On the day Seoul recorded its first snow of the season, K-pop group EXO wrapped up its sixth solo concert tour at KSPO DOME, singing “The First Snow” before a sold-out crowd as winter arrived earlier than usual. Cold rain fell outside the venue in southern Seoul, where fans in padded jackets lined up under umbrellas hours before the 5 p.m. show. The Korea Meteorological Administration said snow was observed at its Seoul station at 10 a.m., 12

South Korea is stepping up efforts to protect K-content overseas as industry groups seek broader emergency blocking of illegal distribution, action against pirate IPTV services and a crackdown on counterfeit K-pop goods in China, the Culture Ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the proposals would be discussed at the 10th Overseas Intellectual Property Protection Council in Seoul, bringing together seven government a

K-pop super group BTS has become the first K-pop act to earn a platinum album certification in Italy after its latest album “ARIRANG” crossed 50,000 equivalent units, the group’s agency said Wednesday. The Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) awarded the certification on Nov. 2 for BTS’ fifth full-length album, "ARIRANG" released in March, according to BigHit Music. FIMI grants platinum status to albums rea

Thirty years after his solo debut, pianist and composer Yang Bang-ean finally sees himself as a musical nomad, shaped by years of moving across countries, genres and projects. That realization has taken form in “Nomadesque,” one of the new works on “NEW HORIZON,” his first full solo album in 11 years. “My roots are in Korea, but I was born in Japan, and I’ve traveled to many places, absorbing many things and turning

K-pop boy group NCT WISH sold out fan-club presales for both dates of its first concerts at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, SM Entertainment said Wednesday. The six-member group will perform at the stadium on Jan. 15 and 16 as the opening stop of its second concert tour, "INTO THE WISH : Face Our WISH." Domestic fan-club presales opened Nov. 2, followed by global presales a day later. Tickets allocated for both rounds sold out across the two sho

K-pop girl band i-dle's member Soyeon topped Melon's monthly chart for the first time as a solo artist with her song, "I'm gonna TOESA (Narr. Kian 84)," according to the music platform on Tuesday. The song ranked No. 1 on Melon's October chart, ahead of RESCENE's "LOVE ATTACK" at No. 2 and A2O and A2O LITE's "NEON" at No. 3. Her agency Cube Entertainment earlier said that the track also topped Genie M

JYP Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse behind Stray Kids and Twice, has unexpectedly become the subject of a takeover proposal that has puzzled investors accustomed to seeing the company under the stewardship of founder J.Y. Park. Park now also holds a senior government role promoting K-pop. But the immediate uncertainty concerns the would-be buyers, their financing and what they want from the company. NEXROC Group and SVCV announced plans

HYBE is consolidating music distribution, marketing and artist support across its global operations under a single label services organization as the K-pop company expands its business beyond Korea. HYBE Global Label Services will support artists across the company's operations in Korea, Japan, the United States, Latin America and other markets, handling functions including distribution, marketing and promotion. Juan S. Arenas, previously chief int

K-pop boy group WayV's member Xiaojun will make his solo debut Monday with his first EP, "Hey, Somebody," SM Entertainment said. The five-track album will be released at noon, along with a music video for its title track of the same name. The mid-tempo title track centers on the journey from feeling like "nobody" to recognizing one's own worth. The album includes Chinese- and English-language versions of the song.