Park Min-soo, ‘Boreum-ah’ concept photos released

Singer Park Min-soo has revealed all of the concept photos for his second digital single ‘Boreum-ah’. In the photos, Park Min-soo catches the eye as he conveys a warm sensibility in a cardigan and knitwear. His comfortable mood, gaze toward the camera, and smile make Park Min-soo‘s boyish charm stand out even more, adding to the curiosity about the song that will be released. Another photo shows Park Min-soo posing in a brightly colored hanbok. In particular, Park Min-soo’s elegant appearance in the hanbok elicits admiration from viewers and raises their expectations. ‘Boreum-ah’ is a song themed around the ‘Boreum’ full moon, and contains wishes for the health and happiness of those who listen to it to welcome the new year. With exciting guitar sounds, cheerful rhythms, and elements of Korean traditional music, this fusion trot song will allow listeners to feel the familiarity and sophisticated charm of Korean sentiment at the same time. Park Min-soo, who has been loved by music fans

Project H, Third Member ‘Seohee’ Revealed

The third member of Project H has been revealed. On the 21st, H Music Entertainment posted an image of the third member of Project H, Seohee, on the official SNS of ‘PROJECT H 2025’. In the photo, Seohee is wearing a cozy knit and a man-to-man, giving off a lovely vibe. Her small face with glasses exudes a cute charm, and her appearance in the practice room gives off a natural and lively feeling. With Project H members Jo Hye-rin and Vivi (VV) previously unveiled, the third member, Seohee, who will add visual synergy, has been officially revealed, increasing expectations for the complete group. Project H caught the eyes of K-pop fans with their debut stage at the pre-show of ‘2024 SBS Gayo Daejun’ held last year. Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com

Daybreak to participate in ‘Live On’ on February 23rd

Daybreak (Lee Won-seok, Kim Sun-il, Kim Jang-won, Jung Yu-jong) will be appearing at the omnibus performance ‘LIVE ON Seoul’ to be held at the KBS Arena in Seoul on Sunday, February 23rd. ‘LIVE ON’ is an omnibus performance that aims to be enjoyed by all generations, regardless of gender or age. Daybreak is expected to heat up the scene with their perfect live performances as well as their hit songs that are much loved by people of all ages. Daybreak, who has been on stage as a headliner at major festivals, has proven their status as the ‘Emperor of the Festival World’ by captivating numerous audiences with their unique sensibility, passionate energy, and stage manners that cannot be taken off their faces, so much attention is focused on them even before the omnibus concert is held. Daybreak, who released their mini-album ‘SEMICOLON’ last December, presented music that contains 17 years of periods and commas, and decorated the end of the year splendidly by holding the 2024 Daybreak Con

The Boyz Sunwoo ‘Aegyo-filled ball heart~’

The Boyz‘s Sunwoo poses before leaving for Paris, France via Incheon International Airport on the 22nd to attend an overseas schedule. Incheon International Airport | Reporter Kim Min-seong marineboy@donga.com

The Boyz Sunwoo ‘Sweet handshake~’

The Boyz‘s Sunwoo poses before leaving for Paris, France via Incheon International Airport on the 22nd to attend an overseas schedule. Incheon International Airport | Reporter Kim Min-seong marineboy@donga.com

The Boyz Sunwoo ‘Winter pictorial~’

The Boyz‘s Sunwoo is leaving for Paris, France via Incheon International Airport on the 22nd to attend an overseas schedule. Incheon International Airport | Reporter Kim Min-seong marineboy@donga.com

‘Solo Debut’ Minnie “Now is the Time, I‘m More Greedy” [Pictorial]

On the 21st at 6 PM, Harper‘s Bazaar Korea released the February pictorial with Minnie, who is about to make her solo debut with her first mini-album ‘HER’, drawing attention. The pictorial is titled ‘Here I am’. It captures Minnie’s confident gaze and attitude as she prepares for her solo debut. In an interview conducted after the pictorial shoot, when asked about the moment when she received an award at the 2024 Melon Music Awards and announced the news of her contract renewal, she replied, “Everyone was happy that we could reveal our decision after going through a lot and worrying a lot at a good time. It was a more emotional moment than ever.” When asked about her feelings ahead of her first solo release, she said, “I‘ve been focusing more on team activities, so I think the timing has finally come. Not only me, but also the fans have been waiting for a long time, so I was more greedy. Minnie answered, “I’ve done everything I wanted to do so far,” and raised expectations for her soo

(G)I-dle Minnie Solo Debut… ‘HER’ Showing Off Hexagonal Abilities (Comprehensive) [DA: New Song]

(G)I-dle Minnie makes solo debut… Shows off her hexagonal abilities with ‘HER’ (Comprehensive) [DA: New song] (G)I-dle Minnie has made a leap forward as a solo artist after 7 years of debut. She showed off her extraordinary hexagonal abilities through her new album ‘HER’, which she wrote, composed, and even showed off her acting skills. On the 21st at 6 PM, Minnie‘s solo album [HER] and the music video for the title song of the same name were released through various music sites. Minnie’s solo album [HER], which was released after a 7-year wait, contained the confident message of ‘I am my own muse’. It is an album enough to feel the musicality and new charm of Minnie as a solo artist, not just (G)I-dle‘s Minnie. Minnie directly participated in the writing and composing of all the songs, incorporating her own color into the music. BIG Naughty (Seo Dong-hyun) participated in the lyrics for the title song ‘HER’. Minnie expressed her honest inner self through various images of ‘Minnie’, su

Oh Hyun-woo, first solo concert success “Warm winter memories with fans”

Singer Oh Hyun-woo‘s first solo concert has come to a successful conclusion. The solo concert ‘Today, Our Time Now’, held at Space Brick in Hongdae, Seoul on the 18th, was more meaningful as Oh Hyun-woo directly communicated with fans for the first time since his debut, and his sincerity and music became one. It was an especially special and precious time for Oh Hyun-woo, who gained public recognition through his appearance on MBN’s ‘Voice King’, as it was his first time meeting with fans with whom he has built musical intimacy over the years. He captivated the audience with music for about 2 hours, performing a total of 18 songs, including the winter ballad ‘Lean on My Shoulder’, which was released last November. Oh Hyun-woo, who opened the concert with the song ‘I Will Always Protect You’, presented a deep resonance with his sweet husky voice and restrained singing. He continued to share meaningful moments with fans by conveying warm messages with his diverse repertoire on the follow

Kickflip, JYP‘s ‘Three Letter Magic’ Works Again

JYP‘s ‘Three Letter Magic’ worked this time too. Kickflip made their surprise debut on the 20th. With the near-miraculous ‘Debut album pre-orders surpassing 300,000 copies’, both inside and outside of K-pop, the so-called ‘Male Idol Genealogy’ of JYP Entertainment (JYP), their agency, has become a hot topic once again. The JYP male group genealogy, also called the three-letter magic, continues with g.o.d, 2PM, GOT7, and the common expression ‘Skids’, an abbreviation for the top group Stray Kids. JYP’s newcomer Kickflip released their first mini-album ‘Flip’ on the 20th at 6PM.

‘JYP‘s youngest son’ Kickflip debuts... 300,000 pre-orders → 1st place on Hunter-Circle Chart

‘JYP‘s youngest son’ KickFlip debuts... 300,000 pre-orders → #1 on Hanteo and Circle Charts JYP Entertainment’s (hereafter JYP) next-generation boy group KickFlip has made a powerful debut. KickFlip threw their hat into the music ring with their first mini-album ‘Flip it, Kick it!’ and the title song ‘Mama Said (What are you trying to become?)’ on the 20th at 6PM. Their first album, ‘Flip it, Kick it!’, surpassed 300,000 pre-orders on the 15th and ranked first on the real-time album charts of album aggregation sites Hanteo Chart and Circle Chart as of 10 p.m. on the 20th, proving the hot attention JYP‘s new artists are receiving. On the day of their debut, at 7 p.m., the global debut show ‘KickFlip On Board’ was simultaneously broadcast on Mnet and M2 YouTube channels. In this debut show, the seven members, Gye-hoon, Amaru, Dong-hwa, Joo-wang, Min-je, K-ju, and Dong-hyun, performed the title song ‘Mama Said (What are you trying to be?)’ as well as ‘Yeah Yeah’, ‘Knock Knock’.

Ive ‘Holcee’ X IU ‘Eleven’… Color Switch was such a great content (Palette)

Ive ‘Holcsi’ X IU ‘Eleven’… Color Switch was such great content (Palette) Group Ive and singer IU have met. On the 20th, a new episode of ‘IU‘s Palette’ titled ‘’I’Shoot Up with the Family (With IVE) Ep. 31’ was released on the YouTube channel ‘Igeum’. On this day, Ive appeared as a guest on ‘IU’s Palette’ and showed off various talks and his musical abilities that have grown even more. Ive, who successfully completed his world tour last year, mentioned that he and IU, who were on a similar world tour around the same time, had overlapping concert venues a few weeks apart, saying, “Didn‘t you perform in Korea? We also had a performance, so we really wanted to go then, but the timing didn’t work out,” she said, expressing her regret. IU also said, “We really wanted to invite Ive as a guest, but his performance schedule overlapped with that. I thought, ‘Oh, Ive has a performance too. We’re going to do it without a guest,‘ so it was the first time since our debut that we performed without

Stray Kids, Running World Tour Again This Year! Powerful ‘Start’ in Hong Kong

Stray Kids to go on world tour again this year! A powerful ‘Start’ in Hong Kong Stray Kids have resumed their world tour with their first solo concert in 2025 in Hong Kong. Stray Kids held a solo concert as part of their world tour ‘Stray Kids World Tour’ (〈Dominate〉) at the Asia World Arena in Hong Kong on January 18th and 19th (local time). This was their first solo concert held in Hong Kong since their debut, and local fans responded enthusiastically, and all tickets for all shows were sold out. Stray Kids said on this day, “This is our first Hong Kong concert in 8 years. I can‘t even imagine how long you’ve been waiting for this moment. Thank you for waiting, and we really missed the Hong Kong STAY (fandom name: STAY)”. The group then performed vivid live performances and splendid performances of their representative hit songs, including ‘Sorikkun’, ‘Back Door’, ‘Chk Chk Boom’, ‘God‘s Menu’, and ‘Special’. They also ranked 6th on the US Billboard ‘Billboard 200’.

From a 17-year-old Thai girl to a ‘K-pop queen’… (G)I-dle Minnie‘s story of challenges [Interview]

Ten years ago, in 2015, a 17-year-old Thai girl set foot on the unfamiliar land of Korea alone. There was only one reason she came to this place, where she had no one to lean on and no one to know. It was her burning passion for K-pop. This is the story of Minnie, a member of the group (G)I-dle, who is now the undisputed ‘K-pop queen’. Ten years ago, she passed an audition at a dance academy where she had been attending because she loved K-pop, and her life changed “beyond imagination” when she debuted as a member of (G)I-dle in 2018. She won the grand prize at the Melon Music Awards (MMA) last November, and reached the top as a K-pop star that she had always dreamed of.

MONSTA X SHOWNU “I can‘t believe it’s the 10th anniversary... I‘m looking forward to the full group activities” [Photoshoot]

MONSTA X Shownu, “I can‘t believe it’s our 10th anniversary... Looking forward to full group promotions” [Photoshoot] MONSTA X Shownu showed off his unique visuals as befitting the ‘pic shoot master’. Shownu, who decorated the cover of the February issue of @star1, showed off his diverse charms, from a mannish mood to unique visuals. While MONSTA X is celebrating their 10th debut anniversary this year, half of the members are currently on a hiatus due to their military service. Jooheon is scheduled to be discharged on the 23rd, while Kihyun and Hyungwon are scheduled to be discharged on February 21st and May 13th, respectively. Shownu did not hide his anticipation for full group promotions with the members. He said, “I talk to the members on the phone a lot,” and “I meet Minhyuk and Changkyun often, and Kihyun and I have small talk in the group chat.” He shared personal stories with Jooheon and Hyungwon, saying, “When we talk amongst ourselves, there are times when I think, ‘Is this re

Kangta, Big Decision After 6 Years… Fan Meeting to be Held on March 23 [Official]

Kangta, big decision after 6 years… Fan meeting to be held on March 23 [Official] Singer Kangta will be meeting his fans for the first time in 6 years. He will be holding a fan meeting. On March 23rd at 5 PM, the ‘2025 KANGTA LIVE WORKSHOP – Studio Camp with KANGTA’ will be held at Yes24 Wonderlock Hall in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. This live workshop, in particular, is a new type of fan meeting that will feature various live stages that maximize Kangta’s unique vocals and emotions. It will be designed to actively utilize the space and atmosphere unique to small theaters to allow for impromptu communication with fans through music at a close distance. Since this will be Kangta’s first time meeting fans in about 6 years since his Japanese solo fan meeting ‘Blooming Day’ in March 2019, he is preparing a ‘Ear-pleasing’ music gift. It is said that they are putting their heart and soul into preparing for the live workshop, continuing to practice to the performance of guest pianist Song Kwang-sik.

Intense Ive, ‘Rebel Heart’ performance video becomes a hot topic

IVE (Ahn Yu-jin, Ga-eul, Lay, Jang Won-young, Liz, Lee Seo) has raised the heat of their comeback with a performance video for their new song ‘REBEL HEART’. On the 20th, their agency Starship Entertainment posted a video titled ‘IVE IVE ’REBEL HEART‘ Performance Video’ through IVE‘s official YouTube channel. The video contains a powerful performance of ‘Rebel Heart’, the pre-released title song of Ive’s third EP album ‘Ive Empathy’, released on the 13th. In the released performance video, Ive shows off a variety of black-toned punk styling and geek-chic looks against the backdrop of a building rooftop, boasting the six members‘ unique visuals and an unapproachable atmosphere that you can’t take your eyes off of. The powerful performance of the members added to the exciting melody of ‘Rebel Heart’ heightened the mood even more, and the sunset sky created an even cooler feeling. In the chorus, pieces of paper are scattered, reminiscent of unrefined and free youth.

‘Sincerity in singing’ Kim Young-chul… This time, a ballad

Broadcaster Kim Young-chul has taken on a ballad this time. According to his agency Mystic Story on the 21st, Kim Young-chul will release a new digital single, ‘What if I said it?’, through various music sites that afternoon. This song is a new song by Kim Young-chul, who has earned the nickname ‘Dog Singer’, after about 2 years and 1 month since the trot song ‘Ttarreung’ and ‘Traffic Light’. It is a ballad with an impressive melody that stimulates winter emotions. Kim Young-chul said, “I am still clumsy and find love difficult. I have a job where I talk to many people and make someone happy, but I feel infinitely weak and small when faced with a word to convey my love.

82 Major, K-Pop Super Rookie Proven by Numbers [Photoshoot]

82 Major (Nam Sung-mo, Park Seok-jun, Yoon Ye-chan, Jo Sung-il, Hwang Sung-bin, Kim Do-gyun) showed off their unique charm. Marie Claire released a pictorial of the group 82 Major. In the pictorial, 82 Major perfectly digested the conceptual mood and immediately caught the public‘s attention. The members completed the sensational pictorial with strong poses and unique charms that are no less than those of models. 82 Major’s third solo concert ‘Etume Boom (82MAJOR BOOM)’ recently held garnered hot attention, selling out all tickets for three shows including additional shows. Seok-jun said, “I‘m happy that I could start this year with a powerful concert”. Do-gyun said, “I’m just grateful. Next time, I hope to meet more Attitudes (fandom name) in a bigger place,” he said. Sung Il then chose the title song ‘Stuck’ from the second mini album ‘X-82’ as the song that stood out the most on stage. He expressed his confidence by saying, “We rap a lot, so I think this is a stage that shows our sk

Baby Monster decorates the stage with a cover of ‘YG senior’ 2NE1

With just four days left until their first world tour since their debut, Baby Monster has announced that they will perform a medley of the members’ favorite 2NE1 songs. Baby Monster will be holding the ‘2025 BABYMONSTER 1st WORLD TOUR IN SEOUL’ at KSPO DOME in Seoul on the 25th and 26th. Not only will there be a rich setlist and high-quality band live performances that can only be seen at the concert venue, but they will also be performing covers of their seniors 2NE1, garnering more attention than ever. The 2NE1 mashup dance performance that Baby Monster presented before their debut was well-received by K-pop fans, and even the fans’ secondary creations are currently gaining popularity, garnering close to 44 million views. This is expected to be a special gift to the fans who come to the concert as they are showcasing their already proven overwhelming live performances anew. In particular, the Baby Monster members personally selected the songs they will cover, expressing their great r