K-News Weekly Headlines: SuperM Breaks Out Onto The Music Scene, “Extraordinary You” Makes Poignant Premiere, Jung Hae In MANILA 2019 & More

By Angela Patricia Suacillo | October 7, 2019

This week has been quite a treat for K-Pop and K-Drama enthusiasts alike! Long-awaited comebacks and debuts have taken place, idol groups continue to go global, and there has been no shortage of enthralling dramas to enjoy.

Catch up to Korean entertainment news with ease as we summarize what happened each week. Stay regularly updated with your favorite artists and bias by following this segment closely with us!

This weekly digest will cover K-Pop comebacks, album releases, and Korean drama news, reviews and updates. Relevant news on Korean entertainment such as celebrity buzz, film and box office information, as well as concert tours and fan meetings will also be included.

*Covers Korean entertainment news from September 29 to October 5

Upcoming K-Events

• BTS And MONSTA X Confirmed To Join iHeartRadio’s “Jingle Ball” Tour In December

Gracing the tour for their very first time, BTS will be one of the headliners for Jingle Ball’s stop  in Inglewood, California on December 6. Previously treating fans with fiery stages in Jingle Ball last year, MONSTA X will return to showcase cooler performances this December.

• DAY6 Fulfills Promise As They Return For “Gravity” Tour In Manila

This year, DAY6 is meeting Filipino MyDays in a larger venue, as the DAY6 WORLD TOUR GRAVITY in MANILA is happening in Araneta Coliseum on November 23 at 5:30PM.

• Lee Je Hoon Gears Up For A Memorable Fan Meet In Korea

Layered in warm hues of Autumn, the main poster for Lee’s upcoming fan meet evokes romance and memories. A likely combination that will be shared by the actor and his supporters.

• NCT Dream To Finally Make First-Ever Solo Concert In Seoul A Reality This November

After such a long wait, the youngest NCT unit will also finally be taking their diverse charms on the solo concert stage for a highly-anticipated showcase, much to fans’ delight!

• 2019 Busan One Asia Festival Announces Final Performer Lineup

Opening the show on October 19, fans can expect superb performances from the explosion of huge boy groups on the new lineup – namely, Super Junior, NU’EST, ONF, The Boyz, ASTRO, and Golden Child.

• SuperM Reveals Dates And Stops For Upcoming “We Are The Future” Concert Tour In North America

Hyping up everyone with fascinating teasers for their highly-anticipated debut since August, the South Korean power group SuperM has surprised fans once again by announcing an upcoming tour of North America.

• ITZY, TXT, X1, And AB6IX To Attend First V Live Awards Show V HEARTBEAT Ceremony

After previously bestowing the honour to the top ten artists and top five rookies each year through celebratory parties, Naver V Live will be holding an actual ceremony to wrap up the memorable milestones that various K-Pop artists achieved this 2019!

• Kim Jong Kook To Celebrate 24th Anniversary With Domestic Concerts

Marking his 24th year in South Korean entertainment industry, Kim Jin Kook will gift his avid supporters with a year-end concert, titled, Jin Kook. The concert will feature the concept of a strong and generous traditional restaurant owner.

K-Concert And Fan Meeting Recaps

• MONSTA X, KARD, WJSN, And Jeong Se Woon Showered Fans With Love At Finger Heart Festival In Germany

MONSTA X, KARD, WJSN, and Jeong Se Woon brought out a party full of love at the recently-held Finger Heart Festival in Mannheim, Germany together with their fans whose hearts might or might not have exploded with the tantalizing stages they witnessed all night!

• 8 Times Sung Hoon Amaze Singapore Fans With Sweet & Genuine Interaction At StarHub Night Of Stars Meet & Greet

Excited fans gathered at City Square Mall on September 27 to meet Sung Hoon for the kick-off of StarHub’s Night Of Stars 2019 Meet and Greet. Prior to meeting his thrilling fans, the dashing actor accommodated some members of the media with an interview at Fairmont Hotel.

• NCT 127 Stands Out With Performances At Global Citizen Festival

NCT 127 was the only Korean group to perform alongside international acts at the Global Citizen Festival. Held on September 28, around 60,000 spectators gathered in New York City’s Central Park.

• Jung Hae In Spurs Wonderful Memories In One Summer Night In Manila

As revealed during the fan meet, Jung Hae In was 100% involved in the planning and preparation. He took an active part in mapping out the entire evening and he had one thing in mind: he wanted his fans to feel the love. And that he accomplished.

• Yeon Woo Jin Spends Meaningful Time With Fans For Tenth Anniversary Debut

Yeon Woo Jin held a fan meeting on September 28 at Sungshin Women’s University WoonJung Green Campus Auditorium in Seoul. The actor expressed his gratitude to fans who attended and made the event a success.

• 8 Things About SuperM Debut That Fans Can Be Excited About

Touted as this year’s K-Pop avengers group, SuperM responds with supreme responses from biggest questions raised in their recent media conference.

K-Pop News Corner

• Kang Daniel To Start Membership Recruitment For Official Fan Club

Kang Daniel announced that his official fan club DANITY  will soon start accepting members. On September 27, the notice for the fan club’s first membership recruitment was posted on Kang Daniel’s official website and SNS account.

• BTS And TWICE Dominate September Brand Rankings

The Korean Research Business Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation ranking for idol groups, naming well-loved K-Pop acts such as BTS and TWICE as the top stars in September.

• BLACKPINK Exceeds 600 Million YouTube Views With “Kill This Love” Music Video

On September 29, BLACKPINK’s music video for “Kill This Love” has exceeded the 600-million-mark on YouTube: just over five months and 24 days after its successful worldwide release.

• BTS’ V Soars To Great Heights On Soundcloud

BTS V remains unstoppable, as the singer has become the first Korean act in the history of the streaming site to have three or more songs garner more than 45 million streams.

• TWICE To Open Its First Pop-Up Store In Singapore

Upon the launch of the exclusive TWICE-themed store in South Korea and Japan, the shop will be making its first Asian stop in Singapore with limited edition items and collectibles for fans to haul.

• Doota Mall Holds Exhibit And Charity Auction For Outfits MONSTA X Personally Wore

Doota Mall has opened a special exhibit and charity pop-up store along with an auction for the outfits that MONSTA X wore during their pictorials as the store’s exclusive advertising models!

• TWICE Sets A New Record For Girl Groups With “Feel Special”

On September 30, Hanteo Charts reported that TWICE sold 154,028 copies of their most recent release within their first week—beating the record they set with FANCY YOU by a considerable margin, which sold 151,051 copies on its first week.

• BTS’ “Boy With Luv” Hailed As The Current Most-Streamed K-Pop Song On Spotify

Setting new records left and right, BTS has again beefed up their long list of feats with another striking achievement. The boys’ latest hit “Boy With Luv” featuring American pop singer Halsey has now become the most-streamed K-Pop song on Spotify.

• IZ*ONE Dominates The Oricon Charts With “Vampire”

According to the Oricon charts, Eunbi, Sakura, Hyewon, Yena, Chaeyeon, Chaewon, Minju, Nako, Hitomi, Yuri, Yujin, and Wonyoung topped their weekly singles chart as they sold 205,000 units of “Vampire”.

K-Pop Comeback News And Updates

1. K-Pop Comeback Spotlight: EXO’s Chen’s “Dear My Dear”, ONEUS’ “Fly With Us”,
2. K-Pop Debut Spotlight: SuperM’s “Jopping”

• SG Wannabe’s Kim Jin Ho To Release Third Studio Album After Five Years

Kim Jin Ho, through his agency Voice, announced on September 27 the release of his new album. The agency statement said, “Kim Jin Ho will be releasing his third solo album on the music site on October 3 at 6PM.”

• Stray Kids Unlocks Heart-Racing Teaser For Next Album And World Tour

2018’s top rookies threw a huge announcement to fans on the midnight of September 30 out of the blue as they drop a video teaser on their social media accounts introducing everyone to the wrap-up of their well-loved Clé series!

• SuperM Readies For Explosive Debut

The group has already released a series of trailers and images for the latest mini-album which has got the fans hyped. On September 30, more teaser images featuring Kai, Ten and Lucas from the MV were released.

• NU’EST Implies New Beginnings In First Video Teaser For Comeback

NU’EST has unveiled a pre-trailer for their October comeback. Pledis Entertainment released the teaser video on September 30 through official SNS channels. It features fantastic sand art images that tells a captivating story while still highlighting the group’s imaginative concept.

• BTOB’s Hyunsik Marks Down Dates For His Upcoming Rendez-Vous Solo Debut

BTOB’s Hyunsik will be taking fans on a sweet rendezvous this October with his exciting solo debut – and his teasers promise an out-of-this-world adventure coming up ahead! Ahead of its release on October 14, he unveiled the titles and credits of the songs on his solo debut mini-album.

• MONSTA X Follows Up The Intensity With Upcoming Album’s Comeback Schedule

Marking the group’s eighth mini-album since The Connect: Dejavu, Follow: Find You is raising a lot of anticipation from fans and is speculated to be related and serve as the conclusion to the album series started by Take.1 Are You There? and Take.2 We Are Here.

• DAY6 Confirms Return With A New Song This October

DAY6 is making their comeback on October 22, three months since their last mini album, The Book of Us: Gravity. Additional details about the said return is still under wraps by the band and the agency.

• Chung Ha And Rich Brian To Light Up “These Nights” In Latest Collaboration

Chung Ha revved up a lot of excitement with a collaboration announcement with Rich Brian for a new song that will definitely leave fans enraptured! Delivered through a teaser video from both artists on October 1, the revealed collaboration already received a hot response from fans.

• TXT Pursues Another Dream With A Magical Comeback This Month

The new music release titled, The Dream Chapter: Magic, threads on the theme of the group’s “dream chapter” series. In March this year, TXT debuted with The Dream Chapter: Star.

• Taeyeon To Grace The Sound Waves With A Shiny October Comeback

After dominating the charts during the summer season, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon is ready for more as she gears up for a comeback this month. Given that the season of Fall is almost upon everyone, her comeback is sure to pull on everyone’s emotions.

• MONSTA X Sweetly Harmonizes In New English Single “Someone’s Someone”

Departing from their past two English singles which leaned more on the intoxicating, sensual side, “Someone’s Someone” offered a sweet, confessional serenade about true and pure love that made fans’ hearts warm right at the first listen.

• Tiffany Young Prepares To Set The Music Scene On Fire

Transparent Arts and Tiffany herself have confirmed that she will be releasing a new track titled “Run For Your Life”. The song is slated for release on October 11, 12AM EST.

• Jeong Se Woon Makes Listeners’ Tears Fall In Heartbreaking “When It Rains” Music Video

Marking his comeback on October 2, the song which headlines the charming soloist’s new mini-album Day brought pensive sadness as it tugged on listeners’ hearts with its very sentimental rhythm.

K-Drama News, Recaps, And Reviews

1. K-Drama Sneak Peek: Tale of Nokdu, Extraordinary You, My Country,
2. K-Drama Premiere: Melting Me Softly, Secret Boutique, Extraordinary You,

• tvN To Premiere New Variety Shows Trans-Siberian Pathfinders & Street Food Fighter 2 In October

Two new trend-leading lifestyle variety shows, Trans-Siberian Pathfinders and Street Food Fighter 2, will premiere on tvN in Asia in October to provide the audience the best viewing experience with unique cultures and scrumptious food.

• October 2019 Korean Drama Releases: My Country, Extraordinary You, The Lies Within & More

Poignant and interesting stories make up the roster of October 2019 Korean Dramas that will be joining the already bountiful lineup of currently airing series. Here are the latest stories to anticipate on your screens.

• Joo Sang Wook & Kim Bo Ra Take On Makeup Artist Roles In Channel A Drama

Set for January 2020 release, Touch taps on a roster of formidable actors headlined by Joo Sang Wook and Kim Bo Ra. Rounding up the main leads are Lee Tae Hwan and Han Eun Jung.

• Lee Dong Gook And His Kids Bid Bittersweet Goodbye To “The Return Of Superman”

South Korean soccer star and variety gem Lee Dong Gook together with his beloved kids including his daughter twins Soo Ah and Seol Ah, and “daebak maknae” Si An will be leaving KBS’ The Return Of Superman.

• Jung Hae In Gears Up For His First Variety Show, Streaks A Medley Of Projects For 2020

Following the success of his drama One Spring Night, it was announced recently that the actor plans to try his hand in variety shows. He is set to take part in the upcoming travel entertainment program tentatively titled Walking Into The World.

K-Celeb Film/TV News

• SF9’s Inseong, AB6IX’s Jeon Woong, Jeong Se Woon, And Kim Kook Heon To Dine Together On New Olive Variety Show

Titled Idol Social Dining (literal translation), the variety show will focus on idols gathering together to socialize and dine with each other. The show will serve as an avenue for artists to talk not just about their concerns but also their experiences.

• EXO’s Suho Receives Appointment As Macau International Film Festival Ambassador

Kim Jun Myeon, also known as EXO’s Suho, will attend the opening ceremony of the 24th Busan International Film Festival. It will be on October 3 and the idol-actor will suit up as the PR ambassador of the aforementioned film festival.

• MBC’s “Listening To Books” Will Make You Want To Read Books Alongside Your Idols

K-Pop fans, have you ever wanted to squeeze in time to read a new book within your busy schedule while fangirling over your favorite idol? If your answer is yes, MBC’s newest radio show is one you should definitely look out for.

• MONSTA X’s Minhyuk, NCT’s Jaehyun, And APRIL’s Naeun To Take Over As SBS Inkigayo Hosts

The three idols will be adding a different flavour to the SBS music show as its new emcees. MONSTA X’s Minhyuk expressed his overflowing excitement towards his upcoming stint as one of the new hosts for SBS Inkigayo!

• Ong Seong Wu Marks Big Screen Debut With A Role In A Musical Film

Ong will be playing the role of Jeong Woo, Oh Se Yeon’s first love. Life is Beautiful is Ong Seung Woo’s film acting debut. He became a household name after participating in the second season of Mnet’s Produce 101.

• MOMOLAND Signs An Exclusive Contract With ABS-CBN + Nancy To Star In A New Philippine Drama Series

On October 4, Philippine television network ABS-CBN announced that MOMOLAND signed an exclusive contract with them. Additionally, Nancy Mcdonie, one of Momoland’s members, will star in an upcoming romantic drama.

• Ong Seong Wu Bags Two Trophies In “2019 Korea Drama Awards”

Ong Seong Wu has another feather on his cap as he won two trophies in the 2019 Korea Drama Awards. The multi-talented actor secured the Hallyu Star and Male Rookie Award for his role in the jTBC youth drama At Eighteen.

• Park Seo Joon Partners With “Extreme Job” Director Lee Byeong Hun For New Film

The actor recently confirmed that he is starring in another film tentatively titled Dream. Director Lee Byeong Hun headlines the film. PD Lee also had another hit movie in 2019, Extreme Job, starring Ryoo Seung Ryong, Lee Ha Nee and Gong Myung.

K-Magazine/Interviews

K-Photo Reel: Woo Do Hwan for W Korea, Oh Yeon Seo for W Korea, VICTON’s Choi Byung Chan for Dazed Korea, Hyuna for DAZED Magazine, Lee Min Ho for L’Officiel Hommes, BLACKPINK’s Lisa at the Celine S/S 2020 Fashion Show, Taeyeon for Cosmopolitan Korea,

• DAY6 Displays Their Playful Charms With Teen Vogue, Allure and Seventeen

Jae, Wonpil, YoungK, Sungjin and Dowoon sat down for adorable magazine features with Teen Vogue, Allure and Seventeen. Exuding bubblegum vibe, DAY6 had an eventful encounter and forget about their schedules for a few minutes of fun and games.

• Park Ji Yeon Looks Back At Her Years With T-Ara In An Interview

Despite her flourishing career as an actress, Park Ji Yeon remains thankful and constantly looks back at the group that made her astronomical rise to fame possible: her family, T-Ara.

• FILA Finds Their Newest Global Ambassadors In BTS

Shout out to all of the ARMYs who may have missed out on BTS’ collaboration with FILA Korea before: you may get the chance to cop their new releases and see them around your nearest shoe store soon as they sign on as FILA’s global models.

• Im Si Wan Talks About Career Journey + Hell Is Other People

In a recent interview with a local media, Im Si Wan shared thoughts about the dark role he is playing in his newest drama. Elated from receiving positive feedback for showing a new face, the actor confesses how he is happy with his comeback project.

• Kang Daniel Announced As Newest Model For Calvin Klein’s 50th Anniversary

Kicking off the month of October with exciting news, Calvin Klein announced that they had selected the handsome and talented soloist as their latest model by saying, “We are beginning a partnership with model Kang Daniel.”

• Chen Talks About His New Music & EXO Confidantes In KBS’ Cool FM Interview

After the release of his second album, Dear My Dear, EXO’s Chen sat down for an interview at KBS Cool FM’s Jung Eun-ji’s Music Plaza. Here, he shared stories about his music and his relationships with his fellow members.

• Kim Rae Won & Gong Hyo Jin Open Up About Their Latest Film

Taking a realistic love story about two people caught up in the pain of heartbreaks, The Most Ordinary Romance amassed over 145,000 admission on its opening day. The love pairing graced an interview and shared insights about their film, love and current state of mind.

K-Features

• Adorable Cha Eun Woo Variety Show Moments That Make Fans Cherish Him More

Astro’s Cha Eun Woo has been receiving immense attention ever since his debut due to his insanely attractive visuals and his numerous talents. Here is a look at some of Cha Eun Woo’s candid moments in variety shows where fans could not help but gush over him.

• Getting To Know Day6: Their Beginning, Music And Milestones

Jae, Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, and Dowoon are not your typical K-pop idols. They don’t perform in synchronized choreography. However, their charms shine through when these five lads make use of their guitars, keyboards and drums.

• Hallyu Star Spotlight: Jang Ki Yong’s Stellar Rise To Stardom And Why Fans Love Him

For Jang Ki Yong, he maximized his time well. Let’s take a look back on his impressive filmography and get to know what the handsome actor has been through in those five years.