BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ Tops Billboard 200 for Third Straight Week, a K-pop First BTS’ fifth album, “ARIRANG,” has become the first K-pop release to lead Billboard’s main albums chart, the Billboard 200, for three consecutive weeks. Billboard said in a chart preview article on the 12th (local time) that “ARIRANG” held the No. 1 spot for a third straight week, ahead of Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” at No. 2 and Kanye West (Ye/YE)’s “BULLY” at No. 3. It is the first time a K-pop artist’s album has spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “ARIRANG,” descri April 13, 2026

BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ tops Billboard 200 for third straight week, a K-pop first 그룹 방탄소년단(BTS)의 정규 5집 '아리랑(ARIRANG)'이 K팝 사상 처음으로 미국 빌보드 메인 앨범 차트에서 3주 연속 1위를 기록했다. Billboard said in a chart preview article on April 12 (local time) that BTS’ fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” remained No. 1 on the main albums chart, the Billboard 200, for a third straight week. The group held off Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” and Kanye West’s “BULLY.” It is the first time a K-pop act has led the Billboard 200 for three consecutiv April 13, 2026

Super Junior’s Kim Hee-chul Says He’s Driving Again After 20 Years Super Junior member Kim Hee-chul has explained why he got back behind the wheel for the first time in 20 years. On an SBS episode of "My Little Old Boy" that aired on the 12th, entertainers Tak Jae-hoon and Heo Kyung-hwan appeared as driving instructors for Kim. Kim said he stopped driving after undergoing major surgery following a traffic accident, adding that it has been 20 years since he last drove. He said he decided to learn again because he wants to drive a future child April 13, 2026

Kim Hye-yoon on horror film 'Salmokji': 'I want to be called a horror queen' Known for romantic comedies such as the dramas "Lovely Runner" and "Extraordinary You," actor Kim Hye-yoon is taking a sharp turn with the horror film "Salmokji," trading her bright image for a more worn, drained presence. "It’s a genre I love, and as a horror fan, I was excited to take on a horror project," Kim said. "When I first read the script, it was really fun, and the water ghost concept felt fresh. I also liked that Su-in is restrained and looks kind of worn down, different from April 13, 2026

Veteran Actors Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung Back Youth Theater Project in Seoul "Theater is about people, and it’s our story," said 90-year-old actor Shin Goo, speaking April 7 to young actors gathered at Daehangno Arts Theater in Seoul. He described theater as work that expresses what happens in relationships and stressed that the expression "must be honest." Without that, he said, the effort becomes meaningless, urging the actors to keep making strong work. That day, 30 young actors in the Theater Tomorrow Project presented key scenes from three original produc April 13, 2026

National Theater Company, LG Arts Center to Stage Rival Takes on Chekhov’s 'Uncle Vanya' in May Two big-budget productions based on Anton Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya” will go head-to-head on Seoul stages in May, with the National Theater Company of Korea and LG Arts Center each unveiling a new version. The source material is the same, but the two productions signal different approaches, starting with their titles. According to the theater community, the National Theater Company of Korea will present “Banya Ajae,” while LG Arts Center will stage “Uncle Vanya.” Both will be mounted i April 13, 2026

An Se-young wins first Asian Championships title to complete career Grand Slam An Se-young of Samsung Life won the Asian Badminton Championships for the first time, completing a career "Grand Slam" by winning the Olympics, world championships, Asian Games and Asian Championships. The world No. 1 beat China’s Wang Zhiyi (No. 2) 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 21-18) in the women’s singles final on 12 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in Ningbo, China. The Asian Championships had long eluded An. She lost to Wang in the semifinals in Manila in 2022, then finished runner-up in Dub April 12, 2026

Korea’s Biopharma CDMO Exports Hit Record Q1 High Despite Mideast Risks South Korea’s biopharmaceutical exports posted a record first-quarter total despite prolonged Middle East risks, led by contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) firms, regulators said. At the same time, domestically focused drugmakers are moving to emergency measures as uncertainty grows over supplies of packaging-related materials. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said April 12 that biopharmaceutical exports in the first quarter totaled $2.0 billion (about 2.96 trillion won), up April 12, 2026

Singer Lee Hyo-ri’s Father Dies; She and Husband Lee Sang-soon Keep Vigil Singer Lee Hyo-ri is mourning the death of her father. Her agency, Antenna, said April 12 that her father, Lee Jung-kwang, died that day. A wake has been set up in Room 1 of the funeral hall at Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul. The funeral procession is scheduled for 7 a.m. April 14. Lee and her husband, Lee Sang-soon, are listed as chief mourners and have been keeping vigil at the wake. Lee has spoken publicly about her father on several occasions. She included family stories in April 12, 2026

MBC’s ‘21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ hits 10% in Seoul area by Episode 2 MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife” crossed into double-digit ratings in the Seoul metropolitan area by its second episode. Nielsen Korea said Saturday that Episode 2, aired Friday, drew a nationwide rating of 9.5% and 10.1% among households in the Seoul area, ranking No. 1 in its time slot. Its 20-49 rating was 5.3%, the highest among all Saturday programming. The minute-by-minute peak reached 11.1%. The top moments were a scene in which Seong Hui-ju wins a to April 12, 2026