Author: Denise Coley

K-Pop Top 30 for February 2019 

At KCrush America Magazine, we make it our mission to bring our readers fun and informative interviews of individuals who have inspiring stories to share with the rest of the world. Seoulmates is a musical band which was formed in Korea, which consists of members who are expats/foreigners, currently residing in Seoul, Korea. We interviewed two members from Seoulmates who were gracious enough to offer their time for an interview. We expect this will be an interesting read for those of you who are seeking to know (more) about the band, or simply inquisitive about what life is like…

JYP Entertainment’s new girl group is already smashing records despite only debuting a month ago! ITZY, made up of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Yuna, and Chaeryeong, debuted February 12, 2019 with “Dalla Dalla.” Since their debut with their catchy, upbeat track, ITZY has been on fire. “Dalla Dalla” has appeared on several countries’ music charts, including peaking at number two on Korea’s Gaon Chart and in the U.S for Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart; it peaked at number three on Korea’s K-Pop Hot 100 Chart. Another track titled “Want It?” from their IT’z Different mini album also…

BTS will soon add another accomplishment to their résumé this coming April. On April 13, 2019, BTS will be the musical guest on the American edition of Saturday Night Live (SNL). SNL dropped the news via a tweet March 13. The episode, which will feature Emma Stone as the host, will mark the first time a K-Pop group performs on the show. Incidentally, the performance comes a day after their new album, Map the Soul: Persona, drops, so fans can expect a new song to be performed on the SNL stage. According to Forbes, landing a chance to perform on…

And then there were five. FNC Entertainment released a statement today stating that CNBLUE’s Jonghyun viewed Jung Joon Young’s hidden camera videos. Jonghyun, who is currently serving his mandatory military service, was questioned by police recently. FNC statement addresses Jonghyun’s role in the controversy. Back on the evening of March 12, we revealed that our label artist Lee Jonghyun ‘has no relation to the ongoing scandal whatsoever, only that he is acquainted with the individual involved.’ Lee Jonghyun, who is currently serving in the military, took part in police questioning the morning before the above statement occurred, on the afternoon of…

On March 14, 2019, former-idol and BIGBANG member Seungri (Lee Seunghyun) underwent 16 hours of questioning by police in connection to the prostitution allegations mounting against him. “Once again, I bow my head in deep apology to the nation’s citizens as well as to all those around me who suffered and were hurt. Rather than giving any comments now, I will participate in the investigation diligently with truthful answers,” Seungri said prior to entering the police station for questioning. Following his questioning, Seungri spoke to the press again, announcing his plans to delay his March 25 enlistment. “Today, I finished the investigation…

The celebrity body count stemming from the Burning Sun and KakaoTalk controversies is now four. Earlier in the day on March 14, 2019, FNC Entertainment announced that F.T Island’s Jonghun has departed the group and will retire from the entertainment industry. The news stems from allegations the Jonghun participated in the KakaoTalk chats. He is under fire for allegedly asking police insiders to cover-up a DUI in February 2016. Initially, Jonghun admitted that he was caught drinking and driving, but he denied asking police to cover-up for him. Upon the initial denial of the police bribery and admittance of the drunk-driving charge, FNC…

After initially denying the allegations that he was part of the infamous KakaoTalk chats, Highlight’s Junhyung now admits he viewed some of the sexually explicit videos shared on the chat. On March 14, 2019, he announced that he has left the group formerly-known-as-Beast. In an Instagram post, Junhyung announced his leave while admitting his role in viewing the videos. His message reads: Hello, this is Yong Junhyung. Primarily, I sincerely apologize to the members and all fans who must have had a difficult time because of me for the past few days. When I received the call from my agency to confirm…

The remaining Highlight (formerly BEAST) members are scheduled to enlist within the next few months. Back in January, Gikwang announced that he will be enlisting for his mandatory service April 18, 2019 when he will report to the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan. He will complete five weeks of basic training before reporting to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency where he will serve as a member of the conscripted police. Fellow member Yoseob is already serving as a conscripted police officer. Around Us Entertainment stated, “[Gikwang] is planning on entering privately without any special events on the…

Following Seungri’s retirement announcement, YG Entertainment announced March 13, 2019 that his exclusive contract with the company has been terminated. In a statement, YG Entertainment addressed the situation. Hello, this is YG Entertainment. We would like to bow our heads in apology for causing severe worry for many due to the numerous controversies and allegations, which began with the violence case at a club where Seungri participated as an advisor. Shortly after announcing Seungri’s retirement from the entertainment industry back on March 12, YG Entertainment has accepted Seungri’s request to terminate his exclusive contract. As an artist management company,…

Following reports regarding Jung Joon Young’s alleged involvement in the KakaoTalk chats and sharing sex videos, on March 12, 2019, Jung shared his official apology and announced he will depart the entertainment industry. In his letter, Jung admitted to his crimes. He writes, I write to you in shame and guilt. I, Jung Joon Young, once again realized the seriousness of this situation after returning to Korea on March 12. Although it’s already late, I apologize through this letter to all the people who showed an interest in me and gave me a second chance. Regarding what is being…

Note: Articles written about this topic are not accusing anyone of guilt. The stories just relay information. All parties are innocent until proven guilty. Singer, actor, and variety show regular, Jung Joon Young (Drug Restaurant, 2 Days & 1 Night, Four-Wheeled Restaurant) has been identified as one of the participants in the KakaoTalk chats surrounding the Burning Sun controversy. He also admitted to illegally filming and sharing sex videos. On March 11, 2019, the media reported that the chatroom texts allegedly between BIGBANG’s Seungri (who was named a suspect March 10), different celebrities, and Burning Sun staff were leaked…

Note: Articles written about this topic are not accusing anyone of guilt. The stories just relay information. All parties are innocent until proven guilty. In an unexpected turn of events, Seungri announced on March 11, 2019 that he is retiring from the entertainment industry. In an Instagram post, Seungri wrote the following message to his fans: This is Seungri. At this point, I think it would be best if I retire from the entertainment industry. I decided on retiring from the entertainment industry as the issues that I caused a societal disturbance which are too major. Regarding the issues that…

Note: Articles written about this topic are not accusing anyone of guilt. The stories just relay information. All parties are innocent until proven guilty. On March 10, 2019, police officially named BIGBANG’s Seungri a suspect in the Burning Sun controversy. Upon the announcement, it was also revealed that he is banned from leaving the country due to the ongoing investigation. “We booked Seungri and changed his status to that of a suspect in order to issue a search and seizure warrant and clear him of the suspicions,” a police spokesman said at a press conference. According to Soompi and SBS Australia, Seungri…

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…

Stills of Melody Day from their ‘When it rains’ MV. Bringing dramas to life Originally formed in 2012 as a three-member all-female Kpop group, Melody Day made their official debut in February 2014 with members Yeoeun, Chahee, and Yein. A fourth member, Yoomin joined the group a little later in October 2014. Their debut single album ‘Another Parting’ peaked at only no. 30 on the Korean Gaon music chart but managed to win the best music video award at the Melon Music Awards in 2014. Although the group lacked chart success, they were recognized for their vocal prowess featuring…

Stills of the girls from their recent Instagram live broadcast in January 2019. From left: Yujin (Mail), Minju, Jane, Euna and Suji. A brief starburst The Ark was a five-member all female South Korean Kpop group formed under Music K Entertainment. The members comprising Minju, Yuna, Yujin, Halla, and Jane debuted in April 2015, releasing only one digital single album titled ‘Somebody 4 Life’ before disbanding in 2016. The short lived hip hop group promoted the single and music video for ‘The Light’ from their album prior to disbandment which struck a chord with audiences due to the…

Following Hoya and Yoseob (Highlight, formerly known as Beast) military enlistments, three more K-idols enlisted March 4, 2019. VIXX’s N, 2AM’s Jeong Jinwoon, and SHINee’s Key all checked in for their required service. N (Cha Hak Yeon) reported to the Nonsan Army Training Center to begin basic military training. While masked, N smiled and waved at ST☆RLIGHTs (VIXX’s fandom) as he prepared to say goodbye. N’s family came with him to send him off. N made his enlistment announcement on his fan cafe early in January by stating, “Although you may be surprised or startled by the sudden…

Jo Su-gyeong (born 22, November of 1962) – known worldwide as Jo Sumi – is a Korean Coloratura soprano, a Grammy-winner, animal activist and philanthropist. Jo was born and spent most of her childhood in Changwon, South Korea. Her mother was formerly an amateur singer and pianist who had been unable to pursue her career due to the state of South Korea in the ‘50s. Because Jo was exceptionally bright and showed evident signs of musical talent, her parents saved up to buy her a piano and she was made to practice every day under strict guidance by her mother. Jo…

North American K-Pop fans have three more opportunities to rejoice as Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ASTRO, Tiffany Young, Monsta X, NCT-127, and SF9 have all announced their North American dates for their respective world tours. Of course, collective screaming can be heard across the continent as K-Pop fans’ wallets aren’t receiving enough time to recover between tours,