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K-pop sex scandal won’t ‘overshadow BLACKPINK’s new music’ as group aims to repeat BTS’ US success

Blackpink

The K-pop sex scandal that has rocked South Korea will not overshadow the release of BLACKPINK’s new music, the girl group’s management company says.

YG Entertainment’s four-piece band plans to release new songs at the end of March, despite the ongoing scandal involving a number of K-pop stars, including Seungri – once part of the company’s boy band, Big Bang, before retiring from show business.

Seungri has been questioned by police after allegedly lobbying potential investors by offering them the services of prostitutes at nightclubs in Seoul.

It has also been claimed that he helped to run Burning Sun nightclub, where staff are alleged to have filmed women with hidden cameras and used alcohol and drugs to sexually assault them.

BLACKPINK, which hopes to follow in the footsteps of internationally renowned boy band BTS and find success in the United States, plans to start a US tour in Los Angeles in April.

Last month the group performed during a series of US promotional television appearances on shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Good Morning America and Strahan and Sara.

“Although the exact date of [BLACKPINK’s new music release] cannot be disclosed yet, the team will film a music video for the new song this week,” YG said on Monday. The song’s title is still unknown.

Yang Hyun-suk, the founder of YG, previously said that an EP featuring several new songs would be released in March.

BLACKPINK made its debut in 2016 with the release of the song Square One and shot to fame with the hits Whistle and Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.

The scandal also includes allegations that Seungri and singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young – who has also since quit show business – were part of the same KakaoTalk chat room group, where Jung shared videos of 10 women he had secretly filmed while having sex with them in 2015. Others in the chat room also reportedly shared illicit content and conversations about Seungri’s business dealings.

Another South Korean singer, Lee Jong-hyun, a member of rock band CNBLUE, has apologised after admitting – after initial denials – that he was part of the chat room and had viewed the videos.

Two other K-pop stars, Yong Jun-hyung of Highlight and Choi Jong-hoon of FT Island, were also kicked out of their bands last week after being linked to the scandal.

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This article was originally written by Dong Sun-hwa for  The Korea Times .
K-pop idols
  • The girl group, which starts a US tour in April as part of plans to expand its fanbase abroad, will go ahead with release of its new EP, its management agency says