Journalist
Choi Songhee
alfie312@ajunews.com
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Netflix’s ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Wins Oscar for Best Animated Feature Netflix’s animated film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ won an Oscar on Sunday night, taking the Academy Award for best animated feature at the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The film beat fellow nominees ‘Arco,’ ‘Elio,’ ‘Little Amelie’ and ‘Zootopia 2.’ Director Maggie Kang thanked fans and said, “I’m sorry it took so long to make a movie with a protagonist who looks like me.” She added, “The next generation won’t have to long for movies like this. This award is for Korea and Koreans around the world,” drawing applause. Co-director Chris Appelhans said music and storytelling can connect people across cultural borders, adding that he wanted artists and musicians to “sing in your own voice.” The Netflix action-fantasy centers on a K-pop idol group that fights evil spirits and protects the world through song. Released last June, it set a new Netflix record for most views, according to the report. The soundtrack song ‘Golden,’ performed in the film by the girl group Huntrix, topped Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-16 08:48:06 -
Oscar Winners to Be Decided as 'Sinners' Faces 'One Battle After Another' in Top Races The 98th Academy Awards will be held at 7 p.m. local time Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. This year’s ceremony has drawn added attention as films with strong Korean elements landed nominations in major categories alongside traditional Hollywood contenders. One of the most closely watched titles is Netflix’s animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” nominated for best animated feature and best original song. The film has already won major prizes at the Golden Globes and the Grammys, making it a leading Oscar contender. Its song nominee, “Golden,” was made with heavy participation from Korean producers and writers, including producer 24 (Seo Jeong-hun) and the songwriting team Idio. Korean-heritage artists Lee Jae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami are scheduled to perform a special stage on the day of the ceremony. Also in the spotlight is “Bugonia,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and backed in production by CJ ENM. The film reinterprets the Korean movie “Save the Green Planet!” with a Hollywood sensibility and is nominated in four categories, including best picture and best actress for Emma Stone. The best picture race is expected to pit two high-profile directors against each other. Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners: Sinners,” which leads the field with a record 16 nominations, gained momentum after winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble. Challenging it is Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which tackles refugee issues and racism. The film is seen as timely, with its themes intersecting with immigration policies under the second Trump administration, and is viewed as a strong draw for voters. The best actor category is also crowded. Leonardo DiCaprio is nominated for “One Battle After Another” for what the article described as a manic performance, while Timothee Chalamet is in contention for “Marty Supreme” and could win his first best actor Oscar. Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners: Sinners”) and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) are also in the mix, leaving the outcome uncertain. In best actress, Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”) are in a close contest, setting up a race likely to remain tight through the end of the ceremony.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-16 08:12:36 -
Police, Seoul and Culture Ministry Roll Out Heavy Security for BTS Gwanghwamun Comeback Live Police, the Seoul city government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are preparing what they described as an unusually high-intensity joint safety operation for “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang (ARIRANG),” set for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Organizers expect 22,000 audience members and as many as 260,000 people to gather that day, prompting authorities to mobilize broad anti-terror measures, including deploying police special forces, and to tighten on-site controls. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will move to a special alert posture, citing tense international conditions and the possibility of attacks driven by unclear motives targeting the public. Police plan to deploy 4,800 officers on the day of the event, use as much available special forces manpower as possible, conduct detailed pre-event searches across the venue and run an analysis-and-response team to address bomb threats. Police said they will pursue detention-based investigations as a principle in cases of public intimidation such as false bomb threats that waste police resources, and will also seek civil liability for damages. Police buses and barricades will be installed around the site to prevent vehicle-ramming incidents, and door-frame metal detectors will be placed at 30 entry points to block dangerous items from being brought in. BTS’ agency, HYBE, said it is also focusing on safety and security. Citing the risk of crowding at Gwanghwamun Square, the company decided to hold rehearsals in a separate, undisclosed location rather than at the venue. The move is intended to prevent crowd crush incidents during rehearsals and to reduce the risk of leaks of performance details, including the new-song set list. HYBE plans to deploy about 4,000 of its own crowd-control staff on the day of the show, bringing the total security and safety workforce to about 9,000 when combined with police. Seoul officials are also preparing traffic measures. Depending on congestion, the city is considering having trains pass through Gwanghwamun, City Hall and Gyeongbokgung stations without stopping. It also plans to reroute some bus lines and temporarily suspend the public bike service, Ttareungi. The culture ministry said it views the concert as a major test of efforts to curb ticket scalping and will deploy eight joint undercover enforcement teams with police at the site. Authorities also plan to request investigations into accounts suspected of using macros to trade tickets, and to block unauthorized entry through measures including QR-code tickets that cannot be captured and tamper-resistant wristbands issued after identity checks. The government said it will maintain an emergency duty posture through the end of the event on March 21.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-16 06:03:20 -
Producer Lim Eun-jung on 'The Man Who Lives With the King' and Gen Z repeat viewings Two years after the last Korean film to hit 10 million admissions, “The Man Who Lives With the King” has kept building momentum. The period drama drew audiences through word of mouth, passed 10 million moviegoers and has continued to climb, topping 13 million admissions — an unusual run for a traditional historical film. At the center is Lim Eun-jung, CEO of the new production company Onda Works. “Director Jang Hang-jun said in an interview that he joined because I persuaded him. So on opening day, I worried, ‘What if I end up looking like a con artist?’” Lim said. “I’m deeply grateful that this small spark I set off has received such big love. I’m thankful to everyone I met along the way — and above all, to audiences.” Lim said she founded Onda Works after years of thinking about how to better support creators and see projects through. While she found producing rewarding, she said there were moments inside a company when it was hard to take full responsibility to the end. “I majored in Korean language and literature, and since high school I thought I should make stories,” she said. “As I studied the film industry, I realized what I’m good at is recognizing what people do well, so I focused on producing. Even when I worked at CJ ENM, my biggest goal was getting writers’ work out into the world, but I felt there would be limits inside a company. I thought I needed to be in a position where I could keep my promises if I wanted to keep working in film.” She said the industry was struggling when she considered leaving, and people around her tried to stop her. Still, she said the uncertainty made her decision clearer. “At the time, the industry situation wasn’t good, so everyone told me not to quit,” Lim said. “I heard a lot of, ‘No one is investing — what are you going to believe in?’ It was a livelihood issue for me, too. But I quit and traveled to Portugal for about a month. I love surfing, and when waves start coming in, surfers get excited and say, ‘Onda, onda.’ I thought it was cute and figured if I ever started a company, I’d use the name ‘Onda.’ Then the first surf shop I visited in Portugal was actually named ‘Onda.’ I asked what it meant, and they said it means ‘wave.’ In that moment I thought, ‘This is fate.’ That’s how, on April 1, 2023 — April Fools’ Day — I founded Onda Works, like a lie that came true.” “The Man Who Lives With the King” was a project Lim had carried since before launching the company. She said she was especially attached to it as an original period film without a source work, and she wanted to tell a personal story alongside a major historical moment. “I planned this project when I was at CJ ENM,” she said. “It’s an original work with no source material, and it was an item I really wanted to make with meaning. I’m not enough of a period-drama fanatic to call myself one, but I wanted to tell the story of an individual standing next to a big historical event. My favorite films are ‘The Lives of Others’ and ‘The King’s Speech,’ and I wondered if we could tell that kind of story in a Korean historical film. I started planning from the idea: What story would unfold if Eom Heung-do watched Danjong up close and began to feel something different?” The project stalled during the pandemic, she said, and at one point she told writer Hwang Seong-gu to take the screenplay rights and proceed elsewhere if an opportunity arose. “Hwang delivered the first draft in early 2020,” Lim said. “But it was the pandemic, and for several reasons production stopped. I told Hwang to take the rights and move forward at another company if there was a chance. But I think Hwang felt it would be inappropriate to do that because the script began with my proposal. So I said I would look for the right timing within five years. After that I started my own company and prepared this as our first film.” Lim said she chose Jang to direct because she believed the film’s core was the characters’ emotions and point of view, not the events themselves. “I thought the key was the perspective on the characters and the theme,” she said. “It was important how Danjong, seen through Eom Heung-do’s eyes, and Danjong’s emotions in that situation intersect. I thought about who could express those feelings most warmly, and I decided Director Jang Hang-jun was right. The warm tone I felt in ‘Rebound’ was also a big reason.” She said it was difficult for a new company to mount a period drama, given the high costs and uncertain commercial prospects. Lim said she needed to persuade experienced partners and investors, and the project took shape after multiple revisions. “I told BA Entertainment CEO Jang Won-seok that I wanted to co-produce on the condition that Director Jang Hang-jun would direct,” she said. “At first, he saw it as a commercial risk. So I showed him revised versions three times, and through that process he recognized the potential and joined. Showbox also listened to my project, and they agreed with the judgment that audiences can look for meaningful stories, not only provocative ones.” After release, Lim said she was struck by repeat viewings among Gen Z audiences — especially middle and high school students. “I think a long-built longing for theaters may have played a role,” she said. “Recently, several films have helped people feel the fun of watching in theaters again. This film also has many elements audiences can enjoy together in a theater, and it’s a film that makes it possible to talk with different people afterward. The experience itself — audiences laughing and reacting together — seems to have reminded people of the appeal of theaters. What surprised me most was Gen Z repeat viewing. I’ve often seen repeat viewing among die-hard fans, but it was truly welcome to see middle and high school audiences doing it. For someone like me who wondered whether the next generation would even exist for theaters, I think this is very meaningful.” Lim pointed to actor Park Ji-hoon as a key factor in connecting the character of Danjong to today’s audiences. “In the end, the combination of actor Park Ji-hoon and the character Danjong played a big role,” she said. “The CEO of the production company behind ‘Weak Hero’ told me good things about Park, so I had been watching him with interest. From the casting stage, I had a strong feeling he could become a Danjong that stays in people’s memories for a long time.” Lim said she has multiple projects in development and plans to move between period and contemporary stories. “First of all, I have a lot of film ideas,” she said. “I’ve built a long friendship with director Kim Eui-seok of ‘After My Death,’ and we’re preparing a genre film set in Gyeongseong that takes place on a train. Another is an action film with director Ahn Tae-jin of ‘The Night Owl,’ set in a border area during the Joseon era. The films I can talk about right now happen to be period pieces. The series projects I’m planning are almost all contemporary.” 2026-03-16 00:05:10 -
'Man Who Lives With the King' Tops 13 Million Moviegoers, Enters Korea’s All-Time Top 10 영화 '왕과 사는 남자'가 누적 관객수 1300만 명을 돌파하며 한국 영화 흥행 기록 상위권에 올랐다. 15일 배급사 쇼박스에 따르면 '왕과 사는 남자'는 이날 오전 9시 기준 전국 누적 관객수 1300만 명을 넘어섰다. 지난달 4일 개봉한 뒤 지난 6일 개봉 31일째에 1,000만 관객을 돌파했고, 9일 만에 1,300만 명을 추가로 넘어섰다. 쇼박스는 이 영화가 '명량'(1761만), '극한직업'(1626만), '신과 함께: 죄와 벌'(1441만), '국제시장'(1425만), '베테랑'(1341만), '서울의 봄'(1312만), '괴물'(1301만)에 이어 역대 한국 영화 가운데 여덟 번째로 1,300만 관객을 동원한 작품이라고 밝혔다. 흥행세도 이어지고 있다. 개봉 한 달이 지난 뒤에도 평일 관객이 15만 명 안팎을 유지하고 있으며, 지난 13일에는 22만 1000명, 14일에는 55만 4000여 명을 동원했다. 영화계 안팎에서는 현재 추세가 이어질 경우 2,000만 관객을 돌파할 가능성도 거론되고 있다. '왕과 사는 남자'는 1457년 청령포를 배경으로 유배된 어린 선왕과 그를 맞이한 촌장의 이야기를 그린 작품이다. 탄탄한 서사와 배우들의 연기로 호평을 받으며 장기 흥행을 이어가고 있다.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-15 17:36:15 -
Park Hae-joon on 'Humint': Director Ryoo Seung-wan eased his concerns Park Hae-joon, who recently drew viewers in with an everyday, emotionally grounded performance in Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” returns with a sharply different role in the film “Humint.” In the movie, he plays Hwang Chi-seong, North Korea’s consul general in Vladivostok, a man driven by power and profit who keeps a wary eye on Park Geon, who suspects him. Instead of warmth, Hwang projects cold tension and suspicion. Park keeps his emotions tightly controlled while letting the character’s anxiety and ruthlessness show through. “Director Ryoo Seung-wan is someone everyone wants to work with, so I was genuinely happy when he asked to meet,” Park said. “The ‘Humint’ script was a great read and really entertaining, so I was excited. But I’d done ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ last year, and I felt pressure about taking another villain role. I wondered, ‘Do I have anything more to show?’ and worried it might overlap with what I’d done before. After meeting the director, that concern was resolved. It was different — different from my previous roles — and I felt he understood Hwang Chi-seong in detail, so I committed to the project with confidence.” Park described Hwang’s action scenes as less like carefully planned moves and more like the reflexes of someone cornered. He said the overall intensity was not high, but he tries to do as much physical work himself as possible. He also focused on showing Hwang’s instability and unpredictability in how he handles a gun. “It’s a role where he dies in a frenzy, so the action intensity was low, and the gun work turned out well thanks to Tae Sang-ho, a military specialist reporter, who paid close attention to it,” Park said. “When it comes to action, I try not to hold back. Hwang is a character with a sense of freedom. With the gun, I used it more freely than rigidly — holding it this way or that, using it however I could in a hurry. Because he’s cornered, there was more room to express things others might not. It can look ridiculous, like when he’s startled and falls, but I wanted to show he’s truly backed into a corner. I thought it suited me. He’s scary because you don’t know how he’ll attack. I wanted that sense that he could do something unexpected to come through.” Park said he starts preparing by getting comfortable in the spaces where a character lives and works, arguing that understanding a role is tied to how a person occupies a place. Before filming, he visited sets such as a North Korean restaurant and the consul general’s interrogation room, imagining how Hwang would stand and move there. “When I work, space is very important,” he said. “I need time to get used to it, so before shooting I go early and make it feel familiar. The North Korean restaurant wasn’t literally my space, but I thought it was a place Hwang could control, so I visited places like that and the interrogation room in advance. I thought he needed to be overwhelming, comfortable and in a position of advantage, and that acting as if nothing bothered him could read as confidence.” Asked about filming overseas, Park recalled his time in Latvia with an easy smile. He said the cold was manageable, though outdoor shoots — including an airport scene — were difficult. Off set, he said, the cast built memories that contrasted with the film’s tense mood. “People say it was freezing, but it wasn’t the kind of cold that makes your bones ache,” he said, laughing. “But when we shot the airport scene, it was so cold that outdoor filming was tough. The Latvia location shoot left a lot of memories. We’d have dinner and drink beer, and during travel it snowed heavily, so we’d have snowball fights. People over 30, like little kids,” he said, laughing. “It felt like we got close again by running around like children.” Park said the teamwork on set also came quickly. While “When Life Gives You Tangerines” brought actors together through affection and connection between characters, he said “Humint” bonded the cast through a demanding schedule in an unfamiliar environment over three months. “On ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines,’ the story itself has deep affection between people, and that builds into a point where feelings cross and connect, so the actors got very close and opened up,” he said. “This time, filming was hard and there was no one else to rely on, so over three months it felt like we got close fast. We ended up sharing everything — what we ate, what happened that day. Our rhythm on set got good, too. There was a sense of urgency like, ‘If I can’t trust that person, even before being an actor, I have nowhere to lean myself,’” he said, laughing. “Jung-min liked it so much he said he wants to go back to Latvia. The teamwork shows even more during promotion than during filming.” Park has built a career across major projects — including the dramas “My Mister,” “The World of the Married,” “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “First, For Love,” and the films “4th Place,” “Believer,” “12.12: The Day” and “Humint” — often showing markedly different sides of himself. He said it has been less strategy than luck. “These are projects you might meet only once in a lifetime, and I’m grateful they sent them to me and I got to meet those roles,” he said. “It’s luck — the fact that I can do work like that,” he said, laughing. “My wife once said, ‘You’re really unusual. How can someone who played Lee Tae-oh in “The World of the Married” be given the role of Gwan-sik in “When Life Gives You Tangerines”?’ She said she was jealous, and that I did well to show that range. I deeply agreed. I felt proud, and it felt strange, too. I can only say I’m lucky.” Asked which project he feels most attached to, Park pointed to the film “4th Place.” It may not be widely known, he said, but it reminded him that acting can be fun and helped open doors for later work. “I’m grateful for every project and feel attached to them, but ‘4th Place’ comes to mind,” he said. “I had a really fun, comfortable time on set, and it made me feel, ‘Acting is fun.’ It was like a starting gun telling me, ‘Keep filming in a fun way.’ Directors and production staff later sought me out after seeing that film. Even now, many people tell me they really like ‘4th Place.’ It’s not a well-known movie, but I’m thankful there are still people who watched it, loved it and remember me. Personally, it gave me hope that I could keep working.” Near the end of the interview, Park spoke carefully about movie theaters. Rather than urging audiences to show up, he said he hopes going to the cinema can again feel like a natural part of life. “There was a time when going to the theater with family during holidays was just normal,” he said. “If there were about four weekends in a month, it felt natural to go at least once. I hope that kind of normal returns. I won’t say, ‘Come to the theater,’ like you’re being pushed, but I hope people can again feel that going to the cinema is something enjoyable. And I hope you’ll show love for ‘Humint,’ too.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-15 14:45:12 -
Netflix Unveils Main Poster for BTS Comeback Live Stream Netflix has released the main poster for the group BTS’ comeback live show, fueling anticipation among fans worldwide. The poster for “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang,” unveiled by Netflix on the 15th, highlights the group’s presence and adds to expectations for a full-group return. Netflix has said it will exclusively livestream “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang” from the area around Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, delivering the event to fans around the world in real time. The company said the broadcast is also its first live event and music performance transmitted from South Korea to a global audience. Netflix, known for films, series and unscripted programming tailored to members’ tastes, said the livestream will expand its entertainment offerings by presenting a way for viewers worldwide to experience the same stage at the same time. The show will be overseen by director Hamish Hamilton, described as a leading live-event director whose credits include the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, the U.S. Super Bowl halftime show, the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and performances by Madonna, Beyonce and Rihanna. Netflix said the production aims to offer a new way to watch a live concert, beyond a standard broadcast. The event will be exclusively livestreamed worldwide on Netflix at 8 p.m. on the 21st.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-15 10:24:14 -
Kang Chan-hee on ‘Method Acting’: Clashing With Lee Dong-hwi Made the Film Work Actor Kang Chan-hee is taking on a new screen persona in the film 'Method Acting,' playing Taemin, a top star who can be irritating but not easy to hate. Director Lee Ki-hyeok and cast members Lee Dong-hwi, Kang and Yoon Kyung-ho attended a press screening and news conference Friday afternoon at Megabox COEX in Seoul’s Gangnam district. '’Method Acting’ is a black comedy about actor Lee Dong-hwi, who is eager to be recognized for sincere acting rather than being boxed in as a comedy performer, and the chaos that follows as he becomes overly immersed in a role. Kang, who plays Taemin, Lee’s on-screen rival, said he was struck by the premise when he first read the script. “It felt really fresh and surprising that senior actor Lee Dong-hwi would play ‘Lee Dong-hwi’ under his own name,” he said, adding that he chose the project because he wanted to work with the veteran actors. Known largely for upright, “model student” roles, Kang said he focused on making Taemin “annoying, but not simply hateful,” as he built the character. Kang, who is active as both an idol and an actor, said he related to Taemin’s background of having started acting young and staying in the business. He said he anchored the character in feelings of loneliness and emptiness, and viewed Taemin’s small acts of revenge and on-set sparring as “minor deviations.” Kang also described a warmer off-camera dynamic with Lee despite their sharp exchanges in the film. He said it was difficult because he is not the type to speak harshly on set, but credited Lee’s consideration for helping him finish the shoot smoothly. Kang said the film captures a range of emotions and situations in ways that are both entertaining and moving, and he hopes audiences enjoy the novelty of watching Lee portray himself. 'Method Acting' opens in theaters March 18.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-13 17:01:31 -
Stray Kids Win Four Japan Gold Disc Awards, Most Ever for Overseas Artist Stray Kids won four prizes at the 40th Japan Gold Disc Awards, setting a record for the most wins by an overseas artist. The Japan Gold Disc Awards said on its official website on the 11th that the group received Best Asian Artist. It also won Album of the Year (Asia) and Best 3 Albums in the Asia category for its third Japanese mini album, “Hollow.” In addition, the live Blu-ray of its 2024 in-person fan event in Japan, “Stray Kids Fan Connecting ‘SKZ TOY WORLD,’” was named Music Video of the Year (Asia). The Japan Gold Disc Awards are hosted by the Recording Industry Association of Japan and marked their 40th edition this year. Winners were selected based on sales of recordings, videos and other products from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. Stray Kids have also posted strong results on global charts. In 2025, the group achieved eight consecutive No. 1 debuts on Billboard’s main albums chart, the Billboard 200. On the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s 2025 year-end global charts, its fourth full-length album, “KARMA,” ranked No. 2 on the Global Album Sales Chart, the highest placement by a K-pop artist. The group was also the only K-pop act to place in the top 10 of the Global Artist Chart and the Global Album Chart. Stray Kids are scheduled to hold their sixth official fan meeting, “Stray Kids 6TH FANMEETING ‘STAY in Our Little House,’” on March 28-29 and April 4-5 at Inspire Arena in Incheon. In June and September, they are set to appear as headliners at The Governors Ball Music Festival in New York and Rock in Rio in Brazil.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-12 14:30:16 -
AMAZE Picks TWS as First 2026 Headliner for VR Concert Series AMAZE, which helped popularize VR concerts featuring third- and fourth-generation K-pop artists last year, has selected fifth-generation idol group TWS to open its 2026 lineup. Choosing a rookie group in its second year since debut signals that VR concerts are taking hold as a mainstream performance format that now extends to newer-generation acts. Because VR concerts are screened in theaters for a set period, they require steady audience demand backed by a strong fan base. TWS has grown quickly since debut and has emerged as one of the most prominent fifth-generation groups. The group established a clear identity early with a bright, youthful concept, while its fandom expanded rapidly. TWS has also shown ticket strength in the live market. Within a year of debut, the group sold out its first fan meetings in South Korea and Japan. Its first Japan fan meeting sold out all seats across three shows, and subsequent Japan and Greater China solo tours also sold out. A recently announced second fan meeting, “2026 TWS Fan Meeting Psy Club,” likewise sold out quickly on the day of presales, underscoring demand. Chart and album results followed. TWS ranked No. 2 on Japan’s Oricon annual rookie ranking and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The group also swept rookie awards at major South Korean ceremonies soon after debut. Industry observers say that combination of fandom scale and marketability aligns with the VR concert model. The group’s dense core fan base, centered on teens and people in their early 20s, is seen as having strong purchasing power for performances and related content. As K-pop performance content expands into theater screenings and XR productions, VR concerts are also drawing attention as an alternative format. In that context, TWS’ participation is being read as a sign that VR concerts are widening to include the next generation of K-pop artists. “TWS VR Concert: Rush Road” sold out quickly after ticket sales opened. Most screenings in the opening week sold out, followed by sellouts in key time slots and weekend screenings in the second week. The production also posted a 9.9 audience rating on Megabox and ranked No. 2 on the chain’s overall movie chart, indicating strong viewer satisfaction. Analysts say TWS’ selection reflects more than a bet on a newcomer, pointing instead to a fast-growing fandom and proven demand that highlight VR concerts’ commercial potential. Attention is now on how the format will evolve as it expands to newer generations of K-pop acts. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-12 13:54:32