Author: Denise Coley

Following yet another scandal involving YG Entertainment artists, Yang Hyun-Suk resigned from the company June 14, 2019. Yang Hyun-Suk announced his resignation through a statement. This is Yang Hyun-Suk. I am so sorry to the fans who love YG and our agency celebrities. I am also sincerely apologetic to all of our employees who are silently continuing to do their work throughout the downpour of criticism. I have been patiently tolerating words about the current situation that are too disgraceful and humiliating to mention as they have been told indiscriminately as though they are the truth. However, I…

On June 12, 2019, Dispatch reported that iKON’s leader, B.I, allegedly attempted to purchase drugs back in 2016. The report showed text messages and information that purportedly show B.I. tried to purchase LSD and that the police didn’t investigate the matter. The Dispatch report showed the texts between B.I. and “A” (later revealed to be former-trainee Han Seo Hee) discussing marijuana usage and the purchase of LSD. B.I: I want to use that [LSD] forever. Is it strong? A: L (LSD) is a top-grade drug in Korea. B.I: No, not that, haha. The strength of the drug. A:…

On June 11, 2019, 2PM’s Chansung entered the recruit base camp for the 5th Infantry Division at Yeoncheon of Gyeonggi Province. He is the last member to enlist; Junho enlisted in May. In late May, JYP and Chansung both confirmed his imminent service.  On his enlistment day, fellow 2PM members Jun.K, Taecyeon, and Nichkhun sent him off as shown on 2PM’s official Twitter account: 2PM’s eternal maknae Chansung was cheerful until the end! Come back safely! Hottest, let’s wait without crying! featuring all of the old boys who’ve gathered to send off the maknae. The oldest hyung took…

South Korea currently boasts of having the fourth largest mobile game market in the world, and what we find unique is that over half of the gaming population play via their smartphones. (The country will rank higher than fourth place, if internet connections were also counted.) South Korea is also credited as the first country to host esports events 20 something years ago, when the rest of the world had no idea what esports was. Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism sponsored the World Cyber Olympics alongside Samsung and Microsoft. This obviously aided in making the country into a…

Former ZE:A member and award-winning actor Hyungsik (High Society, Strong Girl Bong-Soon, Suits) has reported to boot camp for his mandatory military service. Hyungsik reported to his command post for four weeks of basic training June 10, 2019. From there, he will serve in the Capital Defense Command. “I wanted to serve the position that I’m interested and good at,” Hyungsik told Hankook Ilbo in May. Hyungsik had an opportunity to decide what post he may be the best for thanks to his appearance on Real Men, a show that gives celebrities a chance to experience life at different…

Heize will be coming to North America starting June 26 for her first-ever U.S-Canada tour! The songstress and Unpretty Rapstar 2 alumna, who is the voice behind the hit songs “Jenga,” “Shut Up and Groove,” “And July,” “Didn’t Know Me,” and “She’s Fine,” will begin her tour in Los Angeles, California and wrap-up the tour in Brooklyn, New York July 12. Tickets for the tour have been on sale since June 5, 2019 on the Proper Form Events website. Tickets for the all-ages show (except for Toronto and Brooklyn that are 19+ and 16+, respectively) are available in three…

A photo of Psy from his Instagram account @42psy42. Crazy about music, dancing & performing Park Jae-sang, better known under his stage name Psy, stormed into the international music charts in 2012 with his worldwide hit single ‘Gangnam Style’. Although previously unknown outside South Korea, he was already a 12-year veteran of the domestic South Korean music industry at the time. His signature unconventional appearance coupled with bizarre dance moves and explicit lyrics have been titillating South Koreans since his debut in 2001 with the aptly named album ‘Psy from the Psycho World!’. Coming from a wealthy background, Psy…

Following an alleged suicide attempt and a subsequent apology, Goo Hara has been released from the hospital. Following her release, Hara departed Korea for Japan to be under the care of her Japanese agency. In January 2019, Hara’s contract with her Korean agency, Contents Y, ended. Hara’s decision to head to Japan offers her more privacy as her Korean home was exposed to the public on the news. Those close to the former-KARA member fear for her safety if she remained home. Hara’s alleged suicide attempt occurred May 26, 2019. However, Hara was saved due to a manager who…

On June 20, 2019, B1A4’s Jinyoung will report for his mandatory military service as a public service worker. In May, his agency, LINK8 Entertainment, initially denied he would be enlisting but later confirmed his upcoming service soon after when he received his service card. “[Jinyoung] has received his draft notice from the Military Manpower Administration. He will be entering a recruit training center on June 20,” a representative from LINK8 said. After news broke about his service, Jinyoung left a message on B1A4’s fan café: Hello. This is Jinyoung. It’s really hot these days, right? Are you all…

This past week, a new hashtag has joined the call-for-change movements in the US media; however, this movement started to march forward January 2019. Born in Japan, #KuToo came kicking into the world as a protest regarding wearing high heels in the workplace. The petition, which was started by 32-year-old funeral parlor worker Yumi Ishikawa, has collected over 20,000 signatures. “I’m hoping to get rid of the custom that someday women have to wear heels and pumps at work,” Ishikawa said in her tweet. The #KuToo is a play on the words kutsu and kutsuu which mean “shoe” and “pain,”…

The Voice of Vietnam is a reality television singing competition, creating opportunities for singing enthusiasts to shine on a professional performance stage. It spent five seasons and the sixth season began on April 14, 2019. All four coaches from the previous season did not return, leaving the panel to be renewed with Ho Hoai Anh, Thanh Ha, Tuan Ngoc and Tuan Hung. The Battles Episode 8 of The Voice 2019 on June 2, 2019, officially returned with the team of coach Ho Hoai Anh including 15 contestants divided in 5 repertoires. But the act of Four Princes, Vu Duc Thinh – Ðinh Nho Khoa – Hoang Dinh Quan – Nguyen Tung…

BROOKLYN has just announced a live show in Lyon, France! He will be performing as the main guest at Korea Days 2019 on May 11th. BROOKLYN will showcase new music and do a fan signing at the event. BROOKLYN – Live in FRANCE [Announcement]: https://youtu.be/lwpl8_YRU8g About BROOKLYN: BROOKLYN started making waves in K-Pop throughout 2018 with his much loved debut single Nothing I Won’t Do. He started making appearances in Seoul, South Korea and went on to perform in North America with two sold out nights in Vancouver, including a headline spot at Vancouver’s first ever K-Pop Con. BROOKLYN’s personally penned music has…

A still of Kwon Sang Woo from the 2018 Kdrama ‘Queen of Mystery 2’. Riding the Hallyu wave Best known across Asia for his lead role in the Kdrama ‘Stairway to Heaven’, South Korean actor Kwon Sang Woo first started out as a model in the ‘90s, before landing acting roles and finding success with his starring role in the romantic comedy ‘My Tutor Friend’ in 2003. He epitomized the ‘mom-zzang’, i.e. ‘great physique’ trend which was popular at the time and enjoyed regional popularity following the success of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ but suffered through a slump during the…

The Japanese female vocal group Kalafina officially disbanded March 13, 2019. The group, which consisted of Keiko Kubato, Wakana Ōtaki and Hikaru Masai, reportedly planned on disbanding in May 2018 following their 10-year anniversary celebrations, but instead, Kubato departed the group and their company, Spacecraft Produce. Spacecraft Produce, in turn, announced Kalafina would continue as a duo, but Masai eventually left the company in October 2018. Prior to Masai and Kubato’s departures, composer Yuki Kajiura left the company in February following contract disputes. The fourth member, Maya Toyoshima, left the group in 2009. In August 2018, Ōtaki announced she…

SJ Label announced that Super Junior’s upcoming comeback will feature nine members; Kangin and Sungmin will not be part of the group promotions. While SJ Label did not announce when they plan to release their ninth studio audience, they did announce that  Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Siwon, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun will participate while adding that Kangin and Sungmin will participate in their own individual activities through a statement. Hello, this is Label SJ. We are giving a notice regarding Super Junior’s group activities that are scheduled to take place in the second half of this year. After…

On June 1, 2019, Chinese-born Spanish YouTuber Kanghua Ren, who goes by the name ReSet, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison following a prank he filmed for his YouTube channel. In addition to the prison term, he was also ordered to pay a fee of $22,300 USD, and he was banned from YouTube for five years. In a now-removed video shared on YouTube January 2017, Ren filmed himself removing the cream from Oreo cookies and replacing it with toothpaste. Ren then fed the toothpaste Oreos and gave the equivalent to $25 USD a homeless Romanian man in…

Chansung will soon be joining fellow 2PM members Wooyoung and Jun.K when he enlists for his mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier June 11, 2019. Chansung and the MCs for MBC every1’s Video Star hinted that his military service will be soon during the May 21, 2019 episode. On the show, the MCs wished him luck during his service, and Chansung relayed a message to fans wishing them well while he is away. “I didn’t go to the military yet and will go soon,” he said. “Miss me always, smile, and don’t cry just because I’m not here.…

Budapest, Hungary: Seven seconds was all it took for The Mermaid (Hableany) to sink into the Danube River according to the police investing a boat crash that killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 missing May 29, 2019 at 9:05pm local time (3:05pm EST). According to the seven survivors—all of them South Korean—their tourist boat, The Mermaid, was struck by a river cruise ship, Viking Sigyn, while both watercrafts were traveling in the same direction heading toward a bridge. “I saw that big cruise ship coming closer to us, but I had never imagined it would ram our…

W24 is a Korean 5-member band, signed under JARMY Entertainment. The band’s name is an abbreviation for World 24 Hours, which can be interpreted that they’ll produce and cater music to the world, at all times. W24 made their debut on March 8th, 2018, with their first mini-album Singing Dancing, and their second digital single SOSIME was released in October in the same year. W24 might not be familiar to many of you as of yet, but they currently have a very solid fan base in South American countries, mostly due to the fact that Howon was born in…

Chie Izuno works full time at an office Branch. Though she’s 30, she’s very young at heart and kind of innocent. She tries hard to go into the dating field but finds herself struggling due to her weight and self-esteem issues. She meets up with one of the company’s investors, Jin Harada, a super sucessful and young business man. However Jin has a severe lack of social skills. Chie strives to make a deal with Jin in order to aide her in her goal to lose weight and gain confidence, she tells Jin she can help him with his own…