KOREAN NEWS

The Seoul Business Agency has unveiled the key programs of the global K-culture festival “2025 SEOULCon,” signaling its status as one of Seoul’s signature year-end cultural events. Now in its third year, SEOULCon is a participatory festival bringing together global influencers and citizens. Last year, it attracted 60,000 visitors and generated 320 million online impressions, underscoring its growing global reach. The event will take place from December 29 to January 1, 2026,

Recently, Jungkook was officially appointed as the global ambassador for Chanel's Beauty & Fragrance division. On the 16th, he graced the cover of ELLE Korea January issue, showcasing a Chanel photoshoot that quickly went viral. However, alongside the announcement of his ambassadorship, an unexpected "sold-out frenzy" erupted. The limited edition of Bleu de Chanel , the fragrance Jungkook mentioned as his favorite on Disney Plus’s variety show Are You Sure? , sold out simult

TWICE will make history next April as the first foreign act to headline a solo concert at Japan’s National Stadium in Tokyo. The group’s agency announced on the 7th through its official Japanese SNS channels that TWICE has added new dates to their sixth world tour “THIS IS FOR,” confirming three solo shows at the National Stadium on April 25, 26, and 28 in 2026. The concerts will be staged in a massive 360-degree full-seating format, accommodating approximately 80,000 attende

Recently, various online communities and social media platforms have been buzzing with evidence related to the dating rumors between BTS’s Jungkook and aespa’s Winter. Netizens have pointed to several items as evidence to support the dating rumors, such as similar tattoos featuring three dog faces in the same spot, matching shorts, slippers, bracelets, in-ear monitors, and other accessories. Additionally, they highlighted that both Jungkook and Winter had their nails done on

A new trend is taking hold in the K-culture boom: concert tickets are becoming collectible goods. The digital photocard ticket, which merges a photocard-style design with NFC-based digital technology, is rapidly spreading across KPOP concerts, combining convenience, high collectible value, and anti-counterfeiting features into a new ticket culture. These tickets contain an encrypted NFC chip that allows entry with a simple tap. Since audience information is verified through a

Japanese girl group FRUITS ZIPPER has successfully completed the Seoul stop of their first-ever Asia tour, marking a meaningful milestone since their debut. On the 29th, the group held “FRUITS ZIPPER 1st ASIA TOUR 2025 ‘We are FRUITS ZIPPER’” at Donghae Culture and Arts Center at Kwangwoon University, meeting Korean fans for the first time. “We are FRUITS ZIPPER” is the group’s first Asia tour since debut, with Seoul serving as the grand finale following performances in Taip

Jungwoo NCT memberikan hadiah spesial untuk para penggemar menjelang wajib militernya. Pada tanggal 28, Jungwoo akan merilis single pertamanya ‘SUGAR’ melalui berbagai platform musik. Dengan jadwal wajib militer pada 8 Desember, ini menjadi single solo pertamanya sejak debut, sehingga menarik perhatian besar. Foto teaser yang dirilis bersamaan langsung mencuri perhatian karena visual Jungwoo disebut mirip “ Saja Boys Baby” dari animasi Netflix populer K-pop Demon Hunters . V

The K-POP payment card launched by WOWPASS, a payment platform designed for foreign visitors, is gaining explosive popularity among global travelers coming to Korea. More than a simple payment tool, the card offers the joy of “carrying your favorite idol in your wallet,” adding emotional excitement to the travel experience. Orange Square, the operator of WOWPASS, stated that its K-POP card created in collaboration with JYP Entertainment is receiving strong responses from fore

Virtual idol group PLAVE captivated 18,500 fans at their “DASH: Quantum Leap” encore concert held at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on the 21st, delivering cinematic stage transitions and highly immersive performances. In their debut year, PLAVE achieved one million first-week album sales and topped Japan’s Oricon chart, marking strong global success. Beginning in August, the group launched their first Asia tour across six cities including Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Jakarta, wit

The animated film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle”, which is on the verge of becoming the highest-grossing release of the year, has announced its participation with an exclusive booth at AGF2025, drawing significant attention. AGF2025 will take place from December 5 to 7 at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang. It is Korea’s largest official comprehensive subculture festival, covering not only anime and games but also manga, webtoons, light novels, anisong, and virtual YouTubers. With exhi

Korean hamburger and chicken brand Mom’s Touch has launched a limited-edition collaboration set with the globally popular game “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.” collaboration celebrates the game’s third anniversary and marks the first official partnership between the two brands. Inspired by the in-game battle cue “Encounter,” the campaign aims to offer a unique cross-online/offline dining experience while engaging directly with fans of the game franchise. The collaboration feature

Im Si-wan, the first artist under SM Entertainment’s new music label SMArt, is set to release his first-ever solo mini album. Titled The Reason , the album features five tracks of varying moods, including the title track of the same name, and will be released in full on December 5 at 6 p.m. KST across major streaming platforms. The project marks a significant milestone for Im Si-wan, who has built a wide-ranging career as an actor through numerous acclaimed works. This album

The Netflix animated feature KPop Demon Hunters has unveiled the full lineup of official merchandise that will be available at its Seoul pop-up store. The pop-up will showcase a wide variety of items inspired by key characters from the film, including HUNTR/X and Saja Boys . Highlighted products include Duppy & Seo plush dolls and keyrings, apparel and accessories, K-pop–style goods such as random photocards, photocard holders, and collect books, as well as CD keyrings feat

The highly anticipated G-STAR 2025 kicks off today and will run for three days at BEXCO in Busan. This year, G-STAR is themed “Expand Your Horizons,” featuring 1,273 gaming companies from 44 countries and 3,269 exhibition spaces, making it the largest gaming exhibition in Korea. The event is welcoming gamers from around the world. Major gaming companies such as NCSoft, Netmarble, Krafton, Google Korea, Webzen, and Gravity are participating as main sponsors, unveiling their

Virtual idol group PLAVE releases their new single album PLBBUU today at 6 p.m. KST. Following their charismatic image in February’s mini 3rd album Caligo Pt.1 , PLAVE now returns with a more playful and endearing concept. Their collaboration with Sanrio Korea has drawn strong attention from global fans while expanding the group’s distinctive virtual universe. The album includes three tracks: the title song “BBUU!”, “Hide and Seek,” and “Bongsoonga.” The title track features

Girl group H1-KEY will take the stage for a special performance at the Korea-Japan Dream Players Game 2025 supported by DAISO , held at Es Con Field Hokkaido in Japan on October 30. The event commemorates the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan and aims to strengthen friendship and trust through sports and cultural exchange. Legendary baseball players from both nations will participate, with H1-KEY adding star power to the event through

A new virtual idol group inspired by traditional Korean folktales, Saryeonghwa (四靈花), will officially debut on November 13. Produced by subculture-focused label GRIM Production, the group follows last year’s debut of WISHes and is gaining attention for its unique storytelling rooted in a deeply Korean worldview. The group consists of four members — Cheongmok, Biwha, Maehwarin, and Baekhee — whose name Saryeonghwa means “four spiritual beings coming together to bloom as one

JYP Entertainment’s global girl group GIRLSET will return on November 14 with their new digital single Little Miss . On October 31, JYP revealed the album cover art via the group’s official social media channels, announcing GIRLSET’s long-awaited comeback. The digital single Little Miss and its title track of the same name will showcase the group’s vibrant energy and musical versatility. In the teaser image, the members hold unique weapons and strike confident poses reminisc

2PM member and actor Ok Taec-yeon has announced that he will marry his longtime partner. His agency, 51K, stated on November 1, “Actor Ok Taec-yeon has promised to spend his life together with someone he has been seeing for a long time.” The wedding will take place privately next spring in Seoul, attended only by close family members and acquaintances. The agency added, “As the bride-to-be is a non-celebrity, we ask for your understanding that specific details will remain pri

Millennial Works has opened a K-POP idol theme park, The Next Idol , powered by its proprietary AI technology. The pop-up store runs until November 9 at the Iconic Square on the 4th floor of Hyundai Department Store Pangyo. Based on the “Virtual Academy” concept from Millennial Works’ own IP, Nextworks , the experience allows visitors to step into the world of K-POP trainee life alongside popular virtual characters. The pop-up consists of three main zones — the Trainee Zone,