-first model gave YG a rare non-idol prestige asset that outlasted a full 12-year label run.
Artist · K-pop
BABYMONSTER
YG built BABYMONSTER as its designated BLACKPINK successor, and the pressure is the point -- the label bet its next decade of revenue on a seven-member group that had to shatter rookie sales records just to justify the comparison.
Artist · K-pop
BIGBANG
BigBang were the original architects of K-pop as a global export business -- the first mainstream Korean hip-hop idols whose stadium tours and merch empire proved a Korean act could out-earn Western pop stars and became the template YG monetized for a decade.
Artist · K-pop
BLACKPINK
The genre's biggest girl group returned as a group after years of solo dominance — testing whether K-pop's Western peak was a moment or a plateau. 'GO' answered.
Artist · K-pop
BOYNEXTDOOR
BOYNEXTDOOR is rapper Zico's KOZ Entertainment absorbed into the HYBE machine -- an artist-founded label that HYBE bought and turned into a hit factory, showing how HYBE grows by acquiring creative shops, not just building them.
Artist · K-pop
BTS
BTS didn't just come back — they re-coronated K-pop's top tier. 'Arirang' fuses Korean folk roots with global pop, and the tour proved the machine HYBE built scales to stadiums worldwide.
Results
Culture · artist
BTS
BTS connects to HYBE, the company behind BTS, Weverse, albums, merch, memberships, tickets, and concerts.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:035760
CJ ENM
CJ ENM is behind TV, music, film, award shows, and major cultural exports that shape what people watch.
Company · Korea · KRX:352820
HYBE
One of the layers behind BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:035900
JYP Entertainment
JYP is tied to groups that drive albums, tours, subscriptions, merch, and international fan activity.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:041510
SM Entertainment
SM is tied to idol groups, tours, fan clubs, and the long-running system behind some of K-pop's most recognizable acts.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:122870
YG Entertainment
YG connects global K-pop attention to touring, brand deals, fan demand, and artist-centered entertainment revenue.
Company · Korea · KRX:251270
Netmarble
Netmarble is Korea's mobile-game powerhouse that turns pop-culture IP into games — from BTS titles to Marvel — and is one of HYBE's largest shareholders, linking K-pop and gamin...
HYBE · K-pop · KRX:352820
A BTS comeback is not just songs. It’s albums, merch, tickets, and Weverse.
A BTS comeback can start with one stream on your phone, then turn into a fan-club sign-up, merch order, livestream ticket, and more time spent inside Weverse.