Korea Observer

K-pop girl group IZ*ONE officially disbands; Japanese members leave Korea : IZ*ONE at their online concert 'One, The Story' (Twitter)  K-pop girl group IZ*ONE, composed of nine Korean and three Japanese members, officially disbanded on April 29 when their exclusive contracts expired after two and a half years. The members were winners of the survival audition show “Pr

‘My Love from the Star’, ‘Kairos’ actor Shin Sung-rok tests positive for COVID-19 : Shin Sung-rok (Instagram)  Korean actor Shin Sung-rok, who played the villain Jae-kyung in the 2013 hit drama “My Love from the Star” and star of the 2020 drama “Kairos,” tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). His agency, HB Entertainment, confirmed that Shin Sung-rok tested posit

Korean heartthrobs Lee Jong-suk, Cha Eun-woo team up in movie ‘Decibel’ : Lee Jong-suk and Cha Eun-woo (Instagram)  Korean heartthrobs Lee Jong-suk and Cha Eun-woo, member of K-pop boy band ASTRO, have been cast in a new action film titled “Decibel.” It was announced that the two will be starring in the film along with Kim Rae-won, Jung Sang-hoon, Park Byung-eun, Jo

ENHYPEN sells 319,073 copies of new album on 1st day, talks about goals : ENHYPEN at their online media showcase on April 26 (Belift Lab)  Rookie K-pop idol group ENHYPEN made their comeback on April 26 with the release of their second mini-album “Border: Carnival.” “Border: Carnival” contains six tracks: the carrier song "Drunk-Dazed," "Fever," "Not For Sale," "Mix

Youn Yuh-jung wins Oscar best supporting actress, first South Korean to achieve feat : Youn Yuh-jung Veteran Korean star Youn Yuh-jung made history by winning best supporting actress at the 93rd Academy Awards held Sunday (Monday in the Philippines) in Los Angeles. The 73-year-old star won the award for her role in “Minari,” becoming the first South Korean to get nominated for a

EXO’s Chen celebrates daughter’s first birthday : EXO’s Chen (Twitter) K-pop boy band EXO member Chen held a party at a hotel in Seoul to mark the first birthday of his daughter. Chen and his wife held a party to celebrate their daughter’s first birthday at Hotel Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu on April 24, according to an exclusive report by Kor

Auction of BTS Jimin’s hanbok suit worn on ‘Jimmy Fallon’ show canceled : BTS member Jimin (left) wearing the hanbok that was originally set for auction (Big Hit Music, Myart Auction)  The scheduled online auction of K-pop superstars BTS member Jimin’s hanbok suit he wore during a performance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” was canceled. According to a n

All BTS members to enlist in military in 2022? : BTS with their Order of Cultural Merit medals (Twitter)  What will be the prospect of all the seven members of K-pop superstars BTS enlisting together next year? An analysis report of HYBE Corp. (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) published by Korea’s Leading Investments & Securities Co. pred

Petition filed demanding ‘Mr. Queen’ star Kim Jung-hyun to leave entertainment industry : Kim JUng-hyun A petition has been filed demanding Korean actor Kim Jung-hyun, star of the dramas “Mr. Queen,” “Crash Landing on You” and “Time,” to leave the entertainment industry due to the controversies he is facing. The petition was filed on April 12 on the website of the Office of Korean

Chilean TV channel apologizes over parody sketch of BTS : BTS and the parody sketch group on 'Mi barrio' (Twitter, Megamedia, BTS Chile) Chilean TV channel Megamedia has issued an apology for the parody sketch of K-pop superstars BTS shown on its comedy program “Mi barrio” (“My neighborhood”) on April 10. The sketch comedy in the segment “El late de

Fans’ early birthday greetings for EXO’s Sehun delayed due to new Seoul mayor’s name : EXO’s Oh Se-hun (left) and new Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (SM Entertainment, Seoul Metropolitan Gov’t)  Every year, fans of K-pop boy band EXO’s Sehun prepare a long celebration ahead of his birthday, which falls on April 12. But this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stopped the early disp

Music group files complaint vs BTS law on postponing military service to 30 years old : BTS members with their Order of Cultural Merit medals on Oct. 24, 2018 (Twitter)  The Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) and other entertainment agencies have formally filed a complaint against the so-called BTS law, which will allow outstanding pop culture artists who contributed to improvin

Boys Love series ‘Close Friend’ set for launch : 'Close Friend' stars   Twelve upcoming Thai actors will headline the new Boys Love (BL) series project “Close Friend” that will premiere this month. “Close Friend” will consist of six romantic miniseries accompanied by six original soundtracks (OST) by popular artists. Boys Love, a genre th

After ‘Start-Up,’ Kim Seon-ho to star in another tvN drama with Shin Min-a : Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho (Instagram) Korean star Kim Seon-ho will be pairing up with actress Shin Min-a for a new drama that will air in the second half of the year. tvN announced that the two will star in “Seaside Village Chachacha,” a romantic comedy between dentist Yoon Hye-Jin (Shin Min-

EXO’s Baekhyun reveals medical condition : EXO’s Baekhyun (SM Entertainment)  K-pop boy band EXO’s Baekhyun was compelled to reveal his medical condition because of his military service. On April 2, Baekhyun announced that he will be enlisting in the Korean military on May 6, his 29th birthday. It was also reported that upon enlistm

BTS, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande to be under one roof in $1.05 billion mega deal : (Clockwise from top left) BTS, Justin Bieber, Seventeen, Demi Lovato, TXT and Ariana Grande (Twitter, Instagram) K-pop idol group BTS and pop stars Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato will become under one management after Hybe, the former Big Hit Entertainment, acquired a 100 percent s

K-actor Ji Soo’s agency sued for $2.66 million over ‘River Where the Moon Rises’ controversy : Korean actor Ji Soo (Instagram)  Production company Victory Contents has filed a 3 billion won (about $2.66 million) lawsuit for damages against KeyEast, the agency of Korean actor Ji Soo, over the controversy involving the drama “River Where the Moon Rises.” Ji Soo was removed from the drama

K-pop boy band competition TV show ‘Kingdom’ premieres: Who will be No. 1? : The K-pop boy band competition TV show “Kingdom: Legendary War” premiered on April 1 on Mnet after facing controversies including dispute over stage design budget and one of its hosts stepping down pending investigation for violating social distancing rules. “Kingdom” features K-pop boy bands BTO

Hanteo Chart reveals top 30 best-selling albums in Korea in March : (Clockwise from top left) EXO’s Baekhyun, BLACKPINK Rosé, ATEEZ, Super Junior, IU and WayV (Twitter, Instagram) Hanteo Chart has revealed the top 30 best-selling physical albums in Korea for the month of March. K-pop boy band EXO’s Baekhyun topped the monthly physical album chart for March wi