SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire) – SM Entertainment will hold auditions in Indonesia to scout talent for its “NCT” idol group project, the nation’s top entertainment agency said Wednesday. Company founder Lee Soo-man unveiled the plan for its first-ever talent audition in Indonesia at a South Korea-Indonesia business summit in Jakarta the previous day. “Last [...]
SEOUL, March 8 (Korea Bizwire) – So-called ‘360 deals’ in the Korean music industry have often been criticized for over-exploitation of artists or prospective artists (trainees), to the point where they were given the notorious title of “slave contracts.” Several K-pop artists have come forward to denounce the practice, while some engaged in highly publicized [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Actor Lee Min-ho, actress Song Hye-kyo and boy band EXO have been chosen as the most popular “hallyu” stars of 2016, a survey showed Thursday. Soompi, a U.S.-based online news provider specializing in Korean pop culture, announced the winners of the 12th annual Soompi Awards elected in a vote [...]
SEJONG, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – The glitz of show business isn’t the same for everyone in the industry, where earnings are heavily imbalanced between A-listers and those who are not, income tax filings for 2015 showed Monday. A total of 15,423 people, whose reported jobs were actors and actresses, reported an annual income that [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – SBS’s annual end-year music festival, the SBS Gayo Daejeon, took place on Monday at Seoul’s COEX, celebrating the program’s 20th anniversary. The one-day show was highlighted by performances and musical collaborations between K-pop artists and producers from all genres and age groups, including Big Bang, BTS, AOA, EXO, Twice, [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean girl group 2NE1 has officially disbanded, its agency revealed on Friday, confirming that only two of the three remaining members will continue their careers with the company. With Gong Minzy leaving in April and the remaining members’ contracts expiring on Nov. 5, the group and management agreed [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – Pop diva Lee Hyori has signed with an entertainment agency to prepare for her return to the music scene, an agency official said Thursday. Lee, who debuted as a member of girl group Fin.K.L. in 1998, recently signed an exclusive contract with Kiwi Media Group, headed by renowned composer [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – A handful of K-pop idols have applied for the upcoming Korean CSAT set to take place this week, according to their agencies on Wednesday. Members of girl groups TWICE, Gfriend and Cosmic Girls and boy group Seventeen are readying for the college scholastic aptitude test scheduled this Thursday for [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – Lee Soo-man, the K-pop mogul who founded SM Entertainment, the nation’s largest management/record label, was awarded a 2016 Asia Game Changer Award, becoming the first Korean to receive the honor. According to SM Entertainment, the company chairman attended the Asia Game Changer Awards ceremony on October 27 at the [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – American hip-hop/EDM group Far East Movement will release a new album featuring several Korean mainstream musicians, the band’s publicist said Tuesday. “In the much-anticipated album, EXO’s Chanyeol, Yoon Mi-rae, Jay Park, Sistar’s Hyorin and Urban Zakapa each collaborated in different tracks, enriching the album,” PR company HNS HQ said. [...]