Entertainment
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BTS' RM and V begin mandatory military service
SEOUL -- BTS' leader, RM, and V, the lead dancer of the group, have commenced their compulsory military service. After completing five weeks of basic training at South Korea's largest army boot camp, the two artists will be assigned to their unit, where they will spend the rest of their time with fellow soldiers for about 16 months and three weeks. In South Korea, males aged 18 and above are obligated to complete their military service unless exempted for valid reasons. Th
11 December 2023
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Boy band Ateez tops Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with 'THE WORLD EP. FIN: WILL'
SEOUL -- K-pop boy band Ateez has topped Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with its second full album "THE WORLD EP. FIN: WILL," beating Taylor Swift's "1989" and "For All the Dogs" by Drake. The eight-member band became the seventh K-pop group to grab the top place on the weekly chart that ranks the 200 most popular albums in the United States. The album, released on December 1, arrived atop the list on the Billboard 200 chart with 152
11 December 2023
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BTS' leader RM anticipates finding inspiration from mandatory military service
SEOUL -- K-pop boy band BTS' leader RM hopes to find inspiration from his 18-month mandatory military service which he will start this month along with three other members. The artist will begin his service on December 11. In South Korea, males aged 18 and above are obligated to complete their military service unless exempted for valid reasons. Those enlisted in the army serve for about 18 months. Currently, three BTS members have begun their service -- Jin, J-Hope, and Suga.
7 December 2023
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YG Entertainment renews group contract with BLACKPINK members
SEOUL -- K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has reached a consensus with its agency "YG Entertainment" to carry on with its group activities. The four-member band is currently discussing with its agency regarding the possibility of each member continuing individual activities. "We are happy to maintain our relationship with BLACKPINK," YG Entertainment's head Yang Hyun-suk said after signing the agreement with the group. The producer added: "BLACKPINK members wil
6 December 2023
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NewJeans' Super Shy selected as seventh best song by online music magazine Pitchfork
SEOUL -- "Super Shy," a summer-themed song by girl band NewJeans, was ranked seventh among this year's top 100 songs by American online music publication Pitchfork. The track is the only Korean language-based song chosen in the online magazine's top 100 songs list. Pitchfork is a prominent online music magazine with more than seven million monthly loyal readers. "Zero-to-hero anthem 'Super Shy' is the daydream wafting through the mind of an overlooked
5 December 2023
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Boy band TXT wraps up world tour with Seoul concert
SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a five-member boy band organized by the agency of top K-pop band BTS, has completed its world tour that started in March 2023. The last concert took place at Gocheok Sky Dome, an iconic domed facility in the southwestern part of Seoul. The group has attracted some 407,000 fans through 29 concerts held in 15 cities including Los Angeles, Osaka, and Jakarta. The brother band of BTS wrapped up its world tour at Gocheok Sky Dome on December 3, Big Hit
4 December 2023
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Naver scores highest annual webtoon sales record in Japan in 2023
SEOUL -- South Korean web service giant Naver has scored the company's highest-ever webtoon sales in Japan, the home of manga (Japanese-style comic books) and anime (Japanese-style animated cartoons), by surpassing 100 billion yen ($6.1 billion). Webcomics, well-known by the name of webtoons, originated in South Korea in the early 2000s. Web service giants Kakao and Naver are the top players in the global market which is growing at an annual average growth rate of some 40 perc
1 December 2023
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World-class choreographer Lia Kim to incubate artists at LA-based K-pop agency
SEOUL -- Lia Kim, a South Korean choreographer who trained girl band Girls' Generation and rapper Jay Park, has become chief performance officer at Taitan Content, the first K-pop agency based in the United States. The 39-year-old dancer will nurture global artists at the Los Angeles-based entertainment company. Kim has served as a choreographer and instructor for various artists at three entertainment powerhouses in South Korea -- SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Ent
1 December 2023
