SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — After years of robust growth during the Covid-19 pandemic, the K-pop industry has shown signs of cooling, with physical album sales declining and export revenues stagnating in the past year. Industry experts are looking to BTS and Blackpink’s planned comebacks to reinvigorate the market in 2025, while closely watching major [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – K-pop fandom, primarily composed of women in their 20s and 30s, has emerged as a defining force in South Korea’s protest culture, blending activism with the hallmarks of fan culture. The recent impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol highlighted this unique phenomenon, with protests resembling the energy and organization of [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – Controversy has erupted after Eric, a member of K-pop group The Boyz, mistakenly shared photos of condoms packaged to look like Pepero snacks on social media, prompting an apology from the condom manufacturer Bareun Saenggak. The incident occurred on November 11 when Eric posted a handwritten letter to fans for [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean music legend Cho Yong-pil will make a monumental return with the release of his 20th full-length album, aptly titled “20,” on Tuesday. The highly anticipated album marks the 74-year-old artist’s first studio album in 11 years. Leading the album will be a track with a Korean title [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Cho Yong-pil, an iconic figure in the K-pop scene, will return next month with his first full-length album in 11 years. The singer made a surprise announcement on the homepage of his agency, YPC Company, on Wednesday, revealing that his new studio album titled “20″ will come out Oct. [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – A public controversy has erupted in South Korea over the use of Seoul World Cup Stadium, pitting soccer fans against K-pop enthusiasts in a debate that highlights the challenges of maintaining world-class sports facilities while accommodating the country’s booming entertainment industry. The dispute was sparked by complaints from the national [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Korea Bizwire) –In a surprising turn of events, the popular K-pop girl group NewJeans has issued an ultimatum to their management company HYBE and its chairman Bang Si-hyuk, demanding the reinstatement of former CEO Min Hee-jin by September 25. This bold move has led industry insiders to speculate about the possibility of [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – A thriving underground market for K-pop idols’ flight information has emerged on social media platforms, raising alarm among privacy advocates and entertainment companies alike. On August 16, numerous posts appeared on X (formerly Twitter) offering to sell detailed flight information of popular K-pop groups. For as little as 2,000 won, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – When Yoon Sun-young’s high school freshman child asked for tickets to PSY’s “Soaked Show,” she was taken aback by the price tag. Even with a 20% student discount, standing room tickets cost over 130,000 won, and factoring in food and transportation, the total expense would easily surpass 200,000 won. “A [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against four major K-pop merchandise retailers for unfair business practices, highlighting growing concerns over consumer rights in the booming idol goods market. The FTC announced on August 11 that it would issue corrective orders and impose fines totaling 10.5 million won [...]