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Watch: K-pop fan brings 60-year-old father to BLACKPINK concert
A K-pop fan brought her 60-year-old father to a BLACKPINK concert in Singapore and documented the wholesome experience. On Sunday, TikTok user Lyndy Koh (@lyndykoh) posted a video about the concert, which occurred on Saturday.
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop boyband OMEGA X splits with agency following abuse allegations
K-pop boyband OMEGA X has officially ended their exclusive contracts with SPIRE Entertainment after months of dispute over allegations that the agency’s former CEO verbally abused and mistreated members of the group. The 11-member group made the announcement via a post on their…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop groups Brave Girls, FIFTY FIFTY sign new partnerships with Warner
K-pop continues to make waves in the global music industry as girl groups Brave Girls and FIFTY FIFTY have signed exclusive contracts with Warner Music Korea and Warner Records, respectively. On Thursday, Warner Music Korea announced that all four members of Brave Girls —…
· Daniel Anderson
Aespa to be first K-pop group to attend Cannes Film Festival
Aespa is set to make history as the first K-pop group to attend the Cannes Film Festival. On April 27, aespa’s agency SM Entertainment announced that the girl-group quartet will attend the event as global ambassadors for luxury Swiss jewelry brand Chopard, which has been an…
· Daniel Anderson
S. Korea passes bill aimed at protecting underage K-pop idols
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has passed an amendment to the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act that expands labor protections for underage K-pop idols. The changes to the law, passed on April 21, include requiring entertainment agencies…
· Daniel Anderson
S. Korean singer, DJ and producer SHAUN talks writing songs for K-pop superstars, his debut US tour
South Korean singer-songwriter, DJ and producer SHAUN spoke with NextShark about embarking on his first-ever U.S. tour. SHAUN is best known for his 2018 viral hit “Way Back Home,” which has amassed over 69 million views on YouTube. He was one of Spotify’s Top 10 most-streamed…
· Daniel Anderson
Moonbin, member of K-pop group ASTRO, found dead at 25
Moonbin, a member of the K-pop boy group ASTRO, has reportedly died at the age of 25. The singer was found dead by his manager at his home in Seoul’s Gangnam district on April 19, according to Yonhap News.
· Bryan Ke
Resurfaced comment from K-pop idol Haruto sparks homophobia accusations
Several K-pop fans have accused Treasure member Haruto of homophobia after a video in which he says a relationship between two men is “weird” resurfaced on social media. Haruto, whose full name is Watanabe Haruto, made the controversial comment during Treasure’s anniversary…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop girl group Kep1er are ‘Giddy’ with new album ‘Lovestruck!’
K-pop girl group Kep1er released their fourth mini-album, “Lovestruck!”, as well as the music video for the album’s title track “Giddy,” on Tuesday. In addition to “Giddy,” the new album includes four other tracks: “LVLY,” “Back to the City,” “Why” and “Happy Ending.”
· Daniel Anderson
BLACKPINK’s upcoming mobile game will allow players to manage, style the K-pop group
YG Entertainment has announced that BLACKPINK’s first mobile game, “BLACKPINK The Game,” is coming soon. Takeone Company, the company behind BTS‘ mobile game “BTS World,” is lending its expertise to develop BLACKPINK‘s simulation game, which will allow players to act as a…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop girl group Aespa drops OST ‘Hold On Tight’ for Apple original film ‘Tetris’
K-pop girl group aespa dropped “Hold On Tight” for the movie soundtrack of the Apple TV+ original film “Tetris.” The track, which is entirely in English, is the K-pop quartet’s first new solo release following their sophomore mini-album “Girls” in July and the showcase of new…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop soloist Chungha to leave agency MNH after 7 years
South Korean K-pop star Chungha will be leaving her long-time agency MNH Entertainment at the end of her exclusive contract next month. The agency confirmed the news on Wednesday, announcing that her seven-year contract will expire after April 29. Chungha, who won a position in…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop girl group fromis_9 backs out of We Bridge Music Festival in Vegas
Pledis Entertainment, the label representing K-pop girl group fromis_9, announced via Twitter today that the band will not be making an appearance at the upcoming We Bridge Music Festival in Las Vegas. Pledis cited “internal schedule adjustments” as the reason for fromis_9…
· Daniel Anderson
Want to be a K-pop idol? NewJeans’ label ADOR announces online auditions for new ‘Hype Boy’ group
NewJeans’ K-pop agency ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE Labels, has announced the opening of online auditions for a potential new boy band. ADOR launched its ”The Real Hype Boys” auditions and will be accepting online applications via ador.world from now until April 14 at 1 p.m. KST.
· Daniel Anderson
Kakao becomes majority shareholder of K-pop agency SM Entertainment
South Korean internet company Kakao has become the majority shareholder of K-pop agency SM Entertainment, with a controlling stake of 39.9%. The purchase was made through a tender offer for approximately $963 million, a transaction that beat out rival entertainment company HYBE,…
· Daniel Anderson
BamBam releases debut album, joins WeBridge K-pop festival lineup
Thai K-pop idol BamBam has made his first full-length album debut with “Sour & Sweet,” coupled with a music video for the lead single of the same name. The album features eight tracks, seven of which were written by the GOT7 member: “Feather,” “Take It Easy,” “Ghost,” “Sour &…
· Daniel Anderson
FIFTY FIFTY becomes fastest K-pop group in history to enter Billboard Hot 100
K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY has made history by entering Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at No. 100 just four months after their debut. The group’s latest single, “Cupid,” became a viral hit on TikTok, which helped make them the fastest K-pop act to ever enter the chart. They join…
· Daniel Anderson
K-pop girl group IVE takes it up to ‘Eleven’ with Columbia Records, Kakao partnership
Kakao Entertainment America has formed a partnership with American record label Columbia Records to co-manage K-pop girl group IVE and expand their presence in the North American market. The collaboration will commence with the distribution, marketing and promotion of IVE‘s…
· Gabriel Jung
K-pop star SE7EN and K-drama star Lee Da-hae announce they are engaged
K-pop star SE7EN and K-drama star Lee Da-hae recently revealed on Instagram that they are getting married. In separate posts on Monday, the celebrity couple announced the exciting news.
· Daniel Anderson
New K-pop boy group XODIAC make their mark with pre-debut single ‘Calling’
Upcoming K-pop boy group XODIAC recently released their English pre-debut single, “Calling.” Consisting of 6 members – LEX, HYUNSIK, BEOMSOO, SING, WAIN and DAVIN – XODIAC is touted by their agency, Hong Kong-based One Cool Jasco, as one of the most highly anticipated K-pop acts…
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.